London Debtor

[Sabrina]

I have found this article which mentions my ancestor John Soul who appears to be in prison in London. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/19634/pages/1577/page.pdf

Does anyone know whether there are any records on line so I can find out how he got there, or what happened to him if/when he was released?

[Lindsay]

I also have someone listed like that under 'Court for the relief of insolvent debtors'. If I remember rightly from when I was looking at it a while ago, there's nothing on line; I think the records for the Court are at Kew, but not many of the petitions etc have survived.

Investigating further is on my 'to do' list :)

[Sabrina]

Thanks Lindsay. Can't understand why he should be in prison in London if he was from Cheltenham.

[Lindsay]

This link is quite good for general info - I think it's the one I found when I was following my man
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/bankrupts-insolvent-1710-1869.htm

[ElizabethHerts]

This link is quite good for general info - I think it's the one I found when I was following my man
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/bankrupts-insolvent-1710-1869.htm

I've been trying to use that but quite a few of the links no longer work. :mad:

[Sabrina]

I did try that, but didn't get anywhere, unfortunately.

[Lindsay]

No, not working for me now, either. Sorry!

[Durham Lady]

I have someone from Lincolnshire in debtors prison at York Castle, no idea why there but on the next census all his family are in the York area too and he's out of the prison. I couldn't find any records either.

[Sabrina]

Thanks Daphne, I wonder if perhaps debtors had to go to designated national prisons. I have never found my ancestor after this date, and his wife and younger children spent a lot of time in the workhouse afterwards.

[Shona]

This link takes you to an account of the conditions in debtors' prisons in London in 1838.

http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications/sketchesinlondon-2.htm

[Chris in Sussex]

NA guide to records available

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/bankrupts.htm

[Sabrina]

Shona - thanks for the link, I did find the site yesterday when I was searching. It gives a very interesting insight, although it would be good know which prison he was in!

Chris - thank you for NA link - I don't think I am going to find much by the sound of it, as very few records seem to have survived. I might have to put this on my to do list! Still at least I know a bit more than I did before I found the article in the Gazette

[Jackie H]

I don't know any answers Sabrina but can I thank you for putting the LG link up. One of the other entries on that page is my 3xg grandfather (William Garrard). Its definitely him because the occupation and address match (although I also didn't know that one of his trades was undertaker).

He was at his home address in 1835 when his youngest son was baptised and again in the 1841 census. I had no idea he'd been bankrupt and he seems to have managed to have recovered financially since then. When he died in 1874 aged 92 he left a fair amount of money.

If you manage to find out any more about your ancestor's bankruptcy I'd be interested and likewise if I find out any more I'll let you know

[Sabrina]

Glad it was of help Jackie! There is always some new to discover isn't there?

I have been wondering what happened to my ancestor for nearly 30 years. Have never found him on the 1841 census, and always assumed he died away from home, before that date. Which he still might have done, but at least it explains where he went.