Bristol County Bridewell, Bristol, Gloucestershire

Lawford's Gate, Bristol, built 1716, has two rooms below and two above; 18 feet by 16: in those above are beds for those who pay. There is a dark room, the dungeon (11 feet 10 inches by 7 feet 2), in which felons sleep. No chimneys. Court 22 feet by 18; with a pump. It is not secure; and prisoners are always confined in their rooms. It may be enlarged from the keeper's garden; and should be made secure, that prisoners may use it, and have access to the pump. The keeper readily agreed with me in that opinion. Salary, £10: fees, 6s. 8d. no table. Straw, ten shillings a quarter: allowance, if a prisoner be very poor, 2d. a day: no employment. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up. By a register kept in the prison, it appears that in eight years and a half to September 1776, there were committed to it 572 prisoners.

Keeper, Joseph Hallam. Salary, 50l. Fees, none.

Chaplain, Rev. Mr. Page; now Rev. Mr. Eden. Salary, 20l.
Duty, Sunday, Prayers and a Sermon; also on Christmas-Day, and Good Friday; and Prayers on every Wednesday and Friday.

Surgeon, Mr. Baynton. Salary, 15l. 15s.

Number of Prisoners, 1801, Dec. 17th, Nine. 1803, Oct. 4th, Two. 1806, Sept. 20th, Three.

Allowance, one pound and a half of good household bread per day for each Man; and one pound three ounces each Woman.

This Prison was finished in 1791. The boundary-wall encloses about an acre of ground, and being at the distance of 16 feet from the court-yards of the Prisoners, affords the Keeper a convenient garden for the growth of vegetables. The Gaol does credit to those who superintended the work, being every way substantially strong.

On the right of the Gate of entrance is a room, where the Magistrates hold their Petty Session every Thursday, except in the Assize and Quarter Sessions week. The approach to the Prison is through a small garden, separated from the court-yards by close wooden palisades. The Keeper's house is in front; and in the centre stands the hall, which is nearly circular, with a passage or lobby on each side, 4 feet 6 inches wide, which open into it. The lobby on the right has seven work-cells; that on the left has eight ditto, and of the whole number eight have glazed-windows.

Here are four airy courts, of 28 yards by 15, with a pump and a sewer in each; and three day-rooms, 13 feet by 11 feet 6, with fire-places, stone seats and shelves. The Women's court has a grass-plat, to bleach and dry the linen.

The Chapel is on the first story, and over the hall here are two lobbies or passages, of the same width as those below; one containing nine sleeping-cells for Women, the other ten such for Men; which all open into the Chapel.

On the upper-story is the like number of cells, divided in the same manner; the lobbies of which open into the gallery of the Chapel, and at the top of them there is a large sky-light. Each sleeping-cell is 7 feet 4 inches by six feet 1, and 10 feet high, with an arched roof, to prevent danger and confusion in case of fire. Every one is fitted up with a cast-iron bedstead, straw-mat, hair-mattress, a blanket, sheet, and double rug. Every cell has two doors, one of them iron-latticed; and is lighted by an iron-grated window with sliding shutter, and a ventilator of 12 inches diameter on the opposite side. There are two cells set apart for Vagrants, and they have straw only, which, when worn, is taken out and burnt.

On this upper-story are also two infirmary rooms, with fire-places and water-closets; and three small rooms used as foul-wards, from which iron-gratings communicate with the Chapel, to accommodate the sick Prisoners for hearing Divine service. Here is likewise a Dispensary for the Surgeon; and all these latter apartments have glazed windows.

For the refractory two dark cells on the upper-story are allotted, each 9 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 6, and 9 feet high, ventilated by apertures in the wall. There are forty sleeping-cells in this Prison, and the greatest number of Prisoners confined at one time, has been twenty-four.

In chapel, the prisoners are separated according to their classes; and all are required to attend Divine service, and placed alike under immediate inspection, either from the Keeper's or the Turnkey's pew.

An alarm-bell at the top of the building: A warm and cold bath: an oven to purify the prisoners' clothes, and County clothing is put on in their stead. Here are also four stoves, from the flues of which warmth is communicated, in Winter, to every part of the Prison; and a peck of coals per day allowed for each stove.

Prisoners, when employed, receive a proportion of their earnings, according to their classes, sufficient to purchase an addition to the Gaol allowance of food: but the Keeper told me that frequently they had nothing to do. The remainder of what they earn is paid them at their discharge.

From the quantities of old cables and junk that I saw at Bristol,—to which city this Prison very nearly adjoins,—I should think that oakum might always be prepared, as a ready and useful article. If any of the Prisoners refuse to be employed, when the means of working are presented to them, they are punished by solitary confinement.

The Surgeon's charge is to attend and see every Prisoner, at least once a week, and always when sent for. He has the power, either to suspend punishment, or to vary the diet, according to his discretion; and a book is kept wherein to enter his observations and directions, ready to be laid before the Visiting Justices at their next meeting. Books of moral and religious instruction are provided, to be distributed by the Chaplain, as he thinks proper.

Proper cisterns, with soap and towels, are supplied to each court-yard, near the pump, for the daily use of the Prisoners, on opening the cells, freights and measures also are kept for their use; and they have clean linen once a week.

Copies of the excellent Rules and Orders are pasted up in various parts of the Prison; the whole of which is kept very clean.

Construction.—This prison is secure, well ventilated, and moderately dry. The windows are generally not glazed, but are protected by shutters. There is one dark cell only. There are 3 day-rooms and 4 airing-yards, 5 classes or divisions, and 16 day-cells. The number of prisoners whom the prison is capable of containing in separate sleeping cells is 38. This is one of the few prisons in which a provision has been made for heating the cells in winter. There are two stoves arranged for this purpose on the ground-floor; a pipe runs from each to the roof, passing through each corridor, and diffusing thus a certain degree of warmth, which is probably very moderate.

All the cells are single ones; no cell holds two or more bedsteads. There is at present no proper wash-house for the employment of the female prisoners; the room, which appears originally to have been designed for that purpose, is now appropriated as a kitchen for the keeper, who has no other one. The underground-room, which is used as the kitchen prison, has no drain or sink.

Management.—The whole building is neat and clean. No debtors are received. Two turnkeys are engaged here, in addition to the keeper and his wife, who is the matron. The turnkeys are appointed by the magistrates. The system of day and night-cells is practised, here, as elsewhere in this county. There are always night-cells sufficiently numerous to accommodate every prisoner separately at night, but there are not always enough day-cells to furnish a separate day-cell for each prisoner. Each prisoner takes his meals separately in his day-cell, and every one sleeps separately in his night-cell; there was one proper exception to this last rule, at the time of my visit, in the case of a female prisoner who was subject to fits, and who accordingly was placed in the same cell with another female prisoner. Those prisoners who are not on hard labour remain about six hours in their day-cells, and then walk about in the yard at various times, and in the presence of a turnkey.

Tobacco is forbidden.

Silence is enjoined, and is practised in a considerable degree: the gaoler's apartments are so placed that he easily hears all that is said at night, if his attention is awakened. The conduct of the prisoners is orderly and good. Prisoners receive no assistance from the county rates, nor from any other source, on their discharge.

Rules.—The keeper observes, as far as is possible on the small scale of his establishment, the rules recommended by the Lords' Committee in the circular of the Home Secretary.

Diet.—All the prisoners have lib. and a half of bread daily. Prisoners for fines, and want of sureties, and the untried, may receive a breakfast or dinner daily from their friends without. Those on hard labour are allowed an ounce and a half of oatmeal, made into gruel, for breakfast, and 2lbs. of potatoes daily. The bread is of seconds' quality. TOO lbs. of bread cost 16s. 4d., according to the last contract. Prisoners sentenced to solitary confinement receive the ordinary allowance of food. Prisoners on hard labour receive half an ounce of salt daily.

The dress of the prisoners consists of a jacket, waistcoat, a pair of trousers, a pair of stockings, a pair of shoes, a cap, and a linen shirt. The shirts and stockings are washed at the county expense, and delivered to the prisoners clean every Saturday night. If prisoners are provided with decent clothes, and have a change, they are allowed to wear their own, and their linen is washed for them. The prison dress costs the county about 1l. 5s.; the bedding consists of a straw bed, two sheets, two blankets, and a coverlet. The sheets are given out clean once a month. The cost of the bedding is about 1l. 3s.

Unless when they are ill the allowance of sheets is not desirable for prisoners, being a luxury to which they have sometimes not been accustomed at home.

Religious and other Instruction.—The chaplain performs divine service and delivers a sermon every Sunday. He reads prayers also every Wednesday and Friday. Usually twice in the week he hears the prisoners read and discourses with them collectively. In his journal he enters a memorandum of the number of prisoners who have attended in the chapel. The sacrament has not been delivered here since the present keeper has been in office. The chaplain is rector of the parish. There is a fair supply of books.

The women remain in their day-room during the performance of Divine service; their dayroom has windows which open on the chapel.

Hours of Locking-up and of Unlocking.—They unlock at sunrise and lock up at sunset, in winter; in summer they unlock at six in the morning, and lock up at half-past six in the evening.

Punishments.—The punishment for offences committed within the prison consists in confinement in a dark cell; there have been 21 such punishments within the last two years.

Labour.—There is a tread-wheel which holds six prisoners; it is not applied to any purpose, but it can be used for pumping water, if desired; it has compartments. There is also a crank, which is capable of employing one prisoner, and which is used for raising water. The other occupations consist in masonry, shoemaking, tailoring, and cooking. There is sometimes no female prisoner hero for months together; at such times they are obliged to hire a woman to wash; but when there are any female prisoners, they are employed in that occupation. There is no wash-house except the kitchen, which is small and underground, and in which there is the additional inconvenience of the occasional presence of a male prisoner, who is employed as cook. Boys are engaged in breaking stones, which are afterwards sold. The labour-yard is well arranged, and a turnkey is always present during the hours of labour. The labour produces no profit in money.

Care of the Sick, Disease, and Mortality.—The surgeon visits twice a-week, and more frequently if occasion demands his attendance. The amount of illness is small. No cholera is believed to have occurred here. Six men were suffering under the influenza at the same time in the spring; they lay in the male infirmary, on four bedsteads placed together. No death has happened here for seven years. During the two years that the keeper has resided here no female prisoner has lain in. There is no lunatic prisoner in confinement. For prisoners affected with the itch separate cells are reserved. There are two good infirmaries, with a fire-place and water-closet in each. There is a bath in the male infirmary. In the schedules presented to the Secretary of State, for the two years 1834-5 and 1835-6, I find no entry of any case of sickness at all.

Suicide.—There has been no attempt at suicide during the two years of the keeper's residence here.

Re-committals.—Of the prisoners now in confinement four have been committed hither once before.

Escapes.—No attempt at escape has taken place within the knowledge of the present keeper.

General Statistics. On 3d July 1837, the date of my visit, 20 prisoners were confined here, of whom 18 were men and 2 females. Of these were—

1 remanded for examination,
2 men for assaults,