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Ancestry UK

Town Gaol, Winchelsea, Sussex

Winchelsea had a small Town Gaol located on the High Street in the Court Hall, a building dating back to the thirteenth century. The gaol occupied part of the ground floor, with a court room on the upper floor. In 1818, there were two cells, able to house up to three prisoners. In 1820, a total of six prisoners were detained there, never more than one at a time.

In 1862, the became a lock-up and used only for short-term confinment. It ceased use in 1879 and the ground floor was subsequently used as community event space. The actress, Dame Ellen Terry, established a stage school in the courtroom in the late 19th century. Since 1950, the courtroom has housed a small museum.

Records

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

  • East Sussex Record Office, The Keep, Woollards Way, Brighton, BN1 9BP. Holdings include: Gaol description book, giving name, offence, date of commitment, term and description of prisoner (1828-86).
  • The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Has a wide variety of crime and prison records going back to the 1770s, including calendars of prisoners, prison registers and criminal registers.
  • Find My Past has digitized many of the National Archives' prison records, including prisoner-of-war records, plus a variety of local records including Manchester, York and Plymouth. More information.
  • Prison-related records on Ancestry UK include Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951, and local records from London, Swansea, Gloucesterhire and West Yorkshire. More information.
  • The Genealogist also has a number of National Archives' prison records. More information.

Bibliography

  • Prison Oracle - resources those involved in present-day UK prisons.
  • GOV.UK - UK Government's information on sentencing, probation and support for families.

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.