Child prisoner

[Rachel A]

I'm fairly confident that this is my Gideon Spicer in 1855, because it's a very uncommon name. He's the brother of my great great grandmother. In 1851 he was living with his parents in Wilton near Salisbury, and in 1861 with his parents again in Portsea, Hampshire, working as a gardener's boy. His mother was a schoolmistress and a bit of Googling found a free school in Hinton Ampner... so everything seems to fit.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q28/racheileanderson/GideonSpicer18552.jpg

He was born in 1845, so was actually 10 not 12, although it does say 'about' 12.

Another article says that he was sent to Hants County Prison, which presumably was Winchester. I've found this page http://www3.hants.gov.uk/archives/hals-collections/courts.htm and see that the Winchester Prison Registers don't exist for 1855.

My question is, am I likely to find anymore information then I already have from the records that are available?? :confused:

[Nell]

The National Archives in Kew has returns for prisons - not sure if they'd have the place and year you want though, and if he was only there for 6 weeks he probably wouldn't be recorded.

However it looks as though he was brought before the magistrates - in which case you should be able to find more info in the Quarter Sessions records, which should be in Hants Archives.

[Rachel A]

Thanks Nell. Quarter session registers are held (according to that link), so hopefully they should provide more info and confirm that he is indeed my relative.

It must have been awful for him to be imprisoned at such a young age, although his 'crime' could have had serious implications to a train and its passengers. If it is my man then he got a lady pregnant, married her a few years after, had a few more children and then died aged 27, whilst working as a brewer in Petersfield, Hampshire.

I knew I'd find a black sheep somewhere in this family :D :d

[Nell]

Gosh he crammed a lot into a short space of time, didn't he?

[garstonite]

Thanks Nell. Quarter session registers are held (according to that link), so hopefully they should provide more info and confirm that he is indeed my relative.

It must have been awful for him to be imprisoned at such a young age, although his 'crime' could have had serious implications to a train and its passengers. If it is my man then he got a lady pregnant, married her a few years after, had a few more children and then died aged 27, whilst working as a brewer in Petersfield, Hampshire.

I knew I'd find a black sheep somewhere in this family :D :d

You have no idea how much of a pun that was have you ?
BLACK SHEEP..is a real ale ...one of my favourites...
so a Black Sheep working as a brewer ....lol....
http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/beers/black_sheep_cask_ale/?/beers/CaskAles/BlackSheepAle.aspx
sorry - it has nothing to do with your research , but it made me smile
allan

[Rachel A]

No worries Allan :d

I'll have to get his death cert to find out what he died of... falling into a vat of beer perhaps?? :d