Wilton Bridewell, Taunton, Somerset

This prison, called Wilton gaol (from the name of the parish in which it (stands), has on the ground-floor, a work-room, a lodging-room for men, the condemned cell, and the chapel. On the first floor the women's lodging-room, a straw-room, and several rooms with beds for prisoners who pay for them.—Men and women are together in the day-room. No employment. Some years ago, eight prisoners, out of nineteen, died of the gaol-fever. Allowance, two pence a day. Keeper's salary, £25: fees, 14s. 4d. no table. Licence for beer. At my visit in 1779, all the prisoners, and at my last visit two women and a man, were in irons. Two inconvenient bathing tubs; never used.

The county had generously gone to the limit of the act; and appointed to the chaplain of this bridewell, and of that at Shepton-Mallet (as well as to the chaplain of the county gaol) a salary of £50, but the chaplains in the county gaol and at Shepton-Mallet having neglected their duty, I was informed in 1782, that the justices had reduced the salary here to £20, and taken off the whole at Shepton Mallet.

This prison is dirty and neglected. In the court were fowls, geese &c. Now there is no chaplain. The chapel is used for the confinement of the dirtiest prisoners, and I found it as bad as a pig sty. No employment. Allowance three pennyworth of bread. Keeper's salary £45. 1788, June 30, Prisoners 14.

Keeper, William Coggan; now James Turk. Salary, 55l. No Fees.

Chaplain, none; nor any religious attentions whatever.

Surgeon, Mr. Buncomb, who makes a Bill.

Number of Prisoners,

1803, Oct. 5th, Twelve. 1806, Sept. 21st, Eighteen.

Allowance, a half quartern loaf per day; and a dinner of meat and vegetables once a fortnight.

REMARKS.

This Prison, called "Wilton Gaol," from the Parish in which it stands, has two spacious court-yards, one for Men, 64 feet by 47; the other for Women, nearly the same size, well supplied with water, and a sewer in each.

On the ground-floor are two sleeping-cells, 6 feet by 5 feet 6 inches; and two others, totally dark, of 8 feet by 6, with straw upon the floors. Here is also a large day-room, 36 feet by 17, with a fire-place, for the Men; on the wall of which is painted,

"Whoever plays Ball,
or writes upon the Wall,
to pay one Shilling,
or be put in the Cells for a Week."

The Women's day-room was formerly the Chapel, and on the wall there still remains, painted, the Lord's Prayer. A Chaplain had been appointed, both here and at Shepton Mallet, with Salaries of 50l. generously granted by the Magistrates: but, whether from neglect of duty or of attendance, both have been discontinued.

Adjoining to the Men's day-room, is a large one, spread with straw, of 24 feet by 20: above it are three sleeping-rooms, one of which has four beds, the other has three, and the third is a small room, with one bed. The Women have two rooms over their day-room; in one of these were three beds, and in the other, straw only. In this latter, however, was one Woman, sick, yet lying on straw upon the floor. Those Prisoners who have beds pay one shilling per week.

Two bathing tubs are here provided; and also a Gaol-uniform, for such Prisoners as come in with ragged or offensive apparel. Coals are allowed to their respective day-rooms. The upper part of the windows in this Bridewell is glazed, and the lower part a sliding shutter.

Here is no employment whatever. I found many of the Prisoners were in irons, and amongst them a very little boy, committed for two months, had heavy irons on him. It is painful thus to see young beginners, and old adepts in vice associated unavoidably together. The Act for Preserving Health is conspicuously hung up, but not the Clauses against Spirituous Liquors.

This bridewell, containing on an average from 60 to 70 prisoners, is situated near a stream; it is built on a plan which provides eleven departments, with an infirmary and general kitchen. The turnkey's room is placed in the centre of the prison, and being somewhat elevated, he has the power of inspecting some of the prisoners' wards, and of readily hearing noise or disturbances in the prison. The airing-yards are small; they occupy the confined space enclosed by the two main buildings which contain the prisoners' day and night rooms; these buildings, with the governor's house in front, form three sides of a long quadrangle; a passage from the governor's house passes down the middle of the prison, having on each side of it the several yards.

Notwithstanding the disadvantage of such enclosed quarters, the interior of this prison appeared very free from damp; the surface of the yards were well covered with fragments of limestone, broke down very small, and the numerous partition walls were very carefully lime-washed.

These yards, with the day-rooms and kitchens, &. attached to them, exhibited the most remarkable appearance of cleanness and neatness; they were each occupied by prisoners from five to fourteen in number, of whom one is selected as wardsman, who cleans up and is responsible for the state of his ward, &. The orderly and respectful appearance of the prisoners may also be mentioned, connected with the above observation, as indicating good discipline in this bridewell; it should be added, that the visit was without any previous notice, and during the governor's absence at the quarter sessions.

The dietary consists of one pint and a half of oatmeal gruel, with a little salt, for breakfast, one pound of broad, three quarters of a pound of potatoes, with six ounces of coarse beef, and on other alternate days, instead of the beef, one quart and a half of soup made of the boiled meat of the preceding day. A complete prison dress is allowed the tried prisoners; the cloth is manufactured at Ilchester gaol from the fleece, and it is made up into suits of clothing at this prison. Besides tailoring, shoemaking is also carried on; sawing and splitting logs for firewood has been a principal employment for the men for some time, and a considerable demand exists far the article; breaking stones for the repair of the high roads is another source of labour in this bridewell. A piece of garden ground is now about to be added to the premises, on which a tread-mill is to be erected: considerable progress is already made, the mill-house being nearly completed; there will be two tread-wheels capable of holding about thirty prisoners at one time, and, including relays, from 40 to 50 men may be employed. The refractory prisoners only are ironed; no escape has occurred for some yeas. The females are under the gaoler's wife, who is matron; they are fully employed at work in the laundry, washhouse &c.; their number at this time amounted to thirteen. The chapel contains separate compartments for each sex, but all the male prisoners are in sight of each other. The chaplain attends once a week only, viz. on Sundays. Some of the sleeping apartments upstairs in the west wing were defective in point of ventilation, although the rooms have not low ceilings, yet for want of a vent-hole in each room, besides the windows, not any of these apartments appeared to be well aired: there are from nine to ten beds in each. The visiting closet near the front entrance is well contrived, having compartments for the stranger, the attendant officer, and. the prisoner, with iron trellis or wire-work partitions. There are two turnkeys under the governor.

The commitments for the year just ended, were 335 males and 65 females; of whom 32 were of 15 years. of age and under, and 67 were under 20 years; about one-half could read. Within the last ten years only three prisoners have died in this prison out of 2300 committed, viz. one old man aged 80 of dropsy, one youth of a decline, one woman of a locked jaw.

The prisoners are classed as follows:—

1st class, solitary.
2nd —  male misdemeanants untried.
3rd —  male felons untried.
4th —  male felons convicted.
5th —  boys.
6th —  excise laws and assault cases.
7th —  female misdemeanants untried.
8th —  female felons convicted.

Construction.—This prison is contracted in its space, in proportion to the number of prisoners confined; but the evil has been as well remedied as the circumstances will permit.

Number of single separate cells, 10.

Number of rooms in which several sleep, 26.

11 is the greatest number of prisoners sleeping now in one room, 12 is the largest number of bedsteads in any one room.

Number of single cells for females, 0.

Number of single cells for men, 10.

Number of large rooms for women, 3.

Number of men, 23.

The number of prisoners whom the prison is capable of containing, when more than one sleeps in a cell, is 175. There are 14 wards or divisions with a day-room attached to each, and there are also 14 yards, which are generally very small.

The gaoler has a plan for making 149 single cells within the same space, and within the same walls as at present, including half the number of small yards. These yards would be used alternately by the prisoners on the upper floor. These are his proposed dimensions:—

Cells.—7 ft. 6 in. by 5 ft. for boys.

Cells.—7 ft. 6 in. by 7 ft. for others.

Yards.—7 ft. wide by 20 ft. long is the average.

Management.—Silence was adopted two years ago. The punishment for its first violation is admonition; second, stoppage of the gruel; third, a diet of one lb. of bread only, for one day; after that, solitary confinement.

The condition of this prison is very good, and the greatest attention to regularity and neatness is shown in every part of it. The keeper has devoted himself to the improvement of the prison with zeal and success; ho has collected much important information.

Irons are occasionally used for very refractory conduct. The keeper has engaged to transport prisoners for the whole county. The borough of Bridgwater pays 11d. daily for the prisoners whom it sends hither. Boys are not taught any trades here; such a system would be very advantageous.

There are no debtors; all debtors go to the gaol at Ilchester.

Solitary confinement is usually ordered for one week out of a month. If a prisoner is sentenced for 12 months, then he is placed in solitary confinement during one week in each month. Such prisoners now sleep at night in the same cell in which they remain during the day-time. They are allowed to take exercise in the yard attached to the cells for half an hour in the morning, and half an hour in the evening. The diet in solitary confinement is always one lb. of broad daily, with only water in summer, but with a little gruel night and morning in winter. At present two men. and one boy are thus confined. The gaoler has never observed any prisoner to suffer in health from this plan; he has known a prisoner to remain a fortnight on this plan for an offence committed within the walls. The diet for solitary confinement was fixed at the quarter sessions; it does not exist in print nor in manuscript. Such prisoners are visited four or five times daily, and always once daily by the gaoler. Articles are often thrown over the walls,—usually tobacco.

Diet.—A small square piece of salt is given daily to each prisoner, besides some which is put into his gruel. The gaoler distributes as much soap as is requisite.

The prisoners receive every day except Sunday,—

Breakfast, one lb. of best bread, one and a half pint of oatmeal gruel from one ounce of meal.

Dinner, one and a half lb. of potatoes when boiled.

Supper, one pint of gruel from one ounce of meal.

Sunday, breakfast same as other days.

Dinner, one lb. of potatoes, six ounces of meat, including bone, when boiled ; breasts of mutton are generally made use of.

Supper, same as other days.

One-fourth less of bread, potatoes, and gruel, and one-third less of meat, for all under 14 years of age.

The untried may receive food from their friends without, provided that they maintain themselves entirely in food, bedding, and clothing; under such circumstances they may receive their meals three times daily, and may daily have a pint of ale or porter admitted.

Care of the Sick, Disease, and Mortality.—The surgeon has held his office here about 25 years. He believes that the diet is sufficiently liberal for the purposes of health. He has had to contend with more cases of affections of the lungs than any other, except the dysentery, which was an epidemic, and quite new to this part of the country.

During the last seven years there have been 411 cases of disease in the Wilton House of Correction; 146 as described below, and 265 slighter cases, of various descriptions, such as lues venerea, gonorrhoea, hoemorrhoids, abscesses, and common catarrh.

Seven women have been delivered during the seven years of six male children and of one female; the mothers and children all did well.

The diet for the sick is daily:—

One lb. of best bread.

Two ounces of butter (fresh).

One pint and a half of tea, with milk and sugar.

One pint and a half of broth from mutton, with a portion of the meat cut up in it; or oatmeal gruel with vegetables.

Not a bottle of wine has been used here for the sick in 20 years, but porter and table-beer are ordered occasionally.

Labour.—There are two tread-wheels in four separated houses. Each one can be used alone, or all may be employed at once. The four separated houses are intended for different classes of prisoners. There are no divisions (or compartments) in the wheels. The application of the tread-mill is to grinding corn for the use of the prison. Those who cannot work at the tread-wheels are set to break stones. There are also two work-rooms, in which various trades are carried on; one room is for shoemaking and tailoring, and one is for carpenters’ and painters’ work. The internal whitewashing and painting are entirely performed by the prisoners. The wardsmen are obliged to clean the wards. The cookery is carried on by two convicted male prisoners. Pumping water is another labour for the prisoners.

The profit, of the tread-wheel labour is estimated at 50l.; that is, so much money is saved to the county.

Forty steps a minute is the ordinary velocity of the wheel; the height of each step eight inches; the number of feet in ascent, per day, is 12,000; the revolutions of wheel, per day, 750; amount of labour performed daily by each prisoner, 9,000 feet.

Religious and other Instruction.—The chaplain performs Divine service twice on Sundays, morning and evening, and preaches two sermons: In also roads the Divine service and preaches a sermon on Christmas-day and Good Friday. Ho reads prayers selected from the Liturgy every morning at nine o’clock. All the prisoners attend, except occasionally a few wardsmen, who may be prevented by waiting upon the sick or engaged on other necessary business. The gaoler is not generally present during Divine service on Sundays, but attends sometimes. The matron and three of the turnkeys are always present both on Sundays and also on week days. The chaplain is allowed to order in whatever books he dooms necessary, which are all supplied from the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. There are plenty of books in the chapel, which is used as a school-room, and to which the prisoners adjourn every day at live o’clock during summer, and remain in school till the hours of locking up ; this plan commenced in June 1837. In the winter the school is only held in the morning from 9 till 10 o’clock. The chaplain always remains in the winter, after prayers, till 10 o’clock. He examines every prisoner who arrives. He usually finds all the prisoners very deficient in religious knowledge; a few can repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer by rote, but few have any distinct idea of a Saviour. Ho occasionally visits the parents of the boys. He has never given any regular notice for administering the Sacrament, but has acted according to his views of the fitness of the prisoners to receive it. He has never been asked by a prisoner to deliver it to him, but has more than once given it to prisoners. The last time he administered the Sacrament no prisoner attended. He attends upon the sick, but has never been requested to visit by a prisoner. He does not visit at other times, unless the prisoner's offence is likely to affect his life; or if a prisoner comes for a few days previous to his trial from the prison at Ilchester, or from that at Shepton Mallet. The chaplain has filled this office since 1829, when he was appointed to it. He presides over a parish, of which he has the care, about two miles from hero. He keeps a journal, and also a private book, in which he enters short notices relating to the prisoners. He always observes that the prisoners are very attentive during Divine service. Ho hears the prisoners read, and forms them into classes for the school. It would be very beneficial if the chaplain were to visit the prisoners occasionally, audio converse with them separately. There are no executions here: they fake place at the prison at Ilchester.

A chest of books is kept in the vestry, procured through a legacy of 5l. left by Mr. Morind for that purpose about four years ago.

Slates are not provided, because the magistrates had an objection to instruction in writing. There is no schoolmaster, but certain individuals are selected from among the prisoners, who act as schoolmasters, under the superintendance of the chaplain and of the other officers.

Punishments during the year 1836 for offences committed within the prison:—

Four prisoners have been placed in irons for attempting to escape, and refractory conduct.

Removal of prisoners.—The keeper of this gaol has superintended the removal of prisoners from all the gaols in the county, to and from the different assize and sessions towns, for the last three or four years, in consequence of the alteration in the mode of conveyance from post to draft horses.

The prisoners are conveyed in close vans, drawn by three or four horses; the cost for removing 40 prisoners from Wilton to Wells now would be about £8, formerly it would have been £18, and so in proportion for the distances from the other gaols. Three guards are allowed to each van—one inside, the other two walking on each side; 6s. per day is allowed to each guard. They are engaged during the assize or session week night and day, in consequence of the number of prisoners confined in each room, and their requiring constant attention,

Number of Punishments inflicted during the last Two Years, for Offences committed within the Prison;—

Since the introduction of the silent system the punishments have increased. Since the classification of prisoners working at the tread-wheels, disorderly conduct has ceased, as well as conversation; no punishment has been inflicted subsequently for any offence committed during the hours of labour.

The former entrance lodge, which formed part of the governor’s house, has been removed, and a new lodge built upon arches thrown over the river, which bounds the prison to the east; adjoining and in communication with the lodge a number of receiving-cells and store-rooms have been built, and are nearly finished in the interior. A new house has been built for the governor adjoining the entrance lodge. A new chapel is in a considerable state of forwardness; the ground-floor will contain the prisoners from the gaol; and the galleries those from the house of correction. The old part of the prison to the west is fitted up for the reception of debtors and females. The debtors have two wards, a higher and a lower; those in the first ward maintain themselves, and are not at any expense to the county; those in the other ward will he maintained entirely at the county expense. A new washhouse and laundry, containing separate places for females to work in, is neatly completed, and will be inhabited by Lady-day; there is a large airing-yard in front of it, used also for drying clothes. Excavations are now making for 68 now cells upon the same principle as to size and shape as those at the Pentonville Prison; these are to contain those prisoners who formerly occupied the sleeping apartments and day-rooms, which are now appropriated to debtors and females. The windows in the new cells are to be made to open. Two large new rooms have been completed for the assembling of prisoners at their meals and for instruction. In No. 1 room, "prisoners for trial;" in No. 2, "prisoners after trial." All classes are most distinct. There is a walk, four feet wide in the centre of the seats, which is constantly traversed by the officers to prevent communication, and which is stated to answer satisfactorily; these rooms are warmed by stoves and lighted with gas: adjoining them are separate water-closets, and separate places for washing, to which prisoners are admitted by a ticket with a number on it; these rooms open to the hospital, which contains separate rooms for infirmary cases and for those prisoners suffering from slight indisposition only.

The house of correction is quite distinct from the gaol, nor can the prisoners by any possibility come in contact with each other. It should be observed that the chapel doors open to the day-rooms where the prisoners are during the hours of rest from labour; the prisoners, therefore, walk at once into the chapel, without going through any other part of the prison.