Ancestry have released the pension records for Metropolitan Police officers covering the period 1852 – 1932.

The searchable database consists of transcripts and scanned images of the original records held by the National Archives.

The records hold a wealth of information including…

• Name
• Date and place of birth
• Physical description
• Names of Parents
• Career details such as ranks held, dates of promotion and length of service
• Next of Kin
• Address
• Pension payment amount

All rich information to build a picture of your copper!

If you find your police ancestor, just be aware that the information on each officer spans more than one scanned image. So make sure you click to view the next page too!

Get sleuthing like your ancestor here:

Metropolitan Police Pension Registers, 1852-1932

Richard Caldwell, who spent four years in a reform school for stealing a pigeon.

Ancestry have released thousands of records detailing Yorkshire’s 19th century criminals and young offenders.

The West Yorkshire Collection 1779-1914 includes four new fully searchable record sets enabling family historians to track down Yorkshire ancestors on both sides of the law…

Over 9,000 young offenders can be found in the reformatory school records for West Yorkshire. These include admission and discharge registers for Calder Farm Reformatory, East Moor Community Home School, and Shadwell Children’s Centre.

Reform schools were set up as an alternative to prison to provide young ne’er-do-wells an opportunity to get their lives back on the straight and narrow. The schools were based on strong discipline, education and training as a way out of a life of crime.

One boy listed is Richard Cardwell, aged 12 years, who in 1909 was sentenced to 4 years at East Moor Community Home School for stealing a pigeon! They certainly had a zero tolerance policy in those days…

Vital details covered in the records include name, age, birth date and birthplace. And in some cases additional information such as physical description, details of family members and remarks on behaviour can also be found along with photographs.

Records on adult offenders can also now be discovered in the West Yorkshire, England, Prison Records, 1801-1914.

Over 30,000 inmates of Wakefield Prison and St. John’s Community Home School are covered in the release.

Information on each offender includes age, name, occupation, offence, sentence and dates of admission and discharge. There may also be physical descriptions and remarks on the prisoner’s history.

But it’s not just robbers…the cops can also be found too…

West Yorkshire, England, Police Records, 1833-1914 offers details relating to the appointment and careers of around 32,000 local policemen.

And West Yorkshire, England, Militia, 1779-1826 covers almost 3000 militia men.

Ancestry have worked in partnership with the West Yorkshire Archive Service to publish these rich record sets for the first time offering a fascinating insight into Victorian law and order.

It’s an amazing achievement, but he couldn’t create the legendary Irish drink alone….

Since the St. James’s Gate brewery first opened its doors the company has employed thousands of people to make Guinness the iconic brand it is today.

Did one of your ancestors have a part to play?

In 2000 the company opened its vast archive of advertising materials, plans, photographs and employee files to the public at its Guinness Storehouse visitors centre.

Over 20,000 employee records are held at the archive and an index to these records has been available to search for free on the Guinness Storehouse website for some time…

But from this week Ancestry users can now also search the collection via its Web Search feature. The Guinness Archive Index 1824-2002 allows you to access an edited version of the original records and attach them to your tree for future reference.

If you are lucky enough to find your ancestor in the collection then you can click through to the original database on the Guinness Storehouse website to see the full record.

So what information can you expect to find if your ancestor worked at the St James’s Gate brewery?

The basic information available on the Ancestry database includes:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• Date of Death
• Date Joined
• Age Joined
• Spouse Name

But good things come to those who click through to the original database on the Guinness Storehouse website where you will also find:

• Employee ID
• Date Left
• Department
• Occupation
• A useful description of the department’s role within the brewery

The archive is held at the visitors centre within the St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin. If you are a direct family member of a former employee then you can make an appointment to visit and see their employee file.

Now one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions the Guinness Storehouse also offers a chance to learn the history of the brewery and brand…as well as sample a pint or two.

But you don’t have to travel to Dublin to learn more. The Guinness Storehouse website contains a wealth of information about working life at the brewery and is well worth a visit.