What Info is on the Gaol Registers?

[Cell]

Hi,
The gaol registers/entries; Does anyone know what information is  actually on them?
I have found an entry in an index for a person ( who may be one of my relatives who  I'm looking for)  who was in a county gaol in 1847. If I send away for the entry of this  person ( costs  just 2  pounds plus postage on top) , does the "certificate" give  any information, like the age of the person, and  the crime he committed etc? The index just gives me his name and job, and what parish he was last in. I just wondered what info is on these  indvidual entries  before I order it. Or are they just a waste of money, and  it won't give me any  detailed, relevant information like age of the person?

Thanks

[floridagirl]

Which gaol was your ancestor in?
Viv.

[Cell]

Gloucesteshire,  I found him on the county councils web site in their indexes

[floridagirl]

I know that the records in Liverpool have quite a few details on them so I would imagine that other cities would be the same.
Try e-mailing the county council and ask them what details they have and if you think it's worth it send off the money, or you could try posting a message on the Gloucester site to see if someone can do a look up for you.
Good luck!

[Cell]

Thanks

I'll probably order it anyway, I have a couple of  wills that I want to order off them anyway. It's just  that two pounds here and there adds up.
I'm very  curious to know what is on the  gaol registers. I think this person is either the direct relative of mine ( my G, G, G grandfather I'm looking for , or  it could be my  G G grandfathers brother, an age of this person would give me a clue or something to go by)

 

[floridagirl]

Good luck!!!!
I hope you get what you're after,
Viv.
 

[Amy K]

oooo, I found two people on this same index who might be my rellies. I should be very interested to know what info you get, should you decide to order to full entry.

Amy

[Cell]

oooo, I found two people on this same index who might be my rellies. I should be very interested to know what info you get, should you decide to order to full entry.

Amy

I received the stuff today ( 2 wills and the Gaol record), pretty quick I thought, I wasn't expecting them for weeks.

Anyway, Gaol registers; what I received was photocopies of all entries of others people on the same page  too as  well as my ancestor.
The register has a lot of columns, , age, height ( which is surprisng , all these men on the page are only  5.4, and 4.5 everyone seems so short, these are men , not women) , hair colour, eye colour, "visage" which has "long next to mine, others it says oval -

Next box is  "complexion, and other marks"  ( which is quite funny some of the comments )  - mine has a comment "light sandy whiskers",  But the man above has "very hairy chest and arms"  written in his comment box lol. Next box is "cause of commitiment" ... my ancester has stealing one  hankerchief  from a Joseph Gibbs .(oooh the shame of it all ! lol,)  Event of trial - not guilty - (hooray!! ), next is a box when discharged or removed , next is a box "previous known character, habits and conexions (spelt that way), I can't read the comments in this box for my ancestor , I nead  to scan it  and to blow it up a bit, but what I can make out is  that it tells me who he worked for, and who is wife is.

As for the wills I received off  the gloucestershire council .. what a mixture, the first will is really good, easy to read and in order. The second will they haven't done a good job of photocopying it , or putting it in order,  very dissapointing,  a total mess, and this is the one that is the most interesting, pity I can't read  half of it.  I think it's a very poor job of them.

Gaol records if you have an ancester there , I'd say order it, it will give you an idea   of what he or she was like, from hair colour to height, eye colour etc etc, plus of course their crime , and any other  comments.

But prepare yourself  for a shock , you may discover it was a very serious crime  they committed  , like my  very bad handkerchief stealing ancester 
 

[D ap D]

As for the wills I received off  the gloucestershire council .. what a mixture, the first will is really good, easy to read and in order. The second will they haven't done a good job of photocopying it , or putting it in order,  very dissapointing,  a total mess, and this is the one that is the most interesting, pity I can't read  half of it.  I think it's a very poor job of them.

Could you not phone them to thank for the quick response, how pleased you are with the first and ask if there is anything they can do about the second? You never know, they might do a decent copy free of charge?

Just a thought.

D