Faces of Barlinnie Prison during Victorian times revealed

Rare images of Victorian inmates who served spells behind bars at one of Scotland’s most infamous prisons have been released.

Scotland’s People, the official Scottish Government site for searching government records and archives, has added 2,000 pictures and 180,000 records containing details of people who were jailed at Barlinnie Prison from its opening in 1882 to 1899.

The facility quickly developed a reputation as one of the toughest jails in the country. Those living behind bars carried out hard labour, breaking rocks from a local quarry.

Thousands of rare images have been released showing Barlinnie National Records of Scotland

Digitised copies of the original registration books can be viewed online, along with snaps of some of the former inmates.

The photos were taken on the day of their release, with most serving sentences of only a few days for petty offences.

John Porter, also known as Peter Davidson, called the “Big Hoose” home on three occasions. He first appears in the photograph album on his liberation day from the prison in March 1883.

John Porter, also known as Peter Davidson, called the “Big Hoose” home on three occasions NRS

The then 17-year-old had served 60 days after he was charged with “being a rogue and a vagabond” at a time when homeless people were imprisoned for minor offences.

Records note that the teen stood at 5ft 2in and he had “AD JH” tattooed on his left arm. Porter’s face is seen for the second time in December of the same year.

Porter reappears for a third and final time on his liberation day in July 1885 having been charged with evidence of vagrancy and the intent to commit felony.

The prison records noted that the 18-year-old was 5ft 4in tall. Porter was a familiar face at Barlinnie, having served five short spells in the infamous cells between 1883 and 1885.

Other prisoners who called Bar-L home during the late 1800s include 17-year-old Thomas Johnston, who was jailed on March 4, 1891, after he killed his step-dad John Wood during a fight.

Thomas Rushton and Thomas Hynes - two other prisoners documented at Barlinnie. — Thomas Rushton and Thomas Hynes – two other prisoners documented at Barlinnie. NRS

The teen plead guilty to culpable homicide

The historic prison is set to be replaced by HMP Glasgow in 2027, which will be built a few hundred metres from the current site.

Archivist Jessica Evershed of National Records of Scotland, which runs the Scotland’s People website, said: “Prison records are an excellent resource for social history research. You may even track down your own relatives in these records and – in some cases – find a photograph of your ancestor.

“These photographs are a fantastic resource for researchers. The Scotland’s People website now allows you to put faces to names in a way that isn’t possible for other records.

“While Barlinnie prison did hold some people convicted of serious crimes, most prisoners were serving short sentences. The most common entries are for petty offences such as minor thefts and drunkenness.”