County Bridewell / HMP Kendal, Kendal, Westmorland

Only one room for Men and Women eighteen feet by twelve and a half, with one window about two feet square: no chimney: no yard: no water: no sewer. The Keeper has a garden: Salary £6: 10: no Fees. — The Town sometimes commits Prisoners hither and allows them six pence a day; the County, four pence.

Here is a new prison for a county bridewell and the town gaol. It consists of four secure cells (eleven feet by nine feet two inches, and eight feet high) which are called the gaol: on the doors are curious locks which cannot be picked, made by an ingenious workman in that town. There are twelve rooms (thirteen feet by eleven, and eight feet high) on the two floors above, some of which are called the debtors rooms, and four are occupied by the gaoler. None of the rooms were clean, though the house is new, and a fine stream of water is constantly running in the court. No allowance but their earnings. Gaoler’s salary £7:11:0 and £7:11:0 as keeper of the bridewell. 1788, Jan. 1, Prisoners 6.

Gaoler, Miles Hayton; now John Shepherd. Salary, 80l.

Fees, none. Conveyance of Transports, one shilling per mile.

Chaplain, 1858 Mr. Briggs; now 1858 Mr. Sampson. Salary, 15l.

Duty, on Sundays, in the afternoon.

Surgeon, when wanted, is sent from the Dispensary.

Number of Prisoners

Allowance, To Debtors, none: But every Debtor, arrested by process out of the Borough Court, was heretofore allowed sixpence per day, after three Courtdays; and a Court w as then held every third week. That regularity, however, is now discontinued; and a Debtor may be confined three months, without any allowance, except from casual earnings, in case he can procure work.
   Felons, and other Criminal Prisoners, are allowed sixpence a day; but if they work, that allowance is discontinued. If the produce of labour amounts to seven shillings or more per week, the Gaoler receives one fifth of the whole of his or her earnings. This may operate to discourage industry, by inducing Prisoners to limit their earnings to 6s. 6d. per week; from which there could be no deduction.

REMARKS.

This Prison is judiciously situated on an eminence, a little way out of the Town. Debtors have a spacious airy court-yard, 69 feet by 36, supplied with pump water; and six sizeable rooms, with boarded floors, sash windows, and fire-places in four of them. They are well ventilated and clean, and open into a lobby 3 feet 6 inches wide.

For the use of these rooms, with wooden bedsteads, the Debtor pays nothing; but he must supply his own bedding, or hire it from the Town.

The Men Felons' court-yard, which opens into that of the Debtors, is 30 feet by 21; and has in it a day and work-room, about 13 feet square, with two hemp blocks, a fire-place, and a large iron-grated and glazed window.

On the ground floor are two sleeping-cells, of 11 feet each by 10, with vaulted roofs, stone floors, wooden bedsteads, two blankets, and a rug to each. The only light or ventilation they receive, is from a wicket in the door, about 9 inches square.

The Women Felons have a separate court in front of the building, 12 yards by 10; also four sleeping-rooms, about 8 feet square; and two work-rooms; in one of which was a Woman weaving, in the other a Woman spinning: and likewise a room, with a single loom in it, at which a Man was weaving. Looms for the use of the Prisoners, during their confinement, were heretofore sent in from the Workhouse. They are allowed three fourths of their earnings for maintenance, and the remaining quarter goes to the Keeper.

Wheels and Swifts for the Prisoners are furnished by the County gratis; and there is one loom, the prime cost of which having been made good, by hiring it to Prisoners at 6d. per week, I learned that it was intended to be allotted for their gratuitous use in future.

At my former visits, looms, as I just observed, were supplied from the Workhouse; first it was a charge of sixpence per week, and afterwards of fourpence. The two Men I saw weaving, at times, had their looms from the Manufacturers who employed them.

Some of the Prisoners have work from a quarry of grey marble, about four miles distant from Kendall; and others from one of black marble, about 12 miles off; while some also beat hemp, or are engaged in taylor's work, or shoemaking. Here was one Woman in solitary confinement, whose employment and support depended wholly on her friends.

An enclosed part of the Debtors' court affords another small yard for the use of Criminals; into which the doors of two sleeping-cells open; the one 11 feet by 10, the other 15 feet by 9; supplied with such bedding as before described.

Here is a very neat Chapel, which has two distinct doors of entrance, and a folding screen in the middle; so that the Female Prisoners can neither see nor be seen by the men. All of them, except one poor Lunatick, attended Divine Service, on Sunday, 5th of November, l809, and their behaviour was orderly and attentive.

In the Keeper's house, there is one common day-room, about 14 feet square, with a fire-place : and here I found all the Prisoners congregated at my last visit, save the pitiable Maniac, as above, who had been confined seven years.

The Gaoler is allowed 10s. 6d. weekly for the maintenance of each Lunatick: one shilling per mile for the conveyance of Prisoners to Appleby; and the same, if he brings them back.

It would be an act of kind humanity, if a Messenger were publickly employed and paid here, to procure for the Prisoners victuals and small beer from the Town; which they sometimes stand greatly in need of. The opening of the door of the Felons' court-yard into that of the Debtors requires attention, to prevent injurious intercourse.

Here is no bath, nor oven to wash the New-Comers, or purify their offensive or infected clothes. No County clothing is yet allowed.

The Act for preservation of Health, and Clauses against Spirituous Liquors, are conspicuously hung up. Every part of the Gaol is well supplied with water, and the whole is kept very clean.

This prison has only recently been completed. The plan is almost wholly without inspection. When visited, there were but ten prisoners in confinement. There are six classes, each having a yard and day-room. These rooms were clean.

The allowance for food is 4d. per day, lately reduced from 6d; out of this allowance, the Gaoler told me, that the prisoners find firing, which is not provided by the rules of the prison.

The Chaplain performs divine service once a week — his salary is only £15 per annum. The male and female prisoners are screened from the view of each other in chapel.

The Gaoler has no officer under him, so that he has to attend himself to the prisoners entirely, and goes into the town to purchase their food for them.

Lunatic prisoners, of both sexes, are not uncommon here — there have been as many as five in the prison at one time, committed generally by warrant, as dangerous persons to be abroad.

One maniac was confined at this tine, in a state of entire nudity (having torn off his clothes), and had been without them some weeks: the Gaoler bitterly complained of being under the necessity of attending to this man, to wash him, &c. as he was very violent and noisy.

This prison stands on a rising ground at one extremity of the town of Kendal. It is surrounded by a boundary wall of stone, forming an irregular triangle. It comprises a house for the keeper, with a parlour, an inspection room, a kitchen, five chambers, and accommodation for fifty prisoners. It was erected and maintained at the joint expense of the county and the corporation of Kendal, but since the passing of the Municipal Corporation Act, the borough, being assessed to the county-rate, has discontinued the payment of its proportion The only prisoners, of a local description, at present sent there are those from a Court of Requests, for debts under 40s. The jurisdiction of this Court is confined to the borough of Kendal, and twenty-five neighbouring parishes. By an order made at quarter-sessions, which directs that all prisoners whose commitments are for a longer period than one month, shall be sent to Appleby, the number ordinarily sent to this establishment is so much reduced as to make almost its continuance a subject for consideration; at the period of inspection there was but a single prisoner on the criminal side. In locality it is certainly preferable, and in arrangement upon a par, if not superior, to the county gaol.

The successive alterations and additions to the prison have left it an irregular and inconvenient duster of thirty-three cells, varying in shape and dimensions; among these are eleven cells 6ft. by 6ft., 7ft. high, dark and deficient in ventilation; two, 8ft. by 12ft., 8ft. high. Refractory cells, 6ft. by 6ft., 6ft. 6in. high. Yard attached to it, 14ft. by 9ft. 6in. The chapel is a small room, 18ft. by 15, and 8ft. high; without divisions. A canvass screen but ineffectually serves to separate the males from the females.

Diet.—To each prisoner, weekly, 10 lbs. of potatoes, 2 lbs. weight of beef, clear of bone; 5½ lbs. weight of meal, 7 quarts of skimmed milk, with salt, onions and pepper.

Clothing.—Convicted prisoners, party-coloured suit of grey and red frieze; misdemeanants, grey frieze.

Bedding.—Straw mat, palliasse, two blankets, and rug; an additional blanket in winter.

Fuel.—The day and work-rooms are heated by steam. The debtors are allowed from ¾ to 1 cwt. of coals per week, according to the coldness of the season

Cleanliness.—The prison clean.

Health.—The surgeon attends when required; a medicine chest is kept in the prison; the surgeon’s journal contains the particulars of each case, and the dates of his attendance.

Moral and Religious Instruction.—The chaplain performs one full service, with sermon, on Sunday, in the afternoon. Wednesday is also a day appointed for prayers; but when there is not a sufficient number of prisoners to form a congregation, the chaplain sees them and converses with them individually. He superintends and sanctions the issue of tracts and books. The male prisoners are provided with elementary books, for the purpose of their mutually instructing each other. A committee of ladies, chiefly of the Society of Friends, visit the females twice a-week, and teach them to read. A practice prevails here of admitting strangers on Sundays, to Divine Service in the chapel, which appears objectionable, the more particularly as there is no real separation nor division between them and the prisoners. The chaplain’s journal contains no register of his attendances, but merely the entry of his trimestrial reports to sessions.

Labour.—There are crank-wheels for grinding corn and crushing malt. Both male and female prisoners are employed. The grinding of corn is more laborious than the crushing of malt. The prisoners have no specific quantity given them to grind; there are no gyrometers attached to the cranks, the mills are kept going, the noise telling the keeper (as he states) whether they are idle or otherwise. The malt and wheat are sent by private individuals, and the grinding, for them, is gratuitous. The customary price for crushing malt in Kendal is 6d. per load. In the year 1835, before the number of prisoners was diminished, by sending them in almost all cases to Appleby, 1440 loads of mall were crushed in the prison, each load containing 2 bushels 16 quarts.

Punishments and Offences.—No scourge in the prison. Irons, 5¼ lbs. A very extraordinary and improper instrument for punishing refractory prisoners has been made use of in this prison; it is an iron gag, consisting of four bands of iron, each inches long, shaped so as to inclose the head, with an iron tongue-piece, 2 in. in length, roughed on its surface, which being placed in the mouth and .secured by a padlock, at the back of the neck, effectually prevents the person so confined from shouting or talking. It goes by the cant name of "The Helmet," to which, in shape, it bears some resemblance. The keeper stales that he has seen it used twice, once on a male prisoner for half an hour, and once on a female for a quarter; they were both very refractory and noisy. He once heard it called by a Scotch prisoner, The Iron Helmet of Kilmarnock." I called the attention of one of the magistrates then present to the impropriety and illegality of this instrument, and have reason to believe it will be destroyed.

Visits and Letters.—The prisoners are permitted to see strangers without an order from the magistrates, at the discretion of the keeper, but always in his presence. Letters are inspected coming in and going out of the prison.

Accounts, Expenditure, Books.—The provisions are contracted for quarterly. The keeper lays the bills before the visiting justices every quarter, who examine into their correctness; they are then subjected to the approval of the magistrates at quarter-sessions, and after being signed by the chairman, the treasurer signs a draft for the whole amount, which he gives to the keeper, who pays the sums due to the respective tradesmen, and sends the receipts to the treasurer. The explanation given by the keeper why the treasurer does not perform this most necessary part of his duty, that of paying the bills himself, is "that he resides at a distance of fourteen miles from Kendal."

Disbursement-book.—The accounts of the various articles of provisions, &c., consumed in the prison, kept under separate heads.

Contract-book.—The contracts made for provisions are entered and signed by the parties contracting.

Magistrates' Order-book.—Containing orders for all articles required for the use of the prisoners, and for debtors, who are without means, to receive the county allowance.

Commitment-book.—Entries of prisoners under the heads of felony, bastardy, misdemeanants, assaults, vagrants, deserters, lunatics.

Register.—When committed—name—by whom committed—age—offence—remarks. Keeper's Journal.—Copies of Quarterly Reports, offences and occurrences in prison.

Debtors' Register.

General Discipline.—There being no county lunatic asylum, insane persons are occasionally sent here for short periods until properly disposed of.

Keeper.—Age 26; appointed 1835; maker and police-officer in Kendal; salary, 100l.; small garden without the walls of the prison.

Matron.—Age 24; sister to the keeper; appointed 1833; salary, 12l. 12s.

Chaplain.—Salary, 30/.; curate of St. George’s, a Chapel of Ease, in Kendal.

Surgeon.—Salary, 5l. Is surgeon to the Borough Dispensary, and his attendance upon the borough prisoners is a part of his duty, as belonging to that establishment.

The late regulations of the magistrates, by which prisoners whose terms of imprisonment exceed one month are sent to Appleby, in order that they may undergo the labour of the treadmill, has almost left this prison without an inmate, with the exception of the debtors from the Borough Court of Requests, who appear at present to be supported at the expense of the county. It seems doubtful, with such a population as that of Kendal, whether it would be prudent to abandon this prison altogether; but certainly a very considerable diminution may be made in the amount of salaries and expenses.