The Leicestershire and Rutland People Indexes contain references to people that appear in different classes of archival material that are stored in the National Archives of Great Britain and the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, England. The Leicestershire family historian Mark Gamble has compiled the indexes. There are three indexes on this web-site. The first index is dedicated to the men of Leicestershire and Rutland who served in the British Army. The second index details the names of those men, women and children who were convicted in Leicestershire and Rutland and were transported as convicts between 1787-1867. The third index is a listing of all those paupers, individuals and families, who were subjected to a removal order made by Leicestershire magistrates between 1730-1820. Look out for other interesting information that will appear on the web-site in the future.

Are you a family historian?

If so then this index is for you.

It is surprising how many of our ancestors came into conflict with the law. The penalties imposed on criminals by the Georgian and Victorian law courts were many, ranging from death by hanging, to periods of incarceration and corporal punishment. From the 17th Century there had been established an alternative form of punishment for those who transgressed the law of the land. Felons could be subjected to transportation – was a member of you family so punished?

Between 1787-1867 the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland gave over 1,500 individuals over to the process of transportation, these were men, women and children. These individuals were imprisoned in gaol, removed to floating gaols or hulks, or later to state penitentiaries, and were thereafter transported to Australia. These people were sent to penal colonies in New South Wales, and other establishments on the islands of Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania) and Norfolk Island. During the later part of the transportation process others prisoners were sent to Western Australia.

A few of the individuals listed in this index returned to mother England, some to offend again and be sent away once more, others to be executed. Some took heed of their experiences and settled down to live out the rest of their lives in the land that had given them birth, but the greater number went on to be the progenitors of present day Australians.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Convict Index has been compiled from various sources that are held in the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) and the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. The index provides a listing of all those people that were transported to Australia between the years 1787-1867. The period during which an individual was transported is provided in the index. If you think that a named person may be a member of your family you are invited to apply for information on each convict. The information that you will receive will depend upon the amount of research information held within the database, but as a minimum you will receive the name of the person, details of the court at which they were convicted, the date of their trial, and the sentence that they received. Additionally, you will be given details of the vessel on which a person was transported, which will include the date of its sailing from England and the date and place of its arrival in Australia.

The records indexed range in date from the mid-1780’s to the late 1860’s. Additional information is being added to the database as more records are researched so please revisit the web-site to see if new information is available.

If you would like to receive more information on an individual send an e-mail to me using the contact form or click here. You will be advised on the cost of receiving information.