United Kingdom Outlaws & Criminals

When searching for your English Blacksheep Ancestors, whether that be a prisoner, convict, inmate, felon, criminal, outlaw, gangster, bandit or scoundrel, make sure you have searched all prison records, court records and execution records that may contain genealogical information on your blacksheep ancestor.

Isabella Hindmarsh, Prisoner Newcastle Gaol ca 1871

Tyne and Wear Museum and Archives has a fascinating and poignant set of photographs online on Flickr and Pinterest. The collection is called Criminal faces, 1871-1873 and many are young children who were arrested for various crimes.  All the photos are of prisoners who spent time in Newcastle Gaol between December 1871 – December 1873. See Photos of Child Criminals 1870s for more.

Earliest Mugshots of Blacksheep Ancestors. The photos were taken by the deputy governor of Derby Gaol in Derbyshire England starting in 1857. Take a look and see if your ancestor is there.

Catherine Hayes Burnt for petty treason.

Sarah Malcolm Information on her murder, arrest and trail.

Earl Ferrers Lawrence Shirley, the 4th Earl Ferrers, was born on the 18th of August 1720 and has the dubious distinction of becoming the last peer of the realm to be hanged as a common criminal.

Eliza Fenning Elizabeth Fenning (always known as Eliza) was an attractive 20 year old girl who worked as the cook in the household of Robert and Charlotte Turner in London’s Chancery Lane.

Jack the Ripper A series of murders in 1888 – 1891 in London’s East End were investigated with increasing urgency by Scotland Yard. The murder victims were all women, and were linked by gruesome disfigurement by the perpetrator, who was never identified.

Neville Heath a dangerous man for a woman to have known.

Jenny Diver
Jenny Diver’s real name was Mary Young but she was re-christened by her gang as she was such an expert “diver”, as pick pockets were known at the time.

Mary Blandy Mary Blandy was 31 when she was hanged in 1752 for the murder of her father, by poisoning.

John Thurtell Biography of the murderer.

Reginald and Ronald Kray notorious criminals whose obsession with assaulting others, encouraging each other to greater levels of violence, and extending their personal power and domination culminated in a serious protection racket in London and a number of murders.

Daniel Good Daniel Good was tried, found guilty of murder and publicly hanged at Newgate on 23rd May 1842.

Liverpool & Merseyside Murders Various murders and deaths in the counties.