• Keyword Searching
• Using Keyword Radio Buttons
• Wild Cards

Keyword Searching

The Keyword search box allows you to search an index of every word in the Proceedings, to build complex phrase searches, and to use AND/OR operators to limit your search. One and two letter words and some short and common words have been excluded from these indexes in order to increase search speeds. These include:

Using Keyword Radio Buttons

Below the Keyword search box there are four radio buttons. These allow you to incorporate Boolean Operators (And, Or), and to define a Phrase. You can also opt for an Advanced setting that allows you to use further options including a wildcard (*) search. See the What's This help text for details about using the Advanced radio button.

The default setting for the Radio buttons is And, so a search including more than one word produces texts in which all words appear. This is particularly useful for limiting your searches.

In contrast, choosing the Or button below the search box allows you to widen your search to include variant spellings or a collection of related words. You might, for instance, search for Moorgate Mooregate Moregate, with the Or radio button selected, in order to capture different spellings.

You can also choose the Phrase radio button. With the Phrase radio button selected all the text in the search box is treated as a single precise phrase, including one and two letter words and words on the Stop List.

Finally, you can select the Advanced radio button, which allows you to use wild cards, boolean operators, and more complex syntax in combination. Please read the associated What's This help text for details on how to apply these functions.

Wild Cards

A limited Wild Card (*) function is available with the Advanced radio button.

• Stop Words
• Multiple Keywords
• Keyword Phrases
• Wild Cards

The Advanced radio button allows you to create more complex and precise searches combining Boolean operators (+/-), phrase searches and wild cards (*).

Stop Words

Each word in the Proceedings and the Ordinary of Newgate's Accounts has been separately indexed and is available for searching, but in order to speed up searches all one and two letter words have been excluded from the index; as have some common three letters words. These include:

Multiple Keywords

Entering more than one word in the keyword search box with the Advanced radio button selected will result in a search on any of the words specified. Entering Mooregate Moorgate Moregate will result in a combined search on all three spelling variants. In this context it is important to note that hyphens and other forms of punctuation are treated as spaces. A search for coffee-house will produce the same results as a search for coffee house, and will locate all text in which either word, coffee or house, can be found. This search will not, however, locate the single word coffeehouse. To find all instances of the words coffee and house next to one another (with or without a hyphen), place the term coffee house within double quotation marks.

By including a plus sign (+) before each word being searched you can ensure that only texts in which ALL words in the query are present are returned. So, +coffee +house will produce texts in which both coffee and house appear.

A query text such as +coffee newspaper argument will return texts in which coffee is present, together with either newspaper or argument (or both).

A minus sign (-) can be used to specify words to be specifically excluded from the search. +coffee +house -newspaper will return texts in which coffee and house are both present, but will exclude all texts in which the word newspaper appears.

Keyword Phrases

Multi-word phrases can be located by enclosing the constituent words in double quotation marks ("). "Great exhibition" will return entries where the phrase great exhibition is used. More complex phrases such as "that bit of stuff you owe me" can also be located in this way. Hyphens are treated as spaces, so results for searches on phrases such as "tea pot" will contain the expression tea-pot, but not teapot. When searching on phrases, one and two letter words and words on the Stop List are included in the search.

Plus + and Minus - signs can be used in combination with keyword phrases. A search on "St Giles" -Cripplegate, will produce results in which the phrase St Giles, as in St Giles in the Fields, appears, but the word Cripplegate does not. This is particularly useful for eliminating irrelevant results.

Wild Cards

A limited Wild Card function can be applied by using an asterisk (*). The asterisk stands for zero or more letters and can only be used at the end of a word. Mcla* will return entries including McLaren and McLachlan etc. Wild Cards can be used in combination with Phrase searches and Boolean operators to construct more complex queries; but they can never be used at the beginning of a word.

Most names in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts have been separately tagged and indexed. Tags, normally hidden from the reader, identify forenames and surnames, as well as other information. Depending on how much information you possess you can create both narrow and wide searches using this search facility.

Entering Newbold in the Surname Search Box, will result in all instances in which someone with the surname Newbold appeared in the Proceedings or the Ordinary's Accounts. It is important to note, however, that only names which included both a forename and a surname have been tagged, and that later repetitions of the same name within a single trial or Account have not always been tagged.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In the case of hyphenated names, such as Adam-Smith, the hyphen is treated as a space so both parts of the name should be included within quotation marks (" ") to define the name as a phrase.

Most names in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts have been separately tagged and indexed. Tags, normally hidden from the reader, identify given names and surnames, as well as other information.

Entering James in the Given Name Search Box, will result in all instances in which someone with the Given Name James appeared in the Proceedings or the Ordinary's Accounts. In the normal course of things, entering only a Given Name will generate an unusably high number of hits, so you will need to combine Given Name searches with either Keyword or Surname searches, or to limit your searches by date, or text category. It is important to note that forenames have only been tagged when both a forename and a surname were provided, and that later repetitions of the same name within a single trial or Account have not always been tagged.

It is important to remember that eighteenth- and even nineteenth-century spelling was at best erratic, and that Given Names were often shortened. Elizabeth, for instance, could be shortened to Liz or Bet, Beth or Betty, Izzy, Lizzy, Let or Letty, just to name a few possibilities.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In the case of hyphenated names, such as Marie-Jean, the hyphen is treated as a space so both parts of the name should be included within quotation marks (" ") to define the name as a phrase.

Aliases in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts have been separately identified and indexed by tags normally hidden from the reader.

Entering the alias Newcomb in the Alias search box will result in all instances in which someone ascribed the alias of Newcomb appeared in the Proceedings. In the nature of an alias, these names are most likely to appear associated with either a defendant or a witness, rather than a judge or juryman. The Ordinary's Accounts have not been separately tagged to allow searching on specific aliases, and if you are searching for an alias in the Ordinary's Accounts the best strategy is to use the Keyword Search box. To narrow your search you may want to combine Alias searches with either Keyword or Surname searches, or to limit your searches by date or text category.

It is important to remember that eighteenth- and even nineteench-century spelling was at best erratic, and that aliases were if anything more likely to be spelled in a variety of ways than were normal names.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In the case of hyphenated names, such as Cork-Eye, the hyphen is treated as a space so both parts of the name should be included within quotation marks (" ") to define the name as a phrase.

A gender has been ascribed to almost every one of the names that appears in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts. Limiting your search to one sex or the other will substantially increase the accuracy of your results. There are cases, however, in which a gender could not ascribed. For given names where the gender is unclear, and in cases where the victim of a crime was an institution such as the Bank of England, an Indeterminate tag has been used. In cases where aliases mean that a single individual has two or more names, the gender tag has only been associated with the first.

The age of defendants found guilty is consistently recorded in the Proceedings from January 1789 onwards; and from the late 1830s is also occasionally but not consistently recorded for defendants found not guilty. Some victim ages, particularly when the victim was under the age of 20, are also given. Age is usually, but not always, recorded in the Ordinary's Accounts. Where the age is given as a number it has been tagged, and can be used to refine your searches. To search for a specific age select the same number from the list in both the From and To boxes.

It is important to remember that the ages involved are as they are given in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts, and are often only rough estimates. Many younger and older defendants lied about their age to secure the sympathy of the court. The haphazard way in which age was recorded prior to 1789 means that this information needs to be treated with care. Descriptive words reflecting on age - infant, child, old man, youth, have not been tagged, but can be located by using the keyword search facility.

Occupation and status labels given in both the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts can be searched for separately by using this box. In the case of the Proceedings occupations have been tagged for defendants, victims, and judges and other court officers. All names where occupation information is provided in the Ordinary's Accounts are tagged to allow searching on this information.

If, however, you wish to search for every instance of a particular label in the entire text, you should conduct a keyword search.

When using the Occupation search box, it is important to understand that you are searching on the precise words and phrases used in the Proceedings and Ordinary's Accounts. This means that the original text with its different forms and variable spelling has been preserved, and you are in fact searching on a collection of words and phrases that could include the single word porter, or the phrase Lord Chancellor's porter, and any number of mis- and variable spellings of each individual word.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In the case of hyphenated occupations, such as clock-maker, the hyphen is treated as a space so both parts of the name should be included within quotation marks (" ") to define the name as a phrase. This search will not, however, locate the single word clockmaker.

Specific place names associated with individual defendants in the Proceedings and all place names mentioned in the Ordinary's Accounts have been tagged. If you wish to search for every instance of a particular place name in the entire text, you should conduct a keyword search.

The site map search is currently unavailable, but to see place names associated with individual defendants located on contemporary maps of London, use Locating London's Past

When using the Person Location search box, it is important to understand that you are searching on the precise words and phrases used in the Proceedings and Ordinary's Accounts. This means that the original text with its different forms and variable spelling has been preserved, and you are in fact searching on a collection of words and phrases that could include the single word Lincoln, or the phrase Lincoln's Inn Fields, and any number of mis- and variable spellings of each individual word.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. Hyphens are treated as spaces. As a result a search for Spittle-Fields will produce the same results as a search for Spittle Fields, and will locate all text in which either word, Spittle or Fields, can be found. This search will not, however, locate the single word Spittlefields.

Each charge in each trial in the Proceedings has been tagged with an offence type specifying both the broad category of offence, and the specific charge brought by the court. This tagging has been imposed by modern historians on the original text. While it has followed as accurately as possible the text of the original trial account, these offence types are necessarily approximations, both because the original reporting was inconsistent and, more importantly, because the law itself was inconsistently applied at any one time and was constantly changing over the course of the 240 year period covered by the Proceedings. If, for academic purposes you are seeking to use these categories please check that the trials you cite are correctly tagged.

The default setting for this search box is <All Offences>, which will ensure that all trials are searched when undertaking a keyword or surname search. From the pull-down menu you can also choose to restrict your search to any one of nine broad categories of offence. These categories include:

• Breaking Peace
• Damage to Property
• Deception
• Killing
• Miscellaneous
• Royal Offences
• Sexual Offences
• Theft
• Violent Theft

Under each of these broad categories there are between four and seventeen more specific options. In the case of a category such as Deception, for instance, you may narrow your search to any of the following specific offence categories:

• Deception> bankruptcy
• Deception> forgery
• Deception> fraud
• Deception> perjury
• Deception> other

For detailed descriptions of each of the offence categories listed please see Crime Types.

The text used to describe each offence, which normally appears in the first paragraph of each trial in the Proceedings, has been separately identified and tagged. This search box allows you to query this tagged text. There are many different ways of describing a crime, theft, for example, including in this instance, theft, stealing, pilfering, etc.; and each description will contain more or less detail depending on the date and the assiduity of the shorthand recorder. When using the Offence Description search box you are searching on the precise words and phrases used in the first paragraph of each trial in the Proceedings. This means that the original text with its different forms and variable spelling has been preserved, and you are in fact searching on a collection of words and phrases that could include the single word theft, or the phrase theft of a two pound stilton cheese, and any number of mis- and variable spellings of each individual word.

You are advised therefore to look for variant terms for the type of offence you are interested in, or the items mentioned, and to conduct more than one search. This box works as a keyword search, and you may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In this context it is important to note that hyphens are treated as spaces. A search for snuff-box will produce the same results as a search for snuff box, and will locate all text in which either word, snuff or box, can be found. This search will not, however, locate the single word snuffbox.

It is important to remember that this search facility queries only the initial offence description, and not the full trial text. If you wish to search for every instance of a particular word or phrase in the entire text, you should conduct a keyword search. If you are searching for specific types of crime (murder, theft, blackmail, etc) use the Offence search facility instead.

Each verdict in each trial in the Proceedings has been tagged with an verdict type specifying both the broad category of verdict and specific verdict for each individual charge.

The default setting for this search box is <All Verdicts>, which will ensure that all trials are searched when undertaking a keyword, surname or other search. From the pull-down menu you can also choose to narrow your search to any one of four broad categories of verdicts. These broad categories include:

• Guilty
• Miscellaneous
• Not Guilty
• Special Verdict

Under each of these headings are between one and fourteen sub-categories. Under the broad category of Not Guilty, for instance, all verdicts are tagged as belonging to one of the following sub-categories:

• Not Guilty > accidental death
• Not Guilty > directed
• Not Guilty > fault
• Not Guilty > no evidence
• Not Guilty > non compos mentis
• Not Guilty > no prosecutor
• Not Guilty > other
• Not Guilty > self defence

For a detailed description of verdict types see Trial Verdicts.

Each punishment sentenced in the Proceedings has been tagged with a punishment type, specifying both the broad category of punishment and the specific punishment sentenced by the court.

The default setting for this search box is <All Punishment Sentences>, which will ensure that all trials are searched when undertaking a keyword or surname search. From the pull-down menu you can also choose to restrict your search to any one of six broad categories of punishment. These categories include:

• Corporal
• Death
• Imprisonment
• Miscellaneous
• No Punishment
• Transportation

Within these broad categories are a range of sub-categories. Death, for instance, includes:

• Death > burning
• Death > death and dissection
• Death > drawn and quartered
• Death > executed
• Death > hanging in chains
• Death > other
• Death > respited
• Death > respited for pregnancy

It is important to note that the sentences passed were not always carried out. For convicts with Life Archives in the Digital Panopticon it is often possible to determine the actual punishment received.

For a detailed explanation of punishment types, see Punishment Sentences at the Old Bailey.

The text used to describe each punishment sentence. These normally appear at the end of each trial in the Proceedings and have been separately identified and tagged. During some periods this punishment information takes the form of a summary at the end of the Proceedings. In these instances, the punishment descriptions have been directly associated with the relevant trial, and a descriptive word and link to the summary has been provided.

This search box allows you to query this tagged text; and the associated summary information. There are many different ways of describing a punishment, for instance, branded, burnt in the hand, marked in the hand, etc. A single trial might also result in more than one punishment, as in 'burnt in the hand and imprisoned'. Each individual punishment has been separately tagged, so in this instance, you could search on 'burnt in the hand' or 'imprisoned', but not the whole phrase.

When using the Punishment Description search box you are searching on the precise words and phrases used in the trial text in Proceedings; or the descriptive phrase derived from the summary text. This means that the original text with its different forms and variable spelling has been preserved, and you are in fact searching on a collection of words and phrases that could include the single word death, or the phrase death and dissection, and any number of mis- and variable spellings of each individual word.

You are advised therefore to look for variant terms for the punishments you are interested in and to conduct more than one search. This box works as a keyword search, and you may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. In this context it is important to note that hyphens are treated as spaces. A search for hard-labour will produce the same results as a search for hard labour, and will locate all text in which either word, hard or labour, can be found.

It is important to remember that this search facility queries only the final punishment description and associated punishment summaries, and not the full trial text. If you wish to search for every instance of a particular word or phrase in the entire text, you should conduct a keyword search. If you are searching for specific types of punishment (whipping, transportation, burnt at the stake, etc) use the Punsihment search facility instead.

Please note that the punishments stated in the Proceedings are only punishment sentences, and not necessarily the punishments convicts actually received. For convicts with Life Archives in the Digital Panopticon it is often possible to determine the actual punishment they received.

This box searches the element of the trial texts in the Proceedings which indicates when the crime took place, if this information was provided. Normally the date is given as a month and date, in the form of "June 3" or "3rd of June", but there are other variants. This searches the actual trial text and since the information was not presented in a standardised form you will need to conduct several searches to find all trials which describe crimes as having occurred on a given date. If you type in the name of a month only you will find all the trials in which that month was included in the crime date.

You may use all the strategies available with keyword searches, the Plus + and Minus - signs, multiple words, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks " ", and wild cards, but note that it is not possible to search separately for individual numbers.

Specific place names described as the locations of crimes in the Proceedings have been tagged, where that information was clearly indicated near the start of the trial.

The map search facility is currently unavailable, but to see place names associated with individual crimes located on contemporary maps of London, you can use Locating London's Past

When using this search box, it is important to understand that you are searching on the precise words and phrases used in the Proceedings. This means that the original text with its different forms and variable spelling has been preserved, and you are in fact searching on a collection of words and phrases that could include the single word Lincoln, or the phrase Lincoln's Inn Fields, and any number of mis- and variable spellings of each individual word.

You may use all the strategies available with the Advanced radio button selected for keyword searches. Plus (+) and Minus (-) signs for AND/OR, exact phrases defined by double quotation marks (" "), and wild cards can all be applied. Hyphens are treated as spaces. As a result a search for Spittle-Fields will produce the same results as a search for Spittle Fields, and will locate all text in which either word, Spittle or Fields, can be found. This search will not, however, locate the single word Spittlefields.

This allows you to specify which element of the Proceedings you wish to search; or if you wish to search Ordinary's Accounts. By selecting a specific type of text from the draw down Search In menu you can significantly narrow your search and increase its accuracy. The default setting is that the search will be conducted on <All Text>. This will allow you to search the full text of both the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts.

The Proceedings have been divided into the following types of text from which you may choose:

• Sessions Paper > all subcategories: Including trials, front matter, advertisements, and supplementary material, but excluding the Ordinary's Accounts
• Sessions Paper > advertisements: Including all commercial advertisements found on the last pages of early editions of the Proceedings.
• Sessions Paper > front matter: Including the title and date of the sessions, names of the Lord Mayor and judges, and lists of jurymen.
• Sessions Paper > punishment summaries: Lists of punishments imposed on those found guilty, provided at the end of many seventeenth and eighteenth-century editions of the Proceedings.
• Sessions Paper > supplementary material: Including details on the post-trial treatment of the accused (when provided).
• Sessions Paper > trial accounts: The texts of the actual trial accounts, which constitute the vast majority of the textual content of the Proceedings. Choosing this option excludes all supplementary material and narrows your search to the trial accounts only.

It is also possible to choose:

• Ordinary's Accounts > all subcategories: Includes all text from the Ordinary's Accounts from 1690 to 1772. Please note that there are further Accounts published for the period prior to 1690 which this project has not yet been able to digitise.

See About this Project for a description of the methodology behind the creation of these text categories.

By filling in the From and To date boxes you can specify the period you wish to search. The dates of all trials are recorded as the first day of each Sessions in which they were heard, although most meetings of the court lasted several days. The execution date as given in the Ordinary's Accounts is used in respect to these pamphlets.

Please note that up until 1753 England and Wales still used the Old Style, Julian calendar. As a result, prior to 1753 dates in the Proceedings and the Ordinary's Accounts were between 10 and 11 days out of kilter with the Gregorian calendar used on the continent and adopted at mid-century. In the material reproduced here, the start of the year has been taken to be 1 January throughout, rather than 25 March. Please note that many editions of the Proceedings prior to 1714, and of the Ordinary's Accounts throughout the period 1679-1772, were either never published, or do not survive. To see which editions are available, please consult the Proceedings by Date and Ordinary's Accounts by Date search pages.

To facilitate finding specific texts a unique reference number has been assigned to each segment and type of text included on this website.

The reference number for every trial in the Proceedings consists of the letter t followed by the date on which the sessions began, expressed in numbers (year, then month, then day of the month), followed by a dash and then a number (trials were numbered sequentially in the order in which they appeared in the Proceedings). A typical trial reference number will take the form of t17980418-4. The full reference number is displayed at the top of each trial, and using this number will allow you to return to a specific trial or text.

If you want to view the full text of a single Sessions you can simply search for the file name in the form of year, month, day. A typical Sessions will take the form of 17980418 (note the absence of an initial letter). Alternatively, you may Browse the Proceedings and Browse the Ordinary's Accounts by date to view the same full texts.

Other types of text appearing in the Proceedings have also been coded. Front Matter, is coded with an initial f, so a typical reference for the initial pages of each Session take the form of f17980418-1. Advertisments have been similarly coded with an a, such as a17250827-1. And finally Punishment Summary information found at the end of many sessions has been coded with an initial s; and would take the form of s17980418-1.

Ordinary's Accounts (provided for the period after 1690 and until they ceased to be published in 1772) have been given reference numbers starting with OA, followed by the date. A typical Ordinary's Account will take the form of OA17100915 (note the use of capital letters).