County Bridewell, Newport, Essex

Built in 1775. The front is elegant, yet plain: in it are the keeper's apartments; and a room for the justices. Behind is the men's court; in the middle of which is a pump. On the farther side, a large work-room on the ground-floor with a fire-place (the only one in the prison), and a smaller work-room over it: so that too many need not work together. There is a lodging-room even with the upper work-room. On the left side of the court are two lodging-rooms on the ground-floor, and two above. In all these lodging rooms are boarded bedsteads: the sewers are offensive. The keeper has a view of this court from two of his back windows.—Women have a small room on the ground-floor; and one over it, 10 feet square. These, though they join to the last-mentioned rooms for men, have no communication with them: you go to them through one of the keeper's rooms: the court quite separate. But the rooms being too small for the number of women, at my three last visits I found them in the men's ward. If two of the men's rooms were added to the women's, there might always be an entire separation. No infirmary. Allowance now, two pounds of bread each. Straw, £2 a year. Firing in winter, two guineas. Keeper's salary, £25: now £32: no fees. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up. If a latticed partition and door were made in the court, about six feet from the keeper's door, it would prevent the prisoners from rushing out.

1776, Dec.  6,	Prisoners 3.	1782,  May 5,	Prisoners 10.
1779, Sep. 26,	9.	1782, July 12,	15.

Keeper, Robert Baker. Salary, 60I. No Fees.

Chaplain, Rev. Thomas Bell. Salary, 20l. Duty, Sunday, Prayers and Sermon; and Prayers on Thursday.

Surgeon, Mr. Fish. Makes a Bill.

Prisoners, 21st Aug. 1805, Three. 23d Aug. 1807, Five. 29th Aug. 1810, One, Allowance, a pound and half of bread per day; and a quart of small beer, or one penny in money.

REMARKS.

This Prison was erected in I775, and has a front both elegant and simple. In it are the Keeper's apartments, and a Committee Room for the Magistrates. Behind is the Men's court-yard, about 36 feet square; with a pump in the middle, of excellent water.

Before the Keeper's door is a latticed partition from the court-yard, of 5 feet by 4 feet 6; with iron spikes, to prevent the Prisoners from rushing out. On the farther side is a room, in which straw is kept for the use of the Prison. Also a large work-room on the ground-floor, 45 feet by 18, and 9 feet high, with a fire-place, and four large iron-grated and unglazed windows. In this latter, as the substitute for a Chapel, Divine Service is performed; and on my visit in Aug. 1S07, it was impressively performed, and the Prisoners all very attentive and orderly.

Over the above are three lodging-rooms, well ventilated, which are supplied with wooden bedsteads, straw, and two blankets. Of the court-yard the Keeper has a good view from two of his back windows.

The Women's compartment is separated from that of the Men Prisoners by a wall. The access to it is through the Keeper's Brewhouse, the window of which overlooks the Women's court; and in this is a pump, from which that compartment is well supplied with water. They have also a small court-yard, of 21 feet by 6, well arranged; a day-room, with a fire-place, on the ground-floor; and above stairs, two sleeping-rooms, about 13 feet by 10, and 8 feet high, winch have semi-circular iron-grated windows, unglazed, but with shutters to keep them occasionally warm.

Adjoining to the Women's Prison is a room set apart for faulty Boys, with a small lattice-partitioned court-yard.

Here is no Infirmary room. Firing is allowed in Winter. The Prison is whitewashed once a year, and kept very clean. The sewers should have lime now and then thrown down them.

I could not learn that the Prisoners had any Employment whatever provided for them; and yet, in the Women's room I saw some spinning-wheels. At my visit in 1810, the Prisoner was picking oakum.

Here are scales for weighing the bread: But, in every Prison, I could prefer its being sent in from the Baker's, rather than cut from the Gaoler's loaf, however conscientious he may and ought to be.

Neither the Act hung up for Preserving Health, nor the Clauses against the use of Spirituous Liquors.

1. Site, Construction, &c.

This prison is one of the six Houses of Correction for the county of Essex, and stands in the high road in the town of Newport, distant 24 miles from Halstead House of Correction, and about three from the town gaol of Saffron Walden. It is a very old building, having existed long before its enlargement about 60 years since, and is in indifferent repair, the floors being rotten in several places. It is not fire-proof. It is not very secure, but there has not been any escape since the year 1828, when two prisoners, E. B. and J. S., escaped from one of the day-rooms by getting over the paling of their yard, only eight feet high, and making off by the back gate of the premises. There are no means of inspection, the plan being an irregular one. The wall of the inner yard is 20 feet high, and the outer boundary wall 14 feet. There is a space of about an acre and a half on two sides of the prison, used as garden ground, upon which the present building might be extended. The prison is not overlooked by other houses. The Keeper's house stands in front, and the number and dimensions of the prison apartments are as follow:—

Ground floor,	one day-room, 45 feet long, 17 foot wide, and 8 feet 9 incbes high;
	one room, 17 feet long by 6½ wide, same height;
	one day-room, 16½ 17 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 9 feet high;
	one sleeping-room, 14 feet long, by 10 feet wide, same height;
	one large, and two small airing-yards.
First floor,	one sleeping-room,	21 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 7 feet high;
	one    do.	15½ feet long by 13½ feet wide, same height;
	two    do.	13½ feet long by 10½ feet wide, and 7½ feet high;
	one    do.	l0½ feet long by 9½ feet wide, same height.

The prison might thus contain nine prisoners in separate rooms. The greatest number in custody at any one time in the last three years was 16.

The soil is gravelly and dry, but the drainage seems to be indifferent, as the privies are offensive. There are two privies up stairs, much too near the sleeping-rooms. There is no ventilation of the sleeping rooms beyond opening the windows; but the rooms are large, and tolerably airy unless too crowded. The site of the building is considered healthy.

2. Discipline.

There is no regular system of discipline, nor any hard labour or employment, except in gardening, or little jobs of cleaning, &c. about the premises. The prisoners associate in the daytime, without being required to keep silence, and frequently sleep several in a room at night.

Males and females are, however, kept in separate wards, and boys are sometimes locked up separately to prevent their contamination. Prisoners under examination are also separated from the convicted as much as possible. The prisoners often sleep two in a bed, and the Keeper admitted that, in some instances, two male prisoners had slept together in one room, without a third, contrary to the Gaol Act. About six visitors are stated to have been admitted last year. They see the prisoners from the window of the Keeper's house in his presence. Letters are only allowed under the Keeper's inspection. If the prisoners have money on their admission, it is taken from them and accounted for on their discharge.

Punishments are very rare, and none have been inflicted for a year past. Only two prisoners are stated to have been whipped in the course of the last seven years, which was done by the constable without the presence of the Surgeon.

3. Religious and other Instruction.

The Chaplain (Rev. D. G. Monk) is also vicar of Newport, where he resides. He reads prayers selected from the Liturgy daily at 8 A. M., and performs divine service twice on Sundays, with one sermon. The Holy Communion is not administered. The Chaplain keeps a journal of his attendance, and, in case of his unavoidable absence, prayers are read by Keeper's nephew. There being no chapel, the large day-room is used for that purpose, in which all prisoners, male and female, assemble together.

There is no regular instruction; but Bibles, Prayer-books, and spelling-books are occasionally furnished to the prisoners.

4. Health.

The Surgeon resides at Saffron Walden. He attends when sent for, and occasionally looks in at other times. He has no regular salary, but is paid according to his services. There is not any infirmary. The proportion of sickness is small, having been only 4.40 per cent, upon the whole number confined in the year to Michaelmas last. Only one death has occurred within the last ten years.

The diet consists of one pound and a half of bread, and three pints of oatmeal gruel per diem, and an additional pint of oatmeal gruel per diem after one month's imprisonment. These articles are supplied by the Keeper, at the following prices:—

Gruel, including salt. 1d. per head per diem.

Flour at 8s. 11d. per bushel, or according to market price.

Allowance for baking bread, 2s. 8d. per bushel.

The dietary table is not affixed in any part of the prison.

Prisoners under examination are allowed to find themselves with provisions, or to purchase to the amount of 2s. 6d. per week, including a pint of beer a-day.

There is no prison dress, and prisoners are not usually supplied with any clothing. The supply of bedding is scanty; it is aired in the yards in summer, but not in winter. The prisoners' linen is all washed in the house. The rooms are washed daily in summer, and twice a-week in winter, and the prison is limewashed at least once a-year. It appeared clean at the time of inspection.

5. Officers,

The only officers are the Keeper and his wife, who acts as Matron.

The Keeper, Mr. John Mead, has held that office for ten years, and is 47 years of age. He is frequently obliged to be absent in attending the magistrates, and in conveying prisoners to Chelmsford or Halstead. On those occasions his son-in-law, or nephew, takes charge of and sleeps in, the prison. He keeps no journal of any kind, but merely an account-book of expenses and register of prisoners. Besides the allowances for victualling the prisoners before-mentioned (and which are, of course, illegal), the Keeper charges in his accounts several petty items, such as 10s. per quarter for shaving the prisoners. When he attends the sessions he receives 12s. per diem for his expenses, and is allowed, for removing prisoners, l0d. per mile for one, 7d. per mile for two, and 6d. per mile for three or more, besides 5s. per day and 2s. 6d. per night for his own maintenance, and ls. for that of the prisoner.

6. Miscellaneous.

We found only two male prisoners in custody, and the number seldom exceeds six or eight at a time. The greatest number at one time in each of the three years to Michaelmas last was—

1834	79
1835	58
1836	89

and the total number committed in each of those years was—

1834	79
1835	58
1836	89

Of the 89 committed in the last year, 35 appear by the register to have been committed for examination, and 54 under summary convictions.

The re-committals in the last year appear to have been in the proportion of 15 per cent to the total number committed, and the juvenile offenders, under 17 years of age, in the proportion of 3.29 per cent, to the total number confined. The returns in regard to the former are, however, little worthy of credit

This prison is useful as a receptacle for offenders remanded for further examination by the magistrates, who sit once a fortnight in petty sessions at Saffron Walden and Bishops Stortford. Prisoners are also occasionally sent hither to prevent their communication with associates in Springfield. But it is wholly unfit for the purpose of a house of correction, either for persons summarily convicted, or others; having no means of hard labour, or any corrective discipline.