trials in the Old Bailey and - The National Archives

Guide reference: Legal Records Information 27
Online version: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk > Records > In-depth research guides > Trials
in the Old Bailey and the Central Criminal Court
Trials in the Old Bailey and the Central
Criminal Court
Contents
1. Why use this guide?
2. Essential information
3. Proceedings since 1674
4. Other pre-1834 records
5. Details of prisoners in after-trial calendars 1855-1971
6. Depositions since 1839
7. Indictments since 1833
8. Court books 1834-1949
9. Appeals and criminal petitions 1848-1990
10. Background information
11. Further reading
1. Why use this guide?
This guide will help you find records of trials that have taken place since 1674 at the Old Bailey,
which became the Central Criminal Court in 1834. It will help you to find details of:
defendants, criminals and prisoners
victims of crime
jurors and judges
2. Essential information
The Old Bailey became the Central Criminal Court in 1834 but continued to be known popularly as
the Old Bailey.
You will need to know the approximate year in which the trial took place as most of these records
are only searchable by date or year. The most notable exceptions are the proceedings, which can
be searched by name.
2.1 Areas covered
The court’s area of jurisdiction until 1834 covered crimes committed in:
City of London
Middlesex
but NOT any part of London south of the Thames
Its area of jurisdiction from 1834 until 1964 covered:

London
Middlesex
certain parts of Essex, Kent, and Surrey
offences committed on the high seas or elsewhere abroad previously tried at the Admiralty
sessions
From 1964 the area of jurisdiction was redefined as:
the Greater London area
2.2 Crimes covered
Trials for people accused of felonies (serious crimes) and the more serious cases of misdemeanors
(crimes less serious than felonies) were held at the court. This included the following crimes:
theft
murder
rape
arson
certain types and instances of riot and assault
treason
perjury
forgery and counterfeiting
offences committed on the high seas or abroad, previously tried at the Admiralty sessions
3. Proceedings since 1674
Proceedings offer summaries of trials and accounts of what was said in court. They vary in length
and detail, from reports of a few dozen words to detailed testimonies of:
prosecutors
witnesses
defendants
along with accounts of judges’ comments and questions
Search by keywords for Old Bailey proceedings online (1674-1913).
For trials after April 1913, consult contemporary newspapers, which often recorded proceedings in
great detail. They can be consulted at the British Library's Newspaper Library.
Browse additional records of proceedings in:
PCOM 1 - printed proceedings or narrative accounts of trials for London and Middlesex
sessions for 1801-1904 (duplicates for 1834-1912 in CRIM 10)
DPP 4 (1846-1958) and TS 36 (1812-1963) for transcripts of proceedings in cases where
the Treasury Solicitor or Director of Public Prosecutions had an interest
J 82 for shorthand notes for cases that were referred to the Court of Criminal Appeal (after
1945)
The Chadwyck Healey microfiche collection of British Trials 1660-1900 (includes a few trials from
1901-1908) is available in some major libraries and at The National Archives at Kew. These
unofficial contemporary accounts of trials were originally published as pamphlets and sold to the
general public. They are accompanied by separate name indexes.
4. Other pre-1834 records

Most pre-1834 records are held in other archives, most significantly at the London Metropolitan
Archives.
Records from a number of archives have been brought together and digitised on the London Lives
website including Quarter Sessions records for City of London, Middlesex and Westminster.
4.1 Pre-1834 records and finding aids at The National Archives
As well as records of proceedings (see Section 3), The National Archives also holds the following:
lists of prisoners awaiting trial at the Old Bailey 1815-1849 in HO 16 – browse by reference
in our catalogue
calendars and lists of prisoners awaiting trial at Newgate Gaol 1782-1853 in HO 77 – browse
by reference in our catalogue
criminal registers 1791-1892, listing those charged with indictable offences at Middlesex
Sessions, giving verdict and sentence – search by name at Ancestry.co.uk (the original
records are in HO 26 and HO 27).
The National Archives library holds the following printed and published {calendars[1]} for records
held at the London Metropolitan Archives:
Middlesex County Records edited by J C Jeaffreson (1886-1892), for Middlesex Quarter
Sessions 1549-1688
County of Middlesex Calendar to the Sessions Records 1612-1616 by William le Hardy
(1935-1937), for Middlesex Quarter Sessions
various other unpublished typescript calendars of Middlesex Quarter Sessions for 1607-1612
and 1638-1751 (search in our library catalogue using the term 'Calendar to Middlesex
Records')
4.2 Pre-1834 records at the London Metropolitan Archives
The London Metropolitan Archives holds various Quarter Sessions records for London and
Middlesex, including the Sessions of Gaol Delivery for the City of London and Middlesex held at the
Old Bailey until 1834 as well as City of London Sessions, Middlesex Sessions, Westminster Sessions
and the County of London Sessions.
Search ARCHON, The National Archives database of contact details for record repositories in the
United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, to see where other pre-1834 records are held.
5. Details of prisoners in after-trial calendars 1855-1971
After-trial calendars of prisoners include some or all of the following details:
name and age of prisoner
previous convictions
date of trial
charges on the indictment against them
verdict and sentence
details of magistrates and jury
Browse through the record series of after-trial calendars by clicking on the links below to find
details of prisoners tried within the following year ranges:
1855-1949 in CRIM 9 (some records closed for 75-100 years)
1868-1971 in HO 140 (some records closed for 75-100 years). Records for London and
Middlesex cover Quarter Sessions as well as the Central Criminal Court cases, and for 1868-
1897 have separate sections for the City, Middlesex, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Admiralty

jurisdictions. After 1898 they have separate sections for London (North of the Thames),
London (South of the Thames) and Middlesex.
6. Depositions since 1839
Use our catalogue to search deposition records by name of defendant and date. Either restrict
your search to the following record series or browse by reference by clicking on the links:
CRIM 1 for 1839-1971
J 267 for 1972-1978
CRIM 2 for 1923-1966 – there are alphabetical indexes of depositions in cases sent up from
coroners and police courts
They cover all trials for:
murder
sedition
treason
riot and political conspiracy trials
those held to be of historical interest
A 2% random sample was kept for other trials. Some depositions include plans and photographs.
Some are closed for 75-100 years.
For more recent records, not held at The National Archives, contact the Ministry of Justice. See
their advice on Freedom of Information requests.
7. Indictments since 1833
Indictments are the formal statements of the charge against the accused.
You can search by surname of the accused by consulting the alphabetically arranged calendars and
indexes of indictments. You will need to know the approximate date of the trial to find the right
calendar or index.
Browse through the appropriate record series by year range for the following periods:
1833-1971 in CRIM 5 (for a reference to CRIM 4 – see below)
1972-1980 in J 336 (for a reference to J 268 – see below)
Though primarily an index, CRIM 5 does also provide the following information:
charge
date of conviction and sentence
results of any appeal
Use the reference obtained through the calendars and indexes listed above to access indictments
within the following periods:
1834-1971 in CRIM 4 (these records can also be browsed by date)
1972-1974 in J 268
1974-present - apply for access to court records through HM Courts and Tribunals service.
See the Ministry of Justice website
For more recent records, not held at The National Archives, contact the Ministry of Justice. See
their advice on Freedom of Information requests.

8. Court books 1834-1949
Court Court books contain the following information:
names of the accused and, in many cases, the victim
plea, verdict and sentence
jurors’ names
Browse through the court books in CRIM 6 (1834-1949). You will need to know the approximate
year in which the trial took place as these books are arranged in ranges of years.
Court books from 1950 to 1971 have not survived.
9. Appeals and criminal petitions 1848-1990
Appeals, against verdict or sentence, for the following period can be found in the record series
listed:
1908-1990 in J 81 (searchable by date only)
1848-1893 in CRIM 11 (searchable by name in our catalogue)
1848-1908 in CRIM 12 (searchable by name in our catalogue)
See also our research guide on Appeal cases in the Supreme Court after 1875.
10. Background information
Under the Central Criminal Court Act of 1856, the court could also hear cases outside its ordinary
jurisdiction to ensure a fair trial where local prejudice existed or where, due to its frequent sessions,
it could offer an early trial and so avoid the delay in waiting for the next assizes.
When crown courts replaced assize courts in 1971 the title Central Criminal Court was retained for
the crown court sitting in London.
11. Further reading
The following publications are available at The National Archives library at Kew:
Clive Emsley, The Newgate Calendar (Wordsworth, 1997)
W Eden Hooper, History of Newgate and the Old Bailey (Underwood Press, 1935)
A Knapp and W Baldwin The Newgate Calendar (4 vols) (J. Robins and Co., 1824-1828),
describing 'notorious' cases 1700-1825
Guide reference: Legal Records Information 27
Downloaded from:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/old-bailey.htm