Volunteers and villains: the HO 17 cataloguing project
It is Volunteers’ Week, an annual celebration of the wonderful contribution made by millions of volunteers across the UK. The National Archives has worked with volunteers for over 20 years...
View ArticleJames Hawkins’ daring escapes – a convict who refused to accept his sentence
Last month I wrote a blog introducing the work being done by a team of volunteers who are cataloguing record series HO 17, criminal petitions for mercy. These records date...
View ArticleGeorge Sanglier’s petitions: two sides to every petition
My last blog focused on James Hawkins, a thief so determined not to be separated from his wife and family that he twice returned from the other side of the...
View Article‘To share in his fate’: petitioning to join those transported overseas
We explore petitions from women who wanted to join their husbands in exile…
View Article‘Not a fair trial’: Edward Ashford’s petitions for mercy
Exploring the story of Edward Ashford, who appears to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time…
View ArticleHow to trace your criminal ancestors
Criminal records are some of the richest sources available for family historians - here are some top tips for exploring criminal pasts…
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