Fremantle Prison

Work began on permanent buildings and facilities in 1851 and Fremantle Prison was first occupied in June 1855. It continued in use as a prison until 1991 when the last prisoners were transferred to the new prison at Casuarina.

The series of Fremantle Prison records are substantial and cannot be listed here (for a list of record series held, check AN 358 and AU WA A220 Agency 220). They cover from the convict period in 1850 up to the present day. As such they are a valuable source, not only for the genealogist, but also for the social researcher. Records relating to the convict period have been described in the section Convicts. Among the more valuable Fremantle Prison records are the Registers of Receipts and Discharges of Prisoners, Superintendents Order Books, Occurrence Books and Warder's Journals, Prisoners' Registers, Registers of Interviews and the various Correspondence Series. An index to male prisoners, an index to prisoner’s aliases 1888-1991 and an index to female prisoners 1897-1970 have been compiled by Fremantle Prison Museum and may be useful.

• AU WA S1810 CONS 1156: Fremantle Prison, Registers of prisoners 1863-1902
  Consists of four registers:
  F02: colonial prisoners numbers 10133-10602 (1874-1902)
  F02A: local prisoners numbers 3655-5197 (1870-1877)
  F02B: colonial and local prisoners (1877-1887)
  F27A: a general register (up to 1895)
• AU WA S672 CONS 1156/F5-6& 27-28 & CONS 4173/1-42: Fremantle Prison, Registers of local prisoners (male) 1888-1959
  These are arranged by prisoner number and contain details such as name, nationality, birthplace, age, physical details, marital status, religion, trade, whether can read or write, identifying marks, date & place of conviction, by whom sentenced, offence, sentence and remarks.
• AU WA S678 CONS 4186/1-4: Fremantle Prison, Registers of local prisoners (female) 1897-1961
  These are arranged by prisoner number and contain details such as name, nationality, birthplace, age, physical details, marital status, religion, trade, whether can read or write, identifying marks, date & place of conviction, by whom sentenced, offence, sentence and remarks.
• AU WA S681 CONS 4286: Fremantle Prison. Photographs of prisoners arranged by registration numbers
  The photographs are numbered 1-37,251, but the series is incomplete and many early photographs are missing. Photographs of prisoners and criminals were also published in the Police Gazettes of Western Australia.