Discovering a criminal in your family tree is exciting and sometimes shocking. Historic records of the justice system are important for tracing our criminal ancestors. Bath Record Office (BRO) holds an example of one of the common forms of criminal record in the 19th century – a Bath City Police prisoners' book, recording people who were arrested and brought before the petty sessions. These were the lowest level of criminal court and dealt with people accused of small-scale crimes, often involving theft. BRO's manager Richard Meunier tells us more about the book.
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