SERIES PCOM 2
INFORMATION ON SERIES OF DOCUMENTS
PCOM 2 Series
Title Home Office and Prison Commission: Prisons Records, Series 1
1770-1951
Structure
Registers of prisoners and habitual criminals, photograph albums, minute books, visitors ’ books, order books, journals, assizes and quarter sessions calendars and other records relating to various prisons in England and Wales, to Gibraltar prison and to some ship prisons. Approx. 50,000 aliases.
473 volumes comprising approximately 77,000 images
Samples:
PCOM 2/10 Prisoners: register 1853-1854
Register no. Pentonville Cell and Ward, Name, Age, Married or Single & No. of
Children, Read or Write, When and Where Convicted, Specific Description of
Crime, Sentence, When & Where Received, Information Received Respecting
Prisoner, When Removed & Whither, Remarks. 700 individuals named on double image pages – 8 records per double page. 88 double image pages
Handwritten on printed forms.
PCOM 2/80 Pentonville Prisoners: register 1885 May – September
Register No, Name, Place Received From & Date, Place Removed or
Discharged To & Date, Licence No, Remarks. 221 to 413 double image pages.
16 individual records per double page. Handwritten on printed forms.
PCOM 2/93 Pentonville Visitors Book 1862-1885
Date, Name, Residence, Country, Signature of Officer Attending. 100 Double image pages with an average of 22 named visitors per double page. Handwritten on printed forms.
PCOM 2/94 Pentonville Visitors’ Minute Book 1842-1849
Date, Minutes. 146 single pages. Handwritten entries on printed pages.
PCOM 2/95 Pentonville Visitors’ Observation Book 1880-1885
Date, Observations. 30 single pages of Visitors’ Observations. Handwritten entries on printed pages.
PCOM 2/98 Pentonville Prisoners’ Photograph Album
Register Number, Name, Photograph. Not all photographed are named.
272 single images with 9 individual photographs per single page.
PCOM 2 /137 Ships’ Prisoners’ Register: Europa at Gibralta 1840-1855
Number, Name, Age, Offence, When Convicted, Where Convicted, Sentence,
Gaoler’s Report, Where Born, Hair, Eyes, Eyebrows and Lashes, Nose, Mouth,
Complexion, Visage, Make, Married or Single, Height in Feet & Inches, Read or
Write, Trade or Occupation, Remarks, Residence of the Prisoners’ Relatives or
Friends, How Disposed of.
147 double pages with 20 individual records per double page. Handwritten entries of printed pages.
Whilst The National Archives endeavours to ensure that the information is correct, in no event shall The National Archives be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of access to or reliance on or use of any information. This document is intended to provide guidance only and it is recommended that personal research of the records be undertaken

SERIES PCOM 2
Series
Physical Format and Condition
PCOM 2
PCOM 2/145 Woking Pris oners’ Registers 1878-1884
Register Number, Name (including aliases), Place Received From & Date, Place
Removed or Discharged To, Licence No, Remarks, Committal, Conviction.
229 double pages with an average of 7 individual records per double page.
Handwritten entries on printed pages.
PCOM 2/156 Separate Confinement Register Wormwood Scrubs 1889-1890.
Register Number, Name (including aliases), Received From – Place and Date,
Removed or Discharged to – Place and Date, Licence Number, Remarks – gives details of crime, date, place and length of sentence and former occupation. 34 double pages with 11 individual records per double page.
PCOM 2/178 Newgate Lists of Felons – Masters’ Side 1789-1793
Arranged weekly starting 14 th
December 1789
– one page per week to end
January 1793. Name, Length of imprisonment, date imprisonment began. Also arranged by crime eg. Debtors, Fines, Transports. Approx. 160 single pages with approx. 25 named individuals per page.
PCOM 2/298 Habitual Criminals Register Birmingham 11 th
July – 28 th
September
1874. Date, Name Number and Aliases, Age on Discharge, Height, Hair, eyes,
Complexion, Where Born, Married or Single, Trade or Occupation, Any Other
Distinguishing Marks, Address at Time of Apprehension, Whether summarily disposed of or tried by Jury, Place and Date of Conviction, Offence for which
Convicted, Sentence, If liberated on Licence when sentence will expire, Date when liberated, Intended residence, Previous convictions, Names of Police
Officers Prison Warders or others who can identify and prove convictions. Clear
Photograph of each convict. Very tightly bound, handwritten on printed form. 145 double page entries.
PCOM 2/318 Lindsey Prison Governor’s Journal 13 th
July 1875 – 15 th
April 1878
Daily entries
– average of 2 days per single page/image. Approx. 500 single pages.
PCOM 2/340 Calendar of prisoners for Trial at quarter sessions for Borough of
Liverpool 10 th
January 1870 – 30 November 1870. Male and Female - Full
Name, Age, Trade, Name and address of Committing Magistrate, Date of
Warrant, When received from Custody, Offence as charged in the Commitment,
When Tried, Before Whom Tried, Verdict of the Jury, Sentence or order of the court. Handwritten entries on printed forms. Also includes details of previous offences, sentences and convictions. Also includes lists of misdemeanours and those in the Borough Gaol and House of Correction, Liverpool. 20 pages per quarter session
– 4x20=80 single pages. Approx. 70 named prisoners per session – 70x4=280 named prisoners.
Large hardbound volumes, handwritten on printed forms, some tattered edges to pages. A4 to A2.
Popularity Between 1st January 2009 and 31 December 2009 this series of records was requested in the reading rooms at The National Archives some 399 times. In a package with other related material it is expected to be of greater interest to the
Whilst The National Archives endeavours to ensure that the information is correct, in no event shall The National Archives be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of access to or reliance on or use of any information. This document is intended to provide guidance only and it is recommended that personal research of the records be undertaken

SERIES PCOM 2
Series
Research Guide
PCOM 2 public. Popularity would also be greatly increased by improved ease of access.
Tracing 19th and 20th Century Criminals
Sources for Convicts and Prisoners
Name, Age, Trade, Date of Trial, Sentence
Possible areas for indexing
Any other relevant information
These records continue in MEPO 6
Whilst The National Archives endeavours to ensure that the information is correct, in no event shall The National Archives be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of access to or reliance on or use of any information. This document is intended to provide guidance only and it is recommended that personal research of the records be undertaken