About the Author

David Thomas is the former Director of Technology at the National Archives, where he was responsible for systems, the online catalogue, the website and the preservation of digital records. He has a long-standing interest in crime, imprisonment and poverty and has written extensively on these topics for family history magazines. He is the author of Beggars Cheats and Forgers: A History of Frauds Through the Ages (Pen & Sword, 2014).