BEDFORD PRISON

The numbers in brackets after the heading for each class of records refers to the HMSO or Prison Service stationery reference code for the specific type of register or volume.

List of classes (with prescribed closure periods)

GOVERNOR

PRIS 1/1 Governor's orders 1945-1982

PRIS 1/2 Governor's journals (75 year closure) [1852-1877], 1924-1984

PRISONERS

PRIS 2/1 Calendars of Prisoners (100 year closure) 1882-1942

PRIS 2/2 Nominal registers (i.e. Registers of Prisoners) 1879-1957

PRIS 2/3 Various records re prisoners 1844-1970

OFFICERS

PRIS 3/1 Officers' pay records 1917-1920

PRIS 3/2 Registers of prison officers (50 year closure) 1890-1975

PRISON VISITORS / COMMISSIONERS / INSPECTORS

PRIS 4/1 General 1921-1956

PRIS 4/2 Visiting Committee rota books (75 year closure) 1881-1982

PRIS 4/3 Visiting Committee minute books (75 year closure) 1878-1986

RULES, REGULATIONS, OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS etc.

PRIS 5 Rules and regulations etc. 1953-1957

MISCELLANEOUS

PRIS 6/1 Miscellanea, including:

Register of executions (50 year closure) 1895-1962

Prison letterbook 1905-1926

Other miscellaneous records C 20th

<span class="wrapper"><p>For records of Bedford Prison while under the control of Quarter Sessions (i.e. pre-1878) see QG catalogues</p> <p>Records for the former gaols at Cambridge, Huntingdon and Northampton, found among the material at Bedford Prison have been transferred to the appropriate County Record Office. Lists of material for these prisons appear at the end of this list.</p> <p>CAMBRIDGE GAOL</p> <p>Cambridge gaol closed on 15 June 1916, having been discontinued under s.33 of the Prison Act 1877 on 31 May 1916.</p> <p>Cambridge Borough Gaol: receiving book 1850 poor</p> <p>One section only from volume which originally contained over 650 pages. Surviving section includes pp.1-20 and index to whole volume</p> <p>Cambridge Town gaol: Nominal register 1850-1859 poor</p> <p>Includes index</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1329-2823; 1-755) 1885-1887 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 756-2120; 1-904) 1888-1890 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 905-3136) 1890-1892 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3137-3550; 1-1861) 1892-1895 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1862-3261; 1-864) 1895-1898 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 865-3139) 1898-1901 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1849-4087) 1904-1906 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 4089-4372; 1-1971) 1906-1909 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1972-3637; 1-598) 1909-1911 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 599-2130; 1-731) 1911-1916 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (female) (Nos. 1-519) 1893-1914 poor</p> <p>Photographs of inmates (Book CC) [identified as Cambridge by cross reference to the registers] 1883-1901 fair</p> <p>Photographs of inmates (Book CC) [as last] 1901-1905 fair</p> <p>Record of two hangings in Cambridge gaol 1910, 1913 poor</p> <p>Register of officers [identified from internal evidence] 1897-1916 fair</p> <p>HUNTINGDON GAOL</p> <p>Huntingdon gaol closed in April 1885, having been discontinued under s.33 of the Prison Act 1877 on 25 April 1885</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1129-2289 - complete except for 1313-1320, 1601-1608, and final page(s)] June 1881 to August 1884 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 2290-2465) 1884-1885 fair</p> <p>NORTHAMPTON GAOL</p> <p>Northampton gaol closed on 20 March 1922, although it was not formally discontinued under s.33 of the Prison Act 1877 until 19 September 1928.</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1-2240; debtors 1-39) 1884-1886 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1-2200; debtors 1-34) 1886-1888 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 2201-2328; 1-2087; debtors 1-44) 1888-1889 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 2088-2622; 1-1689) 1889-1891 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1690-3984) 1891-1893 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3985-6031; 1-247) 1893-1895 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 248-2503) 1895-1896 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 764-3066) 1898-1901 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3067-5319) 1901-1902 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 5320-6063; 1-1487) 1902-1904 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1488-3747) 1904-1905 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3748-6012) 1905-1905 mouldy</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 6013-8276) 1907-1908 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 8277-8850; 1-1689) 1908-1910 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 1690-3954) 1910-1912 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3955-5176; 1-1042) 1912-1914 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (Nos. 3323-3701) 1920-1922 fair</p> <p>Nominal register (female) (Nos. 1-2253) 1893-1905 poor</p> <p>Nominal register (female) (Nos. 2254-3339, 1-803) 1906-1922 fair</p> <p>Form of service at/after execution [used at Northampton gaol] n.d. [1897] good</p> <p>Calendar of prisoners 1892-1901 tatty</p> <p>Quarter Sessions, County of Northampton 1892-1901</p> <p>Calendar of prisoners 1892-1901 fair</p> <p>Quarter Sessions, Borough of Northampton</p> <p>Calendar of prisoners 1941-1942</p> <p>Quarter Sessions, Northampton and Warwick (loose items)</p> <p>PC Prison.002</p></span>

Items reported in 1989 but not seen during inspection by the County Archivist in November 1991 and not deposited in 1994:

Nominal register [which gaol?] 1879-1882 not seen

Nominal register (Bedford) 1933-1935 not seen

Nominal register (Bedford) 1940-1941 not seen

Nominal register 1945-1947 not seen

Nominal register 1951-1957 not seen

Notification of results of application n.d. not seen

Emergency Civil Defence scheme July 1942 not seen

Photographs 1901-1951 not seen

Personal record book, letters etc. [2pp] n.d. not seen

Item seen but not deposited (still in use):

Register of deaths in prison [still in use, e.g. for prison suicides] 1879-1990 fair

Gives register number, name, committal, last admission to hospital, death, illness, health on reception, age at death, cause of death, result of post-mortem, previous admissions into hospital (with dates), previous occupation, occupation in prison

Acc.no. 7447

Records from Bedford Prison (mainly post-1878) deposited in the Bedfordshire County Record Office on 24 February 1994.