All pictures Copyright
 E & BJ Capper Nagold 2017

Census 1881 / H.M. Borstal Prison

The family is included in the England and Wales Census taken on 3rd April 1881.

Family members present were:
John Capper (51), wife Ann (50), sons John (17) and William (8), and daughters Adelaide (13), Lilian (10) and Elizabeth (5).

The census confirms son Johns place of birth as Bareilly, India and gives the birthplaces of Lilian - Cornwall - and Elizabeth - Rochester, Kent.

The family living quarters were in H.M. Prison Borstal, Rochester, St. Margaret, Kent  and Johns occupation is given as Civil Guard, Convict Prison.
Here is Borstal on the map.

The family must have moved here between the births of son William, (Feb. 1873 in  Devon), and of Elizabeth, (March 1876 in Rochester). The Borstal convict prison had only been founded in 1870, so John was an early member of staff here.

The use of the Borstal prison for the detention of young offenders came as a new development much later - in 1902 - and gave the name for this type of institution.