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Gloucester Gaol

Census returns were compiled for prisons – this is a page from the 1881 census for Gloucester prison.  Oddly, they did not always get a special enumeration book but were simply included in the relevant enumeration district.  Prison census returns are fascinating primarily because they hold such a wide range of (usually) the lower classes in terms of employment and abode.  They do not contain details of why inmates were imprisoned so if you wanted to find out why a person was in prison, you need to consult the relevant gaol registers.