The lives of 200,000 inmates held in horrific conditions on nineteenth-century prison ships were highlighted yesterday as the records were made available online.
The ships housed inmates aged eight to 84, according to the Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849.
William Davies, 84, got seven years for sheep stealing while Samuel Phillips, 16, got life for burglaryEach hulk held 200 to 300 convicts, with one in three dying on board.
Dan Jones, of Ancestry.co. uk, said: "The records provide a fascinating insight."
Britain's last floating jail, holding prisoners off Portland, Dorset, was sold in 2005.
Earlier this year David Cameron suggested reintroducing prison ships as quick and "cost effective"
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