| Description | The Habitual Criminals Act of 1869 required a register with an accompanying photograph to be kept of all criminals held in gaols (Habitual Criminal Returns registers). Arthur Maddison was employed to photograph the prisoners in Huntingdon Gaol, and a few glass plates have survived in the WH9 series. Here we have an image of a Thomas Jefferies. The original glass plate has two images of the prisoner, and the identifying no. 236 written on the plate
Thomas Jeffries was aged 23 on discharge from prison, was 5 feet six inches tall, had dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He had been born in Chawston, Bedfordshire, was married and a labourer. He had a mole on the right side of his back. He had been apprehended in Chawston and convicted at St Neots on the 31 August 1876 for stealing one pocket knife. He was sentenced to one month's hard labour and was due to be liberated on the 30 September and to return to Chawston
Huntingdonshire Archives hold two Habitual Criminal Returns registers 1870-1878 (Reference 4440/367/89). All the images in the first register have been digitised and can be viewed on our CALM catalogue. |