which prison?

[Cath RJ]

I have a very detailed newspaper report of a trial at Chester assizes in 1913. The accused was sentenced to 18 months hard labour. Is there any way of finding in which prison he served his sentence? I've looked at the National Archives site but nothing jumps out.

[Vonny North West]

Have a look on FMP UNDER Institution and Organisation records then, under Prisons crime and punishment 1770 - 1934.
Vonny

[Cath RJ]

Thanks Vonny. No luck there.

[Vonny North West]

Have you looked on here? http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/r...-1559-1971.htm It might be worth trawling through.
Vonny

[garstonite]

Hard Labour - I would have thought he would be more than likely be sent to Walton Prison ,Liverpool ...about 25 miles from Chester...Walton opened in 1855 and still is a huge prison ...

[Tilly Mint]

Have a look to see if it's here, Cath........great site so it's worth a look. It takes in 1913

http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/crimes1913.html

[Cath RJ]

Thanks for suggestions everyone. Still no luck. We've got two newspaper reports of the trial but no indication of which prison to follow up.

[clematised]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_Castle maybe Lancaster prison

Edna

[Vonny North West]

All prisons hold different category prisoners, do you know what category prisoner this person would have been? If, for example, was found guilty of murder then he would have been put into a high security prison such as Wakefield.
Just a thought.
Vonny

[Barbara Dodds]

Only other suggestion i can think of in that general area is Strangeways, Manchester? A bit further away than Walton though

also is this worth a look at? http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/44...ison_records/8

[Olde Crone Holden]

Did they shift prisoners around in 1913, or did they just send them to the one nearest the trial court? I doubt if any consideration was given to visiting relatives in those days. All prisons were capable of effecting hard labour.

OC

[Vonny North West]

My grt. grandfather, lived in the Manchester area.. He was sent to Strangeways for 2 months for stealing in 1871. In 1888, he committed another crime, this time (still in Manchester) he was sent for trial at Liverpool Assizes. Found guilty, sent to Aylesbury prison (Berkshire) to do 12 years hard labour. I realise this event was a lot earlier than the post in question, but perhaps it does show that prisoners were placed where it was appropriate as still happens today.
Vonny

[Olde Crone Holden]

Vonny

thanks for that. I had thought that they wouldn't bother with the expense of shifting prisoners. I do wonder who decided where they would go?

OC

[Vonny North West]

OC this is what I have read and is pertinent to what happens today, so whether this happened in the past I have no idea but then again procedures are always based on passed events and updated with the times. From trial prisoners are taken back to the holding prison when they were on remand, there they are assessed by a council or committee who go through a list of criteria. Today I would imagine one of the criteria would be mental health issues? Once this procedure is complete it is then decided which prison would be the most suitable and then the prisoner is moved on. ( This is just my basic interpretation.)
Vonny