prison

[mikayla]

I am looking for my Grandad John Wigham,born 1881 at Byers Green Durham,in the 1901 census he is an inmate at HMP Saint Faiths Within Hampshire,I have tried to find out why he was there,my parents never mentioned it,they may not have known about this.

[mckha489]

Have you enquired at Hampshire Archives. 

https://www.hants.gov.uk/librariesandarchives/archives/popular-records/courts-justice

https://calm.hants.gov.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=Q%2f1%2f7%2f2%2f6

[CaroleW]

Interesting.  If you look at the 1901 image - he was a soldier 2nd Durham.  On the same page there are 6 other prisoners - all soldiers

The preceding page has 25 entries of which 12 are soldiers & if you flip back there is a very high number of soldiers on each page

[mikayla]

I now know he was a soldier,I sort of worked that out,he also has a criminal record in Durham,I found him in newspaper reports.
My Dad maybe knew but it was never mentioned,I think John was a bit of a thief as one article mentions he stole beer and spirits from Cameron Brewers
He was also married at that time and so far I know his first wife Mary-ann died and 2 of the children.
I have a gut feeling that as he became a widower and the his second wife was my Gran,she lived next door and was widowed with one child,will have suited John,never met him he died before I was born.

Now wondering if he served in Ireland as my Dad sang lots of songs from that time,Dad told me that Granda John said " Keep a knife under your pillow if there is any Irish in the house"

[mikayla]

Thank you for signposting me,much appreciated