Dianna, Prisoners were transported in a horse-drawn prison van, known as a 'Black Maria'. The same name is still sometimes used for the modern motorised vehicle. Philip Priestley's 'Victorian Prison Lives' is a good read. Extracts are online here ... http://bit.ly/1JwHzMg HTH Judy London, UK -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dianna O'Loughlin via The recently released convict records on FMP have shown where my great granduncle was sent between conviction at the Old Bailey in 1848 and despatch to VDL in 1850. A London lad he was initially sent to Millbank Prison. After a few month he was sent to Wakefield Jail. After a few more months he was sent to Portland which had recently opened specifically for convicts. He finally embarked at Plymouth. My query is how were these prisoners transferred the long distance between these jails? Many were transferred from Wakefield to Portland on the same day. Did they have “prison vans” of some sort? I can remember reading in a Dickens novel (possibly Great Expectations) of two prisoners shackled on a regular stage coach but the numbers involved would seem to make this not possible on a regular basis. Does anyone know of a book on the subject? Any clues welcome.