The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.
Ancestry UK

Town Bridewell, Bedford, Bedfordshire

A Town Bridewell, or House of Correction, was in use in Bedford from around 1585. It acted as a short-term punitive establishment, typically for two to four weeks, for the able-bodied poor who refused to work.

By 1629, a bridewell was in operation in premises somewhere in the parish of St Peter's.

In 1652, the bridewell occupied a building on the south side of Cauldwell Street, in the parish of St Mary.

Another seventeenth century bridewell site was located at the corner of the High Street and Lurke Street.

In 1724, John Okely was appointed keeper of the bridewell 'for life' at an annual salary of £30. He was required to keep the building good repair and to replace the thatched portion of the roof with tiles. He also had to provide the straw for the inmates' bedding, and 'all other incidents.' In 1755, extensive repairs and alterations to the bridewell and the Keeper's house were undertaken by architect Thomas Moore. These included taking down the wooden west front of the bridewell and rebuilding it in brick.

In 1801, the Town Bridewell was closed and its inmates transferred to the new County Gaol, which included a House of Correction in its provision.

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.

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.