Are you related to a murderer? Old criminal records online uncover dark secrets in the family tree

The release of more than 2.5m historical criminal records online will make finding the black sheep of your family much easier. The records of criminals from England and Wales hold the grizzly details of murderers, drunks and robbers from 1770 to 1934. The documents, made available by findmypast.co.uk, include court papers, mug shots and registers from prison ships. It will enable genealogists to find out what dark secrets lurk in their family history.