FROM stories of the laundress who doubled as a prostitute to the police officers drunk on duty, tales of the criminal classes abound in an exciting new collection at Peterborough Central Library.

Police archives dating back to the establishment in 1857 of the Liberty of Peterborough Police Force, which was responsible for the Soke of Peterborough area, have recently been given to the museum.

They have come from archives in Huntingdon, as part of a lengthy process of transferring information that began when Peterborough Archives Service came into existence five years ago.

The collection includes a book of previous convictions, complete with mugshots of some of the city's ne'er-do-wells.

This is the last major collection to come over from Huntingdon, and for Anna Sexton, archive officer at Peterborough Central Library, it is easily one of the most significant.

"I think I'm probably more excited about this one than any other we've taken back from Huntingdon," she said.

"As soon as I looked in the book with the mugshots and criminals, it really did bring history to life because you're seeing these people that you may read about.

"It also brings another element to how we can help people research relatives in the city because we've got this information on the criminal world."

As well as information from the Liberty of Peterborough Police Force, the museum now has records from the City of Peterborough force. There were two separate forces within the city until 1947.

Some of the information goes up to 1965, but only that dating up to 1909 can be released at the moment, due to something known as the Hundred Year Rule, which is designed to ensure confidentiality.

But any information before 1909 will be available for viewing by appointment, in order to help people with their family history research.

And you get a snapshot of the collection thanks to an exhibition running in the Local Studies and Archives section of the library throughout November, with the theme of crime and punishment.

Already the records have led to new discoveries about Peterborough's history.

"When we were looking through the record of previous convictions we suddenly started noticing that for a lot of people in there it would say 'tramped around country and was resident of a common lodging house in Peterborough'," Anna said.

"That's not something we've researched before. We started looking into that and we found a lot of the lodging houses were in St John's Street and the Boongate area.

"We looked on the census returns and found out that they used to stay there for 4d a night.

"It seems they were the kind of places that were the next level up from the workhouse. They were places where poor people went if they didn't have their own homes."

To help put the collection into context, staff at the library have put together a reading pack to accompany the display, which includes newspaper cuttings of stories about crime.

"The reading packs were put together because we want to encourage people to come and browse through some of the stuff we've got and newspapers are a really good starting point for that kind of thing," Anna said.

The reading pack gives visitors the chance to get to know some of the city's more persistent offenders, for example a chap called Garfoot Sismay.

"He pops up at first because he's not sending his children to school," Anna said. "You can find his name again for poaching and then he comes up yet again for being drunk.

"Eventually he does get sent to prison because he's a repeat offender."

You can enjoy the crime and punishment display in the library Monday to Saturday (opening times vary – visit www.peterborough.gov.uk to find out more).

If you would like to view any of the records that have been made available under the 100 Year Rule, make an appointment by calling 01733 864159 or by e-mailing archives.services@peterborough.gov.uk.

What's in the collection?
One of the items in the collection is the book of previous convictions, which provides information on many criminals from across the city.

It has detailed descriptions of the people concerned, including remarks on any distinguishing features and a comment on their complexion and build.

There are also mugshots, which make very strange viewing indeed.

The people in these mugshots are often standing in a strange pose, with their hands on their chest, presumably so any distinguishing features such as missing fingers can be seen.

A mirror has often been positioned to the side so that a profile of the offender can be seen.

Another item in the collection is the Police Punishment Book. This book records police officers who have got into trouble, and what their punishment was.

It relates to the City Police Force, and dates from 1874 to 1947, although only information up to 1909 will be released to the general public.

Many of the offences listed in this book are to do with being drunk on duty.

The library also has what is called an "outrage book", which lists crimes which were considered particularly offensive. However, as this covers the 1940s and 50s, it will be some time before it can be released to the general public.

"I think this collection is going to come into its own once we can release all of these sorts of records as well," Anna Sexton said.

Jane used different names
THIS rather dour looking woman is Jane Ann Middleton, who was 45 when she was entered into the book of previous offences.
She was a laundress but also had a sideline as a prostitute.
Jane had a string of convictions, mostly for stealing, and also worked under various aliases, including Sarah Stark and Jane Alcock.
She is described has having "brown hair turning grey", being of a "fair" complexion but "rather stocky" in build.

Alfred was a poacher
A roguish chap by the name of Alfred Matthews appears in the book of previous convictions.
He is 31 at the time of the entry into the book and his occupation is described as a "hawker".
Under distinguishing marks, it is noted that his "nose is rather large and flat with a scar on the bridge".
Under remarks, details of his dodgy dealings are listed.
The book says: "An associate of prostitutes, also a known poacher, well-known to the governors of HM Prison Cambridge, who has 13 convictions recorded against him for poaching."
His most recent conviction in the book was four months' hard labour for poaching.