From midnight tonight 10 Jun 2016 (12.01am Friday) to 11.59pm on Monday, online family-history site Ancestry is offering free access to more than 55 million New Zealand, Australian, and UK criminal, convict and other subterfuge-related records, some dating back to the 1700s.
The records include early New Zealand jury lists, bankruptcy notices from 1893-1904, Australian Convict Transportation Registers from the first three fleets 1787-1868, Criminal Registers of England & Wales from 1791-1892, UK Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books from 1802-1849, Dorset, England, Bastardy Records from 1821-1853, British King’s Bench and Fleet Prison Discharge Books and Prisoner Lists, 1734-1862, England & Wales Criminal Lunacy Warrant and Entry Books from 1882-1898, and British Criminal Lunatic Asylum Registers from 1820-1843.