OBV API

(SHL) Old Bailey Voices API

The API provides access to data collected for a VR puppet show based on Old Bailey Trial Data. The desire for more data and features to increase the story telling possibilities means the database and API continue to grow. The database now includes sources from the Old Bailey Online and the Old Bailey Corpus (2). The work that created these data sets represents considerable effort that has taken place over more than two decades. This project is entirely dependent on the source data and the work that created it.

This work is an output the Sussex Humanities Lab at the University of Sussex. If you find the API useful it was written by Ben Jackson and Tim Hitchcock. If you wish to create applications based on it please contact me to let me know how you get on.

Catagories

  • obv = information taken from Old Bailey Voices of Authority ~ (1720 - 1880)
  • obc = information taken from Old Bailey Corpus (2) ~ (1720 - 1913)
  • obo = information taken from Old Bailey Online ~ (1674 - 1913)

OBV Data

get_obv_trials_more/.....
Returns a list of trial wordcounts, ids and session dates + lots more - Use this to set up selection filters.
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_trialid/defendant/t17800112-1-defend47/format/json
Returns a trial from a defendantid -
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_defendant_list_all
Returns a list of obo defendant ids (from OBV data) including names and gender.
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_trial/trial/.....
Call returns a (complete) row from the obv_defendants_trials table. Field names reflect table row headers used in the OBV data source.
Trial specified by the "trial" segment of the url, which is the obo_trial value.
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
20932 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_trial_id_list/.....
Call returns a list of trial ids (content of the obo_trial field from the obv_defendants_trials table).
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
20932 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_words_by_trial/trial...
Call returns an array of rows from the obv_words table containing the set of speech events for a single trial. Trial specified by the "trial" segment of the url, which is the obo_trial value.
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
321575 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the timeline render.
seperate example render of the timeline render. (press the many timelines button)
get_obv_words_by_search/string/...
Call returns a trial ID and an obv_words table id for every row that contains the specified string
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
217376 records
get_random_obv_trial...
Call returns a random row from the obv_defendants_trials table. Field names reflect table row headers used in the OBV data source.
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
20932 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_random_trial_from_obv...
Call returns a random row from the obv_words table. Field names reflect table row headers used in the OBV data source. - These trial have been tagged with speakers
Date range: 1780-01-12 to 1880-012-13
20932 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.
get_obv_session_list/.....
Returns a list (227) of obv session dates -
Possible depreciation - May no longer be in use
get_obv_session_trial_list/sess_date.....
Returns a list of trial IDs form a specified sessions paper. Uses an obv session date to specify the session paper
Possible depreciation - May no longer be in use
get_obv_trials_wordcounts/.....
Returns a list of trial wordcounts, ids and session dates.
Possible depreciation - May no longer be in use
get_obv_defendant_list/.....
Returns a list of obo defendant ids - this was the first test example for the OBV API, (so may never be useful).
Deprecated! – This data (and more) can be accessed using the get_obv_trial call.
Populate the results area (below) with an example render of the response.

OBV Tattoos

get_obv_tattoos
Returns a list of obv trials ids that match tattoo records
get_obv_marks
Returns a list of obv trials ids that match distinguishing marks records
get_obv_tattoo
Returns a tattoo record for the specified trials id
get_obv_mark
Returns a distinguishing mark record for the specified trials id

OBO Tattoos

count search results
Returns number of results from search
count search results
Returns number of results from search
get_tattoos_by_search
Returns tattoos from search
get_obo_mark
Returns a distinguishing mark record for the specified trials id

OBC Data

get_obc_producer/.....
Returns an obc producer entry
get_obc_sessions_link/sess_date/...
Call returns a link to an obc2 transcription
Date range: 1720-04-27 to 1913-03-04
637 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render

Use the result to populate the results area (below) with an example render that uss the result to access the xml resource.
Use the result to populate the results area (below) with an example render that uss the result to access the json resource.
get_obc_sessions_pos_link/sess_date/...
Call returns a link to a parts of speech (POS) tagged obc2 transcription
Date range: 1720-04-27 to 1913-03-04
637 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render
Use xml path to access the resource and render the result (below).
Use json path to access the resource and render the result (below).

TAG's OBC JSON Data

get_obc_session_description/sess_date/...
Call returns a link to a json file containing data from the session paper title, judiciary, juries[middlesex_jury, london_jury], adverts, date, trials, criminal_charges[defendant:id offence cat desc verdict witnesses punishments id victims defendants ],
Date range: 1720-04-27 to 1913-03-04
637 records

Populate the results area (below) with an example render
Use json path to access the resource and render the result (below).

Title
Judiciary
Juries
Adverts
OffenceDesc

OBO

Links and XML versions of Sessions & Ordinarys Papers

get_obo_sessions_papers/sess_date/...
Call returns a link to an obo session paper
Date range: 1674-07-04 to 1913-04-01
2149 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render
get_obo_sessions_xml/sess_date/...
Call the returns xml of the OBO session for a specified date
Date range: 1674-04-29 to 1913-04-01
2149 records
get_obo_ordinarys_accounts/sess_date/...e.g. 16760517
Call returns a link to an obo ordinary paper
Date range: 1676-05-17 to 1722-10-14
468 records
get_obo_ordinarys_xml/sess_date/... e.g 16760517
Call returns a link to an obo ordinary paper
Date range: 1676-05-17 to 1722-10-14
468 records

OBO Ben Data

Locations and Text search

get_obo_crime_location/trial/...
Call returns an OBO crime location for a specified trial - not all trials have this field
***(to do: some, return null for emptys)***
Date range: 1674-04-29 to 1834-10-16
55620 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render
get_obo_defendant_home/trial/...
Call returns the OBO defendant home for a specified trial - not all trials have this field
***(to do: some, return null for emptys)***
Date range: 1675-01-15 to 1811-05-29
12031 records
Populate the results area (below) with an example render
get_obo_words_by_search/string/...
Call returns a list of session dates for sessions papers that contain the specified string
This is a big search (the text of every sessions paper is searched)
Date range: 1675-01-15 to 1811-05-29
2145 records

Obo Summaries

Big lists of OBO data - use size and offset - attempting to call the entire collection is unreliable and may cause a timeout (no results returned).

get_obo_trials_wordcounts/size/36/offset/0/...
Call obo word counts
Date range: 1674-07-04 to 1913-04-01
197673 records
get_obo_trials_wt_wdcounts/size/36/offset/0/...
Call obo wt(Bill Turkel) word counts
Date range: 1674-07-04 to 1913-04-01
197673 records
get_obo_summaries/size/36/offset/0/format/json
Call obo summary ... Size and Offset to reduce large transfer
Date range: 1674-07-04 to 1913-04-01
197673 records
get_obo_summary/trial/t19041017-801/format/json
  trial id setting = t17800112-1
Note!: This input sets the trial id variable used in calls that need a "trial" url segment. Trial id selects against the contents of the obo_trial column, so must be valid . (Hint: trial id list gets a list of trial ids, use one to set this field)
  sess_date setting = 17800112
Note!: This input sets the sess_date variable used in calls that need the url segment. sess_date selects against the contents of the sess_date column in the obc2 table, so must be valid.
Results