An article by Guy Gugliotta in April’s Smithsonian magazine provides background information about the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, a 52-million-word digitization project spearheaded by Robert Shoemaker (University of Sheffield) and Tim Hitchcock (University of Hertfordshire), authors of Tales from the Hanging Court (2006).

The Old Bailey was London’s felony court. Available first in paper, then in microfilm, the Proceedings include descriptions of more than 100,000 trials held there from 1674 - 1834. Typed from photographs of microfilm, the online text is accompanied by links to pdf copies of the original pages. The digitized Proceedings can be searched by keyword, name, crime, verdict, etc.

The Proceedings website also includes historical background about 17th - 19th Century London, a glossary and bibliography, the publishing history of the Proceedings themselves, and notes for history teachers. A second digitization project drawing on criminal records and other sources – Plebian Lives and the Making of Modern London, 1690 - 1800 – is underway, scheduled for completion in 2010.

Smithsonian magazine is available on LEXIS (NEWS;SMTHSN) and Westlaw (SMITHSNN). Recent issues are also available at the magazine’s website.