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Ancestry UK

City Bridewell, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Up until 1809, a City Bridewell, or House of Correction, was located at Free School Lane, Lincoln. In 1791, John Howard recorded that it comprised "two new rooms adjoining the spinning school", which was located in the old Greyfriars friary, on what is now the Greyfriars Pathway. The master of the school acted as keeper of the bridewell at an annual salary of £10. Prisoners received an allowance of a shilling a week and could keep half of any earnings. There was no permanent water supply. On Howard's visit on 16 January 1788, there were three prisoners.

In 1809, the bridewell moved to new premises on Monks Road, Lincoln, which it shared with the City Gaol, formerly on Guildhall Street.

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.

  • No individual records identified for this establishment — any information welcome.
  • 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

  • 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.