A joint news release from the universities of Sheffield and Hertfordshire and
The Open University
Tuesday, 12 July 2005
London’s criminal past unlocked as trials from
1834 - 1913 to be posted online
A team of historians from the Universities of Hertfordshire and Sheffield, and the Open
University, has been awarded funding to make the transcripts from Old Bailey trials
from 1834 to 1913 available online for the first time. The Old Bailey Online website
(www.oldbaileyonline.org) gives unparalleled access to court proceedings dating from
the 17th century and gives an insight into not only the judicial process, but also the day
to day lives of ordinary Londoners during this period in history.
The project represents an extension to the existing Old Bailey Online website, which
already details the entire transcripts of Old Bailey trials from 1674 to 1834. The latest
part of the project is expected to take three years and the grant of £317,114 from the
Arts and Humanities Research Council will allow the digitisation and posting of
transcripts of 100,000 additional trials, comprising 70 million words of text.
The website already makes available the largest single source of searchable information
about “ordinary” British lives and behaviour ever published. When this new material is
up and running it will be possible to search almost a billion words of British history, by
key word, crime type and location.
Professor Robert Shoemaker, Head of the Department of History at the University of
Sheffield said: “When this new material is online it will be possible to search almost a
billion words of British history by keyword, crime type and location. The expansion of
this unique resource will give us an invaluable insight into the lives, crimes, judgments
and punishments of Londoners from the 1600s right up into the 20th century.”
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Professor Tim Hitchcock, from the School of Humanities at the University of
Hertfordshire added: “The updated archives will enable everyone from schoolchildren
to legal historians, local historians to people researching their family history, to search
for details of a wide variety of crimes including murder, robbery and abduction.”
Professor Clive Emsley, Professor of History and co-director of the International Centre
for Comparative Criminological Research at The Open University, said: "The complete
archive will also provide everyone with the opportunity to get some insight into the
pattern of crime in the past and some understanding of the crimes that affected the
people of London and its environs over two and a quarter centuries. It is to be hoped
that this will encourage more awareness and more informed debate about contemporary
problems."
Notes to Editors:
The Old Bailey Online website has been given two Cybrarian awards for its design,
ease of navigability and appeal to a wide audience. The website has received 1.3
million visits since it was launched in March 2003. An updated version, which includes
improved search facilities and allows trials to be mapped onto two additional digitised
contemporary maps of London, will be posted on July 15.
For further information contact Emma Dickson, Media and PR Officer, University of
Hertfordshire on 01707 284022 or E.Dickson@herts.ac.uk or Danielle Reeves, Media
Relations Officer, University of Sheffield on 0114 222 5339 or email
d.reeves@sheffield.ac.uk or Neil Coaten, Media Relations Officer, Open University on
01908 652580 or email N.D.Coaten@open.ac.uk