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Ancestry UK

Prison for Precincts of the Close, Norwich, Norfolk

Norwich's Prison for Precincts of the Close was located in the south transept of Norwich cathedral. Its date of origin is uncertain. In 1812, James Neild described the prison as follows:

Keeper, James Claburne. Salary, none. Fees, 1s. 2d.

There were no Prisoners, either on the 8th Sept. 1805, or 10th Sept. 1810.

Allowance, three penny worth of bread per day.

REMARKS.

This Prison belongs to the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. It consists of two rooms at the top of the Keeper's house, each about 13 feet square, and 9 feet high, separated by a wooden-grated door. Prisoners are committed hither for all offences within the precincts, and have straw to lie upon. I was informed that none had been sent here since 1806.

No Court. No sewer. No water accessible to Prisoners.

In 1826, the Dean and Chapter decided to dispense with the prison.

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.