Borough Gaol and Bridewell, Barnstaple, Devon
The Barnstaple Town Gaol and Bridewell, or House of Correction, was situated on The Square, Barnstaple.
In 1812, James Neild wrote:
Here is only one court-yard for Debtors, Felons, and all descriptions of Male Prisoners, which is 26 feet square, with a pump to supply it with water.
The Debtors' Prison consists of one room on the ground-floor, 12 feet by 11, and 7 feet high,with a boarded floor, and an iron-grated window. No fire-place. Their sleeping room above is 15 feet by 14, and 8 feet high,with barrack bedstead, and straw only allowed. It has a glazed window, and a fire-place; but no coals are supplied. Debtors committed hither are by process issuing out of the Borough Court, which is held once a fortnight, on Mondays; and the number confined within the last four years and a half has been only seven.
The part called the Felons' Prison is one room, 14 feet by 8, and 7 feet 6 inches high, on the ground-floor; with a barrack bedstead, to which straw only is furnished for bedding. Here is a fire-place, but incapable of being used: No fuel allowed; and the iron-grating looks to the street.
The Bridewell Part consists of one room below, 14 feet by 12, and6 feet high; with boarded floor, an unglazed grated window, but no fire-place: And one room above, of the same size, with barrack bedsteads, and straw only allowed.
Females are kept separate from Male Prisoners, both day and night; but they have no court-yard.
Here is a Gaol-Delivery twice a-year, at the Session, which is held before the Mayor, Aldermen, and Recorder, who is a Barrister of this Borough. They have a Power of Charter, of trying all offences committed within it, except capital felonies: for which Prisoners are confined here only for a day or two, till fully committed to the County Gaol. The Prison is dry, airy, and well ventilated.
Gaoler, Nathaniel Blackwill. Salary, 5l. Fees, 4s. 4d.
Chaplain, none: nor any religious attentions.
Surgeon, when wanted, is sent in by the Parish.
Prisoners, 4th Dec. 1810, Debtor, 1. Petty Offender, 1. Foreigners, 2.
Allowance to Debtors, none; to Criminals, twopence half-penny per day, from the Parish.
The prison was rebuilt in 1829 at the same location. The new building had fourteen cells, and two rooms for debtors, with an airy courtyard bounded by a wall twenty feet high.
The gaol was closed following the nationalisation of the prison system in 1878.
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.
- Devon Heritage Centre, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton Exeter EX2 7NL.
- 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
- Higginbotham, Peter The Prison Cookbook: A History of the English Prison and its Food (2010, The History Press)
- Brodie, A. Behind Bars - The Hidden Architecture of England's Prisons (2000, English Heritage)
- Brodie, A., Croom, J. & Davies, J.O. English Prisons: An Architectural History (2002, English Heritage)
- Harding, C., Hines, B., Ireland, R., Rawlings, P. Imprisonment in England and Wales (1985, Croom Helm)
- McConville, Sean A History of English Prison Administration: Volume I 1750-1877 (1981, Routledge & Kegan Paul)
- Morris, N. and Rothman, D.G. (eds.) The Oxfod History of the Prison (1997, OUP)
- Pugh R.B. Imprisonment in Medieval England (1968, CUP)
Links
- 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.