County Bridewell, Louth, Lincolnshire

Gaoler, Richard Cox. Salary, 100l. No Fees.

Chaplain, Rev. Mr. Benson. Salary, 20l. Duty, Prayers once a week.

Surgeon, Mr. William King. Salary none. Makes a Bill.

Number of Prisoners, 1810, Jan. 1st, 32. 1811, May 5th, 17.

Allowance, eight pence per day, paid to the Keeper.

This Prison, at Louth, for the Eastern Division of Lindsay, is an old building, which has been lately repaired and considerably improved. It consists of a comfortable dwelling-house for the Keeper, and four Wards for Prisoners. No. 1, for Felons and Vagrants, has a court-yard, 32 feet by 21, and a day-room, 14 feet by 10, the floors of which are paved with Yorkshire fagging. On the ground-floor are two sleeping-cells, 10 feet by 9, with two beds each, and two others, 10 feet by 6, with one bed each: they are raised 2 feet from the ground, to keep them dry; and above stairs are two others, of the same size, for Felons. Ward No. 2, is for Prisoners convicted of small offences, and Debtors from the Court of Con science: they have a court-yard 36 feet by 21, and a day-room 14 feet square, with flagged floors. Above stairs are three sleeping-rooms, two of which are 14 feet square, and the other 22 feet by 12. Ward No. 3, for Women Felons and Vagrants, and Ward No.4, for Women convicted of small offences, have day-rooms, court-yards, and sleeping-rooms, nearly similar to those before described; and in the attick story are rooms set apart for the sick. The sleeping-rooms have boarded floors, and all have glazed windows, except the four cells on the ground-floor of No. 1, which have wooden shutters. There is a sewer and pump in every court, to which the Prisoners. have access in the day-time. Each Class is kept separate, and they never see each other, except at Divine Service, which is performed in the Gaoler's house. A strike, or bushel, of coals is allowed weekly to each day-room. Those sentenced to hard labour are allowed one third of their earnings: the remainder is equally divided be tween the Keeper and the County; but a full supply of work cannot be obtained

This prison stands in an open area of considerable extent, at a short distance from the borough town of Louth. It is enclosed with a wall of brick, about 18 feet in height. The principal entrance to it is through an ornamental gateway of the Doric order, with the word " Prison" inscribed in large letters on the entablature. One of the two lodges is occupied by a turnkey, and the other, originally intended for the reception of prisoners on committal, has been very injudiciously converted into a laundry, and the female prisoners, while occupied there in washing, may see all who pass in and out of the prison. Near the tread-wheel is another gate, and there is a third outlet through the keepers garden. In all prisons there should be but one place of ingress and egress, and that under the immediate inspection of the keeper; the safety of the prisoners is hazarded, and the maintenance of discipline rendered more difficult, when the case is otherwise, as here. In the south-west angle is an old dilapidated building, tile former house of correction, containing 14 rooms of various sizes. It is now only used for the confinement of vagrants, and those sentenced-to solitary confinement. The accommodation for the latter consists of two cells below ground, damp and without light. They have small airing-yards attached to them. I consider these cells as wholly unfit for such a purpose.

The new prison stands in the centre of the area; the plan originally contemplated was that of a central building with three wings of three stories, two only of which have been completed. The keeper's house contains cellarage in the basement, office, two parlours and kitchen on the ground floor, four chambers and chapel on the first floor. The chapel is partitioned into a fan-like shape, with six pens for the males and four for the females, and the females sit on the right and left of the pulpit, under the superintendence of the matron. Eight paved airing-yards, with open ironwork at their ends, are placed round the building, leaving free the front of the keeper's house looking to the gate. Each yard is provided with a privy, and supplied with water. The plan of this, prison is very defective and inconvenient; the day-rooms are placed at the extremity of each of the three floors, without any direct communication with the yards or the privies, and away from all inspection. The doors of the cells are iron, with large circular ventilators, ceilings, and floors flagged. The partitions to the prisoners' cells being only a brick and a half in thickness, they find no difficulty in talking to each other.

The quality of the bread is good thirds, it is made out of the prison, and served to the prisoners, twice a-week, instead of being so daily. The potatoes are also given to the prisoners to cook for themselves. The keeper is allowed 5d. a-head, daily, for providing the diet. The diet was according to the following scale previous to 1833:—

Sundays and Thursdays, 1 pint of oatmeal gruel for breakfast; 1 pint for supper; and 4 oz. of meat for dinner.

Mondays and Fridays, gruel as above; 1 pint of broth for dinner from the liquor in which the meat was boiled the preceding day.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, a pint of gruel for each meal; 1 lb. of bread daily in addition to the above.

The surgeon slates, "The working classes in this immediate neighbourhood live well, perhaps belter than in most parts of England. Upon the low scale of diet the men lost flesh and were unable to do their work at the wheel. Extreme debility ensued. I had the prisoners weighed, and they lost flesh so rapidly, that I was compelled to make a representation to the magistrates, and the diet now in use was substituted." The debility noticed as resulting from the labour has entirely disappeared, and the prisoners' health has improved generally since that period.

Clothing.—Convicted, fustian frocks and trowsers of drab and blue. Misdemeanants, suit of plain fustian.

Females.—No clothing.

Bedding.—Iron bedsteads, straw mat made in the prison, two blankets in summer, three in winter, and rug.

Fuel.—Three pecks of coals in summer, and six in winter, to each day-room, weekly.

Cleanliness.—A want of cleanliness and neatness observable in the day-rooms. The prisoners not cleansed upon their first coming in.

Health.—The surgeon attends three times a-week, and oftener when required by illness. He states, "that he does not go through the prison at these times. He does not examine the prisoners previous to their being classed; there are no reception cells, and they go at once to their ward. There is no infirmary, the sick are placed in the day-rooms, or wherever it is found most convenient. No doubt there is danger of prisoners communicating the itch. Has a recollection of one case of itch being so communicated. The prisoners are not inspected by him before going on the. wheel. Recollects a case of a man who was ruptured, and who had been on the wheel. Has no doubt it was a congenital rupture. He declared to me that I was the first person who knew of it. He came to complain to me of pain, and was relieved from labour; the prisoner said his first recollection of it was when six years of age. Another prisoner had been in some time, and complained of pain in consequence of working on the wheel; he did not tell me till I asked him whether he had a broken body. He then confessed it, and was relieved." There is no apparatus for stoving the prisoners' dresses; no warm bath, and the men in the itch, instead of this most necessary application, after being rubbed, are only supplied with warm water in buckets. The most prevalent diseases are diarrhoea, itch, ulcerated legs, syphilis, and gonorrhoea: diarrhoea is frequent, and occasionally terminates in dysentery, lasting for a fortnight or three weeks. The surgeon says, "I am at a loss what to attribute it to; I ascribed it at one time to the lowness of the diet, but that was increased, and the cases still continue. There was a death this year from diarrhoea." "The tendency to diarrhoea is not perceptible till after they have been in for some time. There is no marked difference as to its prevalence in particular times or seasons. The females are equally subject to it with the males. Typhus broke out in the prison about six years ago; it was communicated by a vagrant, and in spite of every care spread through the prison; a turnkey died of it. The influenza was very prevalent; it visited us twice. When a case of itch occurs among the felons or misdemeanants they are immediately separated, but the vagrants are not; they are a mass of filth and dirt, and are all together. He attends all corporal punishments. They are not severe as contrasted with their infliction in the army. Does not suffer it to go the length of breaking the skin. Keeps a journal and case-book." The journal contains patients' names and their progress, dates of surgeon's visits, attendances at corporal punishments, and orders for extra diet, the case-book particulars of the cases and medical treatment of each prisoner.

Moral and Religious Instruction.—The religious instruction afforded to the prisoners is prayers on Sunday morning and evening, with one sermon, and an explanation of parts of the Church of England Catechism. Prayers on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the chapel. The sacrament is administered four times a-year, but only after due examination. The prisoners are furnished with books, which are delivered out by the chaplain on Sunday afternoons. The books are procured from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The chaplain states, "That, when he hears of cases of sickness, and the prisoners desire to see him, he attends. He does not visit those in solitary confinement. All the officers regularly attend Divine service with the exception of the matron, who is very aged, deaf, and almost blind. She is present frequently. The officers generally communicate. There is no systematic instruction of the prisoners. He thinks it most desirable there should be, particularly for those not compelled to labour, whose time passes one knows not how, and renders all that is said in the prison of little avail." On this subject the keeper says, "Many, many times I Have heard the prisoners say they should like to learn to read and write. They instruct themselves as well as they can, and it is quite wonderful to see in this way the improvement they make." On Sundays the chaplain examines those who have been committed since the last Sabbath. He does not think the discipline of the prison has anything of a deterring or reforming effect upon the prisoners. He receives no report from the keeper of those in solitary confinement, or absent from chapel; supposes that all the prisoners attend. The only reports made to him are of those prisoners committed the preceding week, whom he questions. The prisoners are generally in the grossest state of ignorance, knowing nothing of baptismal vows, confirmation, or the Lord's supper.

Labour.—The tread-wheel adjoins the old prison, and is at a distance of near 70 yards from the new buildings. The prisoners have to pass to and fro six times during the day. The inconvenience and insecurity of this method are but too apparent. The wheels are placed in two sheds, and most inconveniently so for inspection. They are without partitions. The watchman has no cover to protect him from the weather; and the letters and ligures carved by the prisoners on the boards show very plainly that the labour is little more than nominal. The prisoners receive 1d. a-day for their labour. The Miller says, "the man talk on the wheel, nor can they be prevented, situated as they are; they might if there were partitions. There are no ventilators; if there were they would have to be towards the street. The mill is unsafe; the roof of the upper story is only lath and plaster; and there is a water-spout on the back, which might make escape easy." The following order has been made by the magistrates for the regulation of the tread-wheel work:—" That the prisoners in the House of Correction at Louth, who are committed to hard labour, do work on the tread-wheel 20 minutes and rest 10 minutes; and that no prisoner be allowed to speak during the time of labour; and all prisoners swearing or quarrelling with each other be punished as hereinafter: viz., Every prisoner offending against these orders be confined in a separate cell, for the first offence, 6 hours: for the second offence 12 hours, and deprived of 2 meals; and for every other offence any time not exceeding 3 days and nights, unless by order in writing of 1 or more visiting magistrates; and that, during such separate confinement, each prisoner be allowed half a pound of bread per day and water, and that they be allowed no bed at night but board bedsteads."

The grain for the mill is supplied by the keeper, who retails it at the gate through the under turnkey. The flour is taken to the shop by the miller, and any quantity, however small, may be purchased; it is sold 2d. a stone under the market price. The prison mill has the reputation of grinding better than most others. The miller says, "They can never grind, with their numbers, sufficient to meet the demand. The call for it is generally from the humbler classes. The keeper pays the county 4s. a-quarter for grinding, while it is only 2s. 6d. in the country. It is impossible for me to say how he can afford it. He started at that price, and has not altered. I do not think he makes much profit." The keeper states, "That of any profit that may accrue to him through purchasing grain when at a low price, 10l. is the greatest profit he ever recollects." The men not for labour are employed in knitting, and the females in washing, scouring, spinning, and working for a Dorcas society.

Offences and Punishments.—The ordinary offences are shouting and other disorderly conduct, punished by stoppage of meals and confinement in the refractory cells. Whipping is inflicted by the keeper. Scourge, common whip-handle, 18 inches long, 9 lashes of thick whip-cord, with 2 knots in each. Weight of irons 6 lbs. The keeper considers that the fear of corporal punishment acts as a useful check upon the prisoners.

Visits and Letters.—There is no convenient place appropriated for the prisoners to see their friends. They either do so at the tread-wheel or in the yards. The principal turnkey says, "I have known the other prisoners to speak to the visitors at these times." When they require to write letters, pen, ink, and a sheet of paper is given them, and it is sent through the keeper. The debtors are subject to the same regulations.

Accounts, Expenditure, Books.—5d. a-day for each prisoner is allowed the keeper for providing the diet according to the regulated scale. He makes out his account quarterly, which is first examined by the visiting magistrates, then laid before the Sessions, and paid by the treasurer. The tradesmen's bills for clothing, stationery, repairs, &c., are audited and paid half-yearly.

General Discipline.—Upon going through this prison I found it not particularly clean or neat; provisions, clothes, and other articles lying about the day-rooms, and marks for gambling on the tables. In the airing yard one of the prisoners was lying on his back talking to the others, all idling. Among other books in the day-rooms I noticed Moore's Almanack, which, upon inquiry, had been purchased for the prisoners by one of the officers. The prisoners scribble on the walls; in one of the cells was the following inscription:—"G. H. Walk in, ladies and gents.; this is my bed-cabin, though I have a very bad shop for gin, wine, or brandy, or tobacco, and that is very bad, ladies and gentlemen." The principal turnkey's evidence details the nature of his duties and the routine of the discipline as follows:—At 6 o'clock in the morning (in summer) unlock the prisoners, while the miller and under turnkey remain below giving the prisoners candles to light their fires in the day-rooms; in hot weather they are not lighted till 11. They cook their potatoes in the day-rooms. At half-past 6 the men go to the wheel. The under turnkey goes to milk the keeper's cows, and I let the prisoners out, by a room at a time, to the mill. The miller goes on first, and I behind. Then I come in and attend to the untried and men not for labour, who are in their day-rooms, and perhaps want to be let down into their yards, I then see to the breakfast. I have the diet to cook. At 8 the prisoners leave the mill and the yards under the same superintendence to breakfast. At half-past they return to the mill. I come in again and weigh all their potatoes and pile them in the day-rooms. The men not for labour are then in the yards, where they remain an hour or two, according to the weather. I have all the tins to fetch out of the day-rooms. At 12 the men come in to dinner. I carry in the dinner. They remain in the day-rooms an hour, and return to the mill till 6. The men not for labour are let down into the yards. I then go round the cells and see that all is right there. I take the knives from the prisoners every night, count them, and return them in the morning. If any time remains I go to the mill, and occasionally look at the men in the yards. Then cook the supper, carry 8 o'clock in the summer, and half-past 5 in the winter, and are then locked up. I receive the prisoners when they come in; if for felony, they are stripped and searched; other prisoners are not searched. The prisoners are not bathed or washed when they come in. The vagrants who have the itch are not separated from each other; it breaks out among the vagrants frequently. There are sometimes vagrants of a better class, and cleanlier than others; they are in the old prison, where there are no officers. The prisoners are noisy, and their conversation is of a very loose order. I have hoard the women shout to the men from their part of the prison. There are a number of bundles and quantity of clothes about the prison, especially belonging to the misdemeanants. It is impossible to keep up any discipline as we are situated. They talk together in the cells at night. They lie down in the yards and play together at games. I have heard some say they wished they had something to do. They barter their food with each other." The keeper states That he does not go round the prison daily, but that either himself or the chief turnkey does invariably."

The discipline of this prison is of a very inferior order. Under the head of cleanliness no' provision is made for cleaning the prisoners, or their clothing, on their coming in; there is not even a bath.in the prison, and such vagrants as are infected with the itch are actually suffered to remain with the others of their class. The prisoners should be inspected by the surgeon previously to being classed. The chaplain does not visit the prisoners in their day-rooms, nor ill solitary confinement; the latter is not to be wondered at, the cells being under ground, dark and damp, and unfit for exercise, and without attending Divine service. A schoolmaster is much required, and also the introduction, if possible, of some light work, for the employment of the untried and those not sentenced to hard labour. I recommend most strongly the abolition of the penny a-day for work done on the tread-wheels; their removal to the body of the prison, and being partitioned for separate labour, is very desirable. I also recommend that no cooking should be permitted in the day-rooms; that the bread and all other provisions be served out daily, and that the allowance of coals in the summer months be taken away. I also recommend that the keeper should not farm the diet, and that the under turnkey should not be permitted to be absent two hours daily for the purpose of milking his cows kept for supplying the prisoners. Among other improprieties is the permitting prisoners to receive money from visitors, and the turnkeys purchasing articles for them out of the prison. The rules bear the date of 1809, and are considered by the keeper as obsolete, his instructions are to enforce the Act of Parliament; a fresh set of regulations is much required. The matron, through age and infirmity, is wholly unfitted for her office. Her duties are in some degree performed by a female relation, but without the authority of the magistrates. The females occasionally sleep three in a cell, and the prison, at times, is inconveniently crowded; their sleeping cells are very close to those of the males. They are described by the matron as very refractory, especially the prostitutes from Louth. The difficulties of inspection, from the faulty construction of this prison, are considerable, but with increased zeal and activity in the officers, and the changes herein recommended, a very great improvement in its present state of discipline may reasonably be expected.

Debtors are sent here from courts of requests established in several parts of the division of Lindsey by the 47 Geo. III., which enacts, "They may be imprisoned in any common gaol or prison in the said county of Lincoln." They are subject to the same restraints as the criminal prisoners, and are not permitted to have either beer or tobacco.

Officers.—Keeper.—Age 71; appointed 1808; salary, 180l; house and garden, coals, candles, and washing.

Matron.—Age 74; wife of the keeper; appointed 1827; salary, 20l.

Turnkey.—Age 50; appointed 1831; carpenter and joiner by trade; salary, 52l.; resides in the lodge; married; read and write.

Turnkey.—Age 45; appointed 1824; labourer; salary, 12s. a-week; resides in the prison; married: cannot read or write.

Miller.—.Age 32; appointed 1832; miller by trade; salary, 52l.; boards with the keeper. He states that he made an arrangement with the keeper, when hired, to receive 12s. a-week, and board and lodging in his house; single; read and write.

Chaplain.—Appointed 1831; salary, 100l.; his appointment is on the condition that he undertake no more than one single duty in addition to that of the prison.

Surgeon.—Appointed 1828; salary, 40l. for medicines and attendance, and one guinea for every midwifery case.