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Ancestry UK

County Bridewell, Barking, Essex

By 1609, Bridewell, or House of Correction, to serve the Becontree hundred, was in operation on East Street, Barking.

In 1784, John Howard wrote that the establishment provided:

A room for men, the fore-gaol; 15 feet by 10; 7 feet high; two windows to the street. Another room, the back-gaol, for women; 13 feet 4 inches by 11 feet; 8 feet high: one window about 2 feet square. They are planked all over: no chimneys: and both rooms are dirty and made very offensive by sewers in them. No court: keeper has a large garden. No water accessible to prisoners. Allowance, three pence a day: no employment. Keeper's salary, £28: no fees. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up.

1776, Nov. 28,Prisoners 1.
1779, April 8,1.Impressed Men 5.
1782, Dec. 27,3.

n 1791-2, the bridewell moved to a new, larger building, serving a wider area. It was designed by the Essex County Surveyor, John Johnson and erected on North Street, Barking. In 1812, James Neild reported on the new premises:

Keeper, Thomas Miller, a shoemaker. Salary 38l.
Fees, none. Conveyance of each Prisoner to Chelmsford for trial, 30s.

Chaplain, Rev. Ebert Jefferys. Salary 20l.
Duty, Sermon on Sundays. There being no Chapel, Divine Service is performed in the Keeper's house.

Surgeon, Mr. Ireland. Salary 15l.

Number of Prisoners, 1806, June 21st,14
1808, Aug. 26th,5

Allowance, one pound and a half of bread, furnished by the Gaoler; and a quart of table beer sent from the Brewer's, at 20s. per barrel. Women, for their children, have bread, milk, and sugar, to the amount of about seven farthings per day. Five chaldrons of coals also are yearly allowed to the Prison.

This Prison, situate in the North Street, stands in the middle of a garden, containing about an acre.

From the Gaoler's house is a descent by a flight of eighteen steps, to a court-yard, paved with flag-stones, 64 feet by 11; which is divided by an iron-palisaded gate, and contains six well-ventilated sleeping cells, of 10 feet by 8, and 9 feet high. There is an iron-grating over every door, with a shutter to put up at night. The floors are of oak-plank, and the rooms are furnished with wooden cradle-bedsteads, straw-in-sacking bed, one blanket, or two, as the season may require, and a rug.

One of the cells has a fire-place; and there is a pump of excellent water.

On the other side of the Keeper's house is the Men's working room, 14 feet by 13, with a fire-place, and glazed window. The employment of the Prisoners is to pick oakum; and they have the half of their earnings.

The Women's Court-yard is 28 feet by 8 feet 9 inches; and their work-room 15 feet by 14, and 10 feet high; with a fire-place and glazed window. They have also a Lying-in Room, 9 feet by 8, with bedsteads and bedding, like those for the Men.

Above stairs is a room for the sick, 17 feet square, with fire-place, and opposite windows. But this room, at my visit in 1806, was filled with breeding cages, and a variety of birds; and in 1808, was used as a cutting shop, and filled up with leather.

The Prisoners have County clothes, and a bathing tub supplied them: Clean linen once a week; and when discharged, which is always in the morning, they have money given them, according to their respective distances from home.

In 1820, the county magistrates were considering enlarging and improving the prison, in order to provide for the employment and better classification of the inmates. In 1826, however,no progress had taken place on this and the building was in a dilapidated state. The prison closed in 1831 and replaced by a new County Bridewell at Little Ilford.

Records

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

  • Essex Record Office, Wharf Road Chelmsford CM2 6YT. Holdings include: Keeper's Reports of Barking House of Correction and list of number and description of prisoners confined there (1829-30).
  • The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Has a wide variety of crime and prison records going back to the 1770s, including calendars of prisoners, prison registers and criminal registers.
  • Find My Past has digitized many of the National Archives' prison records, including prisoner-of-war records, plus a variety of local records including Manchester, York and Plymouth. More information.
  • Prison-related records on Ancestry UK include Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951, and local records from London, Swansea, Gloucesterhire and West Yorkshire. More information.
  • The Genealogist also has a number of National Archives' prison records. More information.

Bibliography

  • Prison Oracle - resources those involved in present-day UK prisons.
  • GOV.UK - UK Government's information on sentencing, probation and support for families.

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.