The Gibson Index, 19th Century Watch-house Charge Books.
Microfiche, Victoria.
This underused set of three microfiche was very well received when it was first produced, and deserves another look.  A number of people have contributed to the completion of the project, and are given credit on the first fiche. 
The way to use the fiche is to use them as a means to an end.  The indexing of the watch-house charge books covers not only the criminal, but the person who had the crime committed against them.  If you find a person of interest to you in the index fiche, note down all details. Be aware that there have been problems with transcription, due to the difficulties involved in reading the handwriting of the early police force. 
The location of the crime is given, and the date. 
It is well worth reading the information on the first fiche, including how to apply for further information.
Check the telephone book for the current phone number of the Victoria Police Historical Society to enquire about current copying and postage rates.


Charles Booth’s Descriptive Map of London Poverty 1889
Stored in the large map trolley in the book shelf bays. 
Charles Booth filled 392 notebooks and 55 volumes with his notes, along with six boxes of maps as background for the maps. 
The four laminated poverty maps are colour coded according to the level of poverty.  This ranges from Upper-middle and upper classes through Well to do, Fairly comfortable, Mixed, Poor, Very poor, through to Lowest class, vicious, semi-criminal.
Let’s hope your ancestor doesn’t fall into the last category!  In any case, these four adjoining maps are worth a look to gauge the living conditions in the area where your ancestors lived in the 1880s.  The results can sometimes be surprising.



BRITISH ARMY PENSIONERS ABROAD, 1772-1889, by Norman K Crowder.
Book, ENG 355 CRO
Anyone tracing military ancestry would know how difficult it can be unless you are lucky.  Chelsea pension records can often be a starting point if you have found any documents, perhaps a census, which name your person as a Chelsea Pensioner.
The author says that this book is intended to serve as an index to the Chelsea regimental pension registers of British veterans who settled abroad with an army pension.  The Chelsea hospital was established in 1692.
The registers consulted at the PRO in Kew are part of W.O. 120, Volumes 35, 69 and 70.
The surname index at the end of the book is the best starting point, referring you to the series number in the war office records.  It seems that the only way to find someone in the bulk of the book where the interesting information is, is to plod through page by page, unless you know the regiment.  If you do know the regiment, your search will be easy, and you will find interesting information such as the date that the pension was awarded, residence, and source codes for more information.