Search Tips

Search tips

Overall, the data has gaps. It is rare to have a complete set of information for a particular C.O.

Name: 

If you know the exact name of the CO you are searching for, you can "match exactly", but bear in mind it may be recorded differently on the database, for example with initials only.

Religion:

Roughly half the COs recorded identified themselves as religious in some way. We have coded the various faiths using a limited list of religion categories for ease of searching. For example, "Church of England", "C of E" and "Anglican" are all categorised as "Anglican". The religion cited by the CO is recorded under "Other details". Often COs explained their religious motivations for their stand when they came before tribunals. 

Address:

Addresses may be exact, but are often imprecise. The record may show the exact address, or perhaps only the village or town. Sometimes there is no address at all. COs often lived at the same address. Where we have some idea of the address of a CO, it has been used to produce our CO Map, which you can use to view a whole area at a glance.

Age:

This refers to the CO's age reported at the time of their tribunal. The age is therefore not always recorded. Sometimes the date of birth is recorded under family information.

Gender: 

There is a significant minority of female COs included. Unless there is information to the contrary, we have assumed COs are male.

Other details:

This field can contain lots of fascinating information such as the CO's occupation and direct quotes from the tribunal and instances of imprisonment. We have a development plan to code each CO's occupation so this can be searched independently.

Family information:

Date of birth is recorded in a minority of cases under this heading. COs  from the same family, for example siblings and spouses, are also recorded here.

Tribunals:

Tribunals were held in key locations such as Leeds and Edinburgh. Where there were subsequent tribunals for the same CO, this is recorded under subsequent tribunals. Verdicts included rejection of the applicant's appeal for CO status, or the assignment of a particular type of work.