Lancaster Castle: a prison in 1851?

[Maggie1895]

Really grateful for any information or advice anyone can give.
My gr.gr grandparents, Thomas Dickinson b. c1802 / Margaret Bland b c.1803 of Sunderland Point, near Overton in Lancashire.   In the census of 1851 Margaret is shown as Head of the Household, yet not widowed, but married.  Thomas does not appear, yet they appear together in all later censi till their deaths.
The only Thomas I can trace of the correct age is in Lancaster Castle in 1851, which I presume was a prison?    He was a fisherman and as they were transporting to Australia from Lancaster Castle at that time presumably hadn't committed anything too dreadful, as he was back home by the next census, but is there any way of finding out if that was him and what he had done to get put there?
All advice welcomed,
Maggie

[wendy47]

  Have you seen these Maggie

http://www.lancastercastle.com/html/people/tour.php?id=36

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=120

Wendy 

[castana1985]

Hi Maggie
I live in Lancaster, so if you need me to find any info out, I'd be more than happy to!
Tracy

[Maggie1895]

Wendy, no I hadn't, so thank you very much!
Tracy, what a kind offer - I don't think I have enough to go on just yet, but will have a look at the site Wendy pointed me to, and come back to you if I need help.
Thank you both
Maggie

[Jackie464]

Hi Maggie - I have a g grandmother who worked at the Castle around this time.  It was certainly a prison.  As I also worked for several years at the castle I enquired about trecord and was told that there were no record from that time of regular staff or very rarely of prisoners who were there for minor offences.  I would think that if there is any record of your g g grandfather being sentenced it would be in the quarterly sessions and at the National Archives.

Sunderland Point is one of my favourite places to be - I had friends there and used to play there as a child and love it to bits.  We lived in Middleton and Overton.  There are some great old photos of Sunderland and its inhabitants around too. - regards Jackie

[Barbara.H]

Hi Maggie,

There is also a Thomas Dickinson in Lancaster Castle in 1841!

HO107/554 Folio 11

I have a copy of the "History of Sunderland Point" by Hugh Cunliffe that mentions the surname Dickinson briefly in relation to Sunderland and Overton.
"...Mattherw Dickinson.. and his wife Barbara had a boy baptised in Overton Church in March 1807" 

This I think would be Overton St Helens church

  Barbara

[Barbara.H]

Oh, and there are some baptisms/burials for St Helens on Lancashire Parish Clerk::
http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

including baptisms for children of Thomas and Margaret Dickinson between 1825 and 1842

[Maggie1895]

Thank you everyone!    I'm so glad I found this board as everyone on it is so generous with their knowledge and advice.
By a huge coincidence I've had contact on Genes Reunited this morning from someone who is probably a distant cousin and mentions in passing that our mutual great great grandfather 'spent a lot of time in Lancaster prison' so hopefully she will have some detail, and I will also follow up all your suggestions to find out more.
Perhaps not the type of pedigree I originally set out expecting, but that's the fascination of genealogy isn't it?
Thank you again, everyone,
Maggie

[Maggie1895]

Specifically for BarbaraH:
Thanks Barbara -
Matthew Dickinson and Barbara Leeming had 9 children, the 7th of whom was Thomas, my grx3 grandfather.  (the apparent gaol bird)
Thomas married Margaret Bland and they had 6 children, the eldest of whom was my great great grandmother, Barbara.   
Barbara married John Mansell, a joiner and railway carriage examiner, younger brother of Richard Christopher Mansell, who was an inventor and fairly major force in Victoria railways.
Barbara and John's eldest daughter, Margaret Mansell, was my grandfather's mother.
So it's definitely the same people, and I will be looking at the parish links, and appreciate hearing about the book.
Thanks again, Maggie