How to look for records of... Prisons and prison staff

1. Why use this guide?

This is a guide to the records of prison management, administration and policy, as well as records of prison staff, held at The National Archives (for advice on finding records of prisoners, see our guide to prisoners and convicts). For records from the last 30 years contact the HM Prison & Probation Service.

The records covered here include, amongst others, records of:

• management
• finance
• rules and regulations
• the daily business of prisons
• prison staff
• land and buildings

There is also some advice on how to search for photographs of prisons.

2. What is held here and what is held elsewhere?

Records of prisons and prison staff are held in various locations, including The National Archives, the prisons themselves and local archives.

In 19th century England, there were two distinct types of prisons: local prisons and convict prisons. You are likely to find records of and relating to convict prisons at The National Archives because they were run by central government. These include records of penitentiaries, public work prisons, and prison ships (known as hulks). Local prisons such as gaols, bridewells, and lock-ups were managed locally, so their records are typically held in their respective local or county archive. Use the Find an archive tool to search for local and county archives.

The Prisons Act of 1877 established the Prison Commission, which brought local gaols under government management. Its duties included the maintenance of all prisons, the inspection of prison buildings, and the condition of prisoners. In April 1963, the Prison Commission was transferred to the Home Office as its new prison department. The surviving records of the Prison Commission are held at The National Archives, as are all Home Office record selected for permanent preservation.

3. Online records

No significant sets of records of prisons held at The National Archives are viewable online and in general you should expect to have to either visit us in Kew or order copies to see the records. There are, however, some related records held by other institutions available online:

3.1 Parliamentary Papers,1801-2006

Search Parliamentary Papers (institutional subscription required). These are an important source of information about prison policy, covering issues such as the efficacy of transportation and the diet of convicts.

3.2 Online newspaper collections

Search the British Newspaper Archive (£), also available on Findmypast (£), and The Gazette website for articles relating to the management of a specific prison.

Local libraries may have their own subscriptions to these online archives that you can use.

4. How to use this guide and search for records

A search for records of prisons at The National Archives usually begins in our online catalogue which contains descriptions for records held by us in Kew and at over 2,500 other archives across the UK. You can search the catalogue using the prison name and/or dates – keep your eye on the ‘Held by’ field to establish whether the records are here or at a local archive.

Catalogue search results provide short descriptions of our records and a document reference for each one – you will need the document reference to see the record itself. The majority of records covered in this guide are not available to view online and to see those records you will have to either visit us in Kew or order copies.

The following sections of this guide provide links to key record series that you can search within our catalogue, helping you to target your searches more precisely. By clicking on the series, you will arrive on the respective ‘series description’ pages from where you can search the series, using keywords (such as ‘prison staff’ or the name of a prison, such as ‘Brixton Prison’) and/or dates. Series description pages provide information on the arrangement of the records and sometimes some of the historical context in which they were created, as well as suggesting related series you could explore.

Use the advanced catalogue search to target the records of an entire government department. Use the department reference, which is always a letter code, to do this: for example, HO for Home Office, or PCOM for Prison Commission.

5. Searching for records of prisons under government management

In 1877, the Prisons Act established the Prison Commission (PCOM), which brought local prisons under government management. Its duties included the maintenance of all prisons, the inspection of prison buildings, and the condition of prisoners. In April 1963 the Prison Commission was transferred to the Home Office (HO) as its new Prison Department.

To search across all Prison Commission and/or Home Office records use the advanced search option in our catalogue. Search using the prison name, for example ‘Pentonville Prison’, and/or keywords such as ‘clothing’ or ‘inspection’. You can restrict your search to a date range.

5.1 Record series for prisons under government management

The following list of record series are among those that hold the largest number of records of prison management and include records covering a variety of themes, including prisoner welfare, staff policy, governance, and administration. Click in the record series for more detail and to search the series by keyword:

PCOM 2 – 1770-1951– contains prison minute books, visitors’ books, journals, records relating to Gibraltar prison and some ship prisons.

HO 21 -1812-1884 – entry books of out-letters which relate to the administration of British and Irish prisons. Files relate to prison accounts, exequaturs, land purchases and construction.

HO 20 – 1820-1843 – includes original in-letters and reports of inspectors, administration of convict, ship, and local prisons, criminal lunatics at Bethlem Hospital, journal of the prison ship, Mandarin, 1843.

PCOM 7 -1838-1938 – contains records concerned with the business of administering convict prisons, local prisons and borstal institutions and treatment of the inmates of those establishments.

HO 45 – 1839-1979 – This is the main series of Home Office papers. Files relate to the management and staffing of prisons, prison policy and decision making.

PCOM 13 – 1849-1946 – files relate to expenditures by the directors of convict prisons, including records of salaries, pay and allowances, expenses for prisoner clothing and medical treatment.

HO 22 – 1849-1921 – contains entry books of out-letters (after 1849), consisting of instructions to prison inspectors and officials of county prisons.

PCOM 9 – 1901-1973 – holds files dealing with the management and staffing of prisons, borstals, and the treatment of inmates. Files relate to prisoners convicted of murder, courts martial, advisory bodies.

HO 323 – 1933-1981 – files relate to instructions and circulars issued to all prison establishments by the Prison Commission and (after 1963), the Home Office Prison Department.

HO 391 – 1959-1993 – contains files on prison system policy including material on treatment of prisoners, sentences, disturbances, and prison building.

HO 383 – 1964-1974 – files include a small collection relating to prison inspections annual reports from governors and the Welfare Department.

HO 413 – 1967-1981 – files relate to the organisation and management of the Prison Service including staffing policy, procedures and includes senior management meetings minutes.

HO 475 – 1969-1987 – contains files on the administration of prison farms and industries, includes senior management meetings minutes.

HO 475 – 1969-1987 – contains files on the administration of prison farms and industries, includes senior management meetings minutes.

HO 383 – 1964-1974 – files include a small collection relating to prison inspections annual reports from governors and the Welfare Department.

HO 535 – 1986-1990 – files relate to the employment of prisoners, production of goods and services for use within the prison estate, including horticulture, farming, and manufacturing.

5.2 Records of the management of early government run prisons

Until the 19th century most prisons were administered locally and were not the property or responsibility of central government. Exceptions were the following prisons:

• King’s (Queen’s) Bench Prison
• Marshalsea Prison
• Fleet prisons

These prisons were primarily debtors’ prisons attached to the central courts . However, they also housed a small number of prisoners charged or convicted of crimes at the courts, such as for sedition or crimes at sea.

Records that relate to the day-to-day management and administration of these prisons can be found in the following record collections. To search, follow the links listed below and enter keywords, or browse using the ‘reference’ option at the top of the page.

PRIS 9 – 1842-1862 –contains the miscellaneous books for the Queen’s Prison. The books concern the management of the prison and the welfare of prisoners.

PRIS 10 – 1697-1862– contains King’s (Queen’s) Bench, Fleet, Marshalsea and Queen’s Prisons miscellaneous books relating to the day-to-day prison management and administration.

Consult our guide to bankrupts and insolvent debtors for more information on bankruptcy debtors records held at The National Archives.

6. Records of prison buildings and land

Records of the Office of Works (WORK) and its successors contain over 500 files that relate to the planning, construction, and maintenance of prison buildings amongst other records.

Use the advanced search option in our catalogue. Search using department code WORK as a reference. Search with keywords, such as ‘prison’, ‘gaol’ or use a specific prison name, combined with terms such as ‘plan’ or ‘land’. You can also restrict your search to a date range.

7. Correspondence and reports relating to prisons in ex-British colonies

The National Archives holds records that relate to the management, policy and administration of prisons held in ex-British colonies. The records of the Colonial Office (CO) and Dominions Office (DO) are the primary sources of information on the colonial period.

Use the advanced search option in our catalogue using department code CO and/or DO as a reference. Search using the colony/territory name combined with ‘prison’ or ‘goal’ for example ‘Jamaica AND prison’. You can also restrict your search to a date range.

8. Searching for records relating to prison staff

The National Archives holds a variety of records that relate to the employment of prison staff, including the appointment of staff, pensions, and welfare.

Use the advanced search option in our catalogue, use the department codes listed in the next section as reference. Search using keywords such as ‘prison staff’ and combine them with other words such as ‘pension’ and/or ‘appointment’.

8.1 Records of individual prison staff

PCOM 2 – 1770-1951– holds a small collection of prison staff registers for Portland Prison, Dorset and Chatham Prison, Kent. These records have been digitised and can be searched through Findmypast (£).

HO 160 – 1887-1898– holds prison staff appointment books from 1887-1898. Browse by date of appointment, transfer, or dismissal of prison staff. These records are not complete and do not provide any additional personal information.

PMG 28 – 1834-1925– contain registers recording the payment of superannuation and retired allowances to staff of convict establishments from 1834 to 1921. Browse by date of retirement and then under ‘P’ for records of prison staff.

8.2 Records relating to the management of prison staff

CO – 1570-1990 – includes records that relate to prison staff in ex-British colonies (see section 6 for further information.)

PCOM 7 and PCOM 9 -1838-1973 – contain registered papers relating to the prison staff including welfare, pay, pensions.

T -1974-1990 – includes reports and draft minutes which relate to prison staff welfare, pay, pensions and other allowances (see section 9 for advice on searching by department code).

HO 539 – 1991-1995 – contains records which relate to prison staff procedures and conditions, equality and diversity, industrial relations, and information technology.

9. Photographs

The National Archives holds some photographic records that relate to prisons, their management, and daily life. Use the advanced search option in our catalogue, using the department codes listed below as references. Search using keywords such as ‘prison’ or use the name of the prison.

The Image Library is a way to get a sense of what we hold, but most of our photographs are not available to view online. The main record series for photographs relating to prisons and prison staff are:

COPY 1 – 1837-1912 – contains a significant collection of photographs of prisons, prison staff and daily life at prisons.

WORK 65 – 1920-1983 – includes photographs of prison supplies.

CO 1069 – 1815-1986 – a photographic collection which includes Images of prisons and prison staff from ex-British colonies.

10. Searching for records of prisons and prison staff held in other archives

The Prison History website has a searchable database to find information on surviving records relating to prisons and prison staff records. You can search the database here. Use the tools box on the left-hand side to refine your search or enter the name of a specific prison and click ‘submit’.

Then click “List View” on the right-hand side and then “View” for information relating to the records of a specific prison. Once you have selected the prison, click “Records” for a breakdown of the surviving records and where they are held.

11. Further reading

The Prison History website contains some useful essays on 19th century prisons, local lock-ups and other subjects.

Visit The National Archives’ bookshop for a range of publications on prisoners and prison staff.  Alternatively, look in The National Archives’ Library to see what is available to consult at Kew.