Town Gaol and Bridewell, Dover, Kent

One room of it is the bridewell. The gaol is two rooms on the ground-floor (12 feet by 9½), and for debtors two above. No fire places. All close and offensive; but at my last visits it was much cleaner, and quieter; and no company were drinking there, as the present keeper has no licence. The court not secure. Allowance, four pence a day. Keeper's salary, £10 and a chaldron of coals: fees, 8s. 2d. no table.

Gaoler, William Harris; now John Mitchell. Salary, 40l. a chaldron of coals, and a suit of apparel.

Fees, on Commitment, 8s. 2d. On Discharge, 1s. 6d. No Table.

Garnish, (not yet abolished) one shilling.

Chaplain, none; nor any religious attentions.

Surgeon, Mr. King, who makes a Bill.

Number of Prisoners,

This Prison is in a close part of the Town, and has one room for the Bridewell. The Gaol consists of two rooms on the ground-floor, 12 feet by 6 feet 9 each. The iron-grated windows look into a small court-yard; but the Prisoners have not the use of it. Both the rooms are not only close, in point of situation, but rendered offensive also, by sewers placed in the corner.

Felons,&c. are supplied with wooden bedsteads, loose straw, two blankets, and a rug. For Debtors and Misdemeanors here are three rooms above stairs; to which, if the Gaoler Furnishes bed and bedding, the charge to the Prisoner is 7s. per week.

The Corporation allow yearly four gallons of vinegar, to fumigate the Gaol; 12 lbs. of whitening, and 6 lbs. of soap, together with mops, brooms, and pails for cleaning the Prison; and straw, whenever the Gaoler requires it. It gave me great pleasure to be informed that the Corporation are going to build a new Gaol.

At my visit in September 1801, Isabella Mode, a Woman who had been here three years, under sentence of transportation, had a young child born in the Prison, of which she asserted that Harris, the late Keeper, was the Father. He is since dead. This hapless Female had an allowance of ten-pence a day during her detention, and one shilling on a Sunday, for the maintenance of herself and Infant.

The Act for preservation of Health, and Clauses against Spirituous Liquors, not hung up. No Rules and Orders. No employment.

The Gaol, though not built above 12 or 13 years ago, seems to be deficient in many Gaol, important particulars. The sleeping cells and passages are too small and close, and there are not sufficient means of ventilation; some of the cells are intended for six or eight persons, who are disposed of by putting one bed over another. There are two day-rooms for male prisoners, leading out of small yards, and a day-room and sleeping cells for females. There is a tread-wheel, but there are no means of convening it to any use. There are usually from 20 to 25 prisoners in confinement, so that little or no classification can be expected. The untried and convicted prisoners are not always kept separate; the gaoler uses his discretion as to the persons to be placed in each of the rooms. There are two small cells used as a bridewell, for vagrants or prisoners in a dirty or unhealthy state: there is also a room used as an hospital for invalids. There is a room appropriated for persons arrested by writs out of the court of record: the persons in execution from the court of requests are placed with the felons. There seems to be little or no means of enlarging the gaol, as the public thoroughfares nearly surround it. Complaint was made of the prison arrangements by a person, who was in the year 1822 imprisoned in default of paying a fine, imposed on him for an assault. He stated that he was obliged to sleep with a person who had been sentenced to death, in a small cell, in which were six other felons, and that the bed-clothing was in a disgusting and unhealthy state, lie wrote to the mayor while in prison, but received no answer, and he said that he was unable to get a personal communication in the prison with any of the justices, lie said that he had seen some of the justices in the prison once, but. they were there, not for the purpose of visiting, but consulting upon some alterations, and lie did not wish to interrupt them. The gaoler denied that the bed-clothing was unclean, but said that the rest of this statement was true, he stated that there were no particular times for the justices to visit the gaol, but that there was never a month without some justice calling, though there might probably be a fortnight. He said that the justices, on visiting, did not generally go into the prisoners' wards, but merely called at his house to ask if ne had any complaints or representations to make. It was also made a matter of complaint by the person above-mentioned, that he was not allowed to work at his trade in the gaol, although a convicted felon was employed in the gaoler's kitchen to work for the latter's family, for which he received some remuneration. The gaoler stated that he had authority for employing any of the prisoners who were sentenced to hard labour, but that the person complaining was not so sentenced, and that he wished to work, not for the gaoler's, but for his own benefit. There did not appear to be much foundation for complaint on the part of this individual on tins subject. I had no means of learning from any of the magistrates what discretion is allowed to the gaoler as to the employment of prisoners. No clergyman ever attends the gaol. The gaoler has a salary of 80l.: there is an assistant-gaoler, whose duties were mentioned in section 22; he has a salary of 20l. Both the salaries unpaid out of the rate mentioned in the preceding section.