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Ancestry UK

County Bridewell, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

A County Bridewell, or House of Correction, was in existence in Melton Mowbray by 1776. It location is unknown.

In 1784, John Howard described it as:

Two rooms about eleven feet by nine: no chimney. Keeper's salary, £4. He formerly paid rent for a cottage, but the county has lately built him a little dwelling of three rooms. No court, nor any room for one. No water.

1776, Sep. 25, 1779, Sep. 21, 1782, May 2, No prisoners.

In 1812, James Neild wrote:

Keeper. Robert Gould. Salary, 4l. Fees, 1s.

Allowance, a threepenny loaf to each per day.

The Keeper has a small house, consisting of a room, a kitchen, pantry, and three sleeping-rooms above; of which two are over the Bridewell. This contains two small rooms, of 11 feet by 9 feet 6, and 7 feet 6 inches bigh. They have no fire-place, but crib bedsteads, straw mat, and a rug each; and are lighted and ventilated by an iron-grated window, 2 feet 10 inches by 2 feet, with a hemp-block fixed in them. The court-yard, or slip, is of 21 feet by 5.

There were no Prisoners at my visit in 1805, Sept. 28th.

The bridewell was still in operation in 1818, when it was reported as being 'commonly used as a place where prisoners are committed for re-examination, before they are finally committed for trial.' It appears to have closed not long afterwards.

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.