(The English version is below)
Ymddiheuriadau am unrhyw "cross-posting" (ac am safon fy Nghymraeg).
Mae'r Llyfrgell Genedlaethol newydd lawnsio "Trosedd a chosb", cronfa
data o enwau, troseddau a chosbau yn ffeiliau cachar y Sesiwn Fawr yng
Nghymru rhwng 1730 a diddymiad y llys ym 1830:
http://www.llgc.org.uk/sesiwn_fawr/index_c.htm
Roedd Llys y Sesiwn Fawr fersiwn Cymreig o llysoedd yr assize yn siroedd
Lloegr. Caeth y llys hefyd rhan o awdurdod y Kings Bench yng Nghymru.
Felly, roedd y llys yn gallu clywed bob math o achosion o fân-ladrad i
uchel-frad.
Dydy'r cofnodion ddim yn cynnwys achosion wedi'u clywed yn sir Fynwy,
oherwydd roedd y sir hon rhan o gylchdaith assizes Rhydychen
(ffynhonnell y celwydd bod sir Fynwy'n rhan o Lloegr). Beth bynnag, mae
'na achosion o diddordeb sir Fynyw, Lloegr a llefydd eraill dramor.
Mae 'na tipyn bach llai na 21,000 o achosion. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r
maesydd ar y tudalen chwilio yn "free-text", felly does dim angen
"wild-cards". Er enghraifft, bydd Ben yn un o'r maesydd enwau (erlynydd
a throseddwr) yn dychwelyd yr enwau cyntaf/cyfenwau Benjamin ac
Ebenezer, ac y cyfenwau Benion a Dolben.
Stephen Benham
------ English ------
Apologies for cross-posting.
The National Library of Wales has just launched "Trosedd a chosb / Crime
and punishment", a database of the criminals, crimes and punishments in
the gaol files of the Court of Great Sessions in Wales from 1730 until
its abolition in 1830:
http://www.llgc.org.uk/sesiwn_fawr/index_c.htm
The Court of Great Sessions was Wales's equivalent to the English
assizes. It also had part of the jurisdiction of the Kings Bench in
Wales, and so could try all types of crimes, from petty thefts to high
treason.
The records of the court do not include cases tried in Monmouthshire
since that county formed part of the Oxford Assize circuit (the origin
of the canard that Monmouthshire was part of England). There are,
however, a number of cases of Monmouthshire, English and other foreign
interest on the database.
There are just shy of 21,000 cases. Most of the fields are free-text, so
there is no need for wild-cards. So for example, Ben in one of the names
fields (accused and prosecutor) will return the forenames/surnames
Benjamin and Ebenezer, and the surnames Benion and Dolben.
Stephen Benham