Southwark Archives crime and punishment collections fall into two categories: the published memoirs of a Walworth beat cop, Harry Cole (there are 4 or 5 of these), and the archival records of various courts. These include: The coroner’s court for St Mary Newington, c. 1883-1900; the court of summary jurisdiction for the Newington division of the County of London, 1936-47; the court of record for the Town and Borough of Southwark, 1848-1885; assorted records relating to the petty sessions of Newington (mid 19th C- 1900, 1949) and Camberwell (1823-1856); they also hold records of courts baron and courts leet and some jury lists for St George the Martyr parish.
Significant collections relating to regional crime and punishment organisation or to a particular individual The published memoirs of a Walworth beat cop, Harry Cole (there are 4 or 5 of these); also the coroner’s court for St Mary Newington, c. 1883-1900;
Details of opening for public access and / or research services The archive is open on Mondays 10am to 7pm, Tuesdays 10am to 5pm, Thursdays 10am to 7pm, Fridays 10am to 5pm and Saturdays 10am to 3pm. Southwark Archives has a limited amount of space and equipment, and many of our archives are stored off-site. For this reason, we require visitors who want to use our original records to book an appointment with us in advance.
