County Bridewell, Little Walsingham, Norfolk

A room fifteen feet by eight in the keeper's court, with two dark lodging-rooms about seven feet square, and straw on the brick floors. The walls of the court not secure. Prisoners in irons. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up. Keeper's salary, £13 : 6 : 8. Fees, 2s.

1779, Oct. 10, Prisoners 2.

Gaoler, William Wright. Salary, 50l. No Fees.

Chaplain, none; but the Rev. Mr. Warner reads Prayers gratuitously every week.

Surgeon, Mr. Bulcock; now Mr. Adcock. Salary, 10l.

Prisoners, 1805, Sept. 2d, Five. 1810, Sept. 6th, Nine.

Allowance, a half-quartern loaf per day, sent from the Baker's.

REMARKS.

On the ground-floor are four cells, 12 feet 6 by 6 feet 6, and 9 feet high, fitted up with crib bedsteads, straw-in-sacking beds, two blankets, two sheets, and a coverlet. Each cell has an iron-grated window, 3 feet square, with an inside shutter. There are glazed windows also, to put up in cold weather; and an aperture, or pot hole, in each door, 8 inches by 6. The cell door opens into a lobby, or passage, 4 feet wide, 33 in length; at the end of which is the Chapel, 18 feet by 9, and 9 feet high, with a fire-place.

Above stairs are four other cells, of like dimensions, and fitted up in the same manner; with an Infirmary-room at the end, of the same size as the Chapel; and a small store-room.

The court-yard not being secure, the Prisoners are only permitted the use of it once a day, to clean their pots, and wash themselves; for which soap and towels are provided by the County.

The whole Prison is well ventilated, and very clean. Act and Clauses not hung up

No Rules and Orders. No Employment for the Prisoners.

This District Prison stands in the centre of the village of Walsingham, thirty miles from Norwich. The enclosure is of an oblong shape, and contains about three quarters of an acre, the property of the County. It consists of a keeper's house, a chapel, and two detached buildings for prisoners. The accommodation for the keeper consists of two kitchens, office, magistrates' room and parlour on the ground floor; and four chambers on the first floor; it forms the side of the prison fronting the street, and is attached to other premises on one side. It is well situated for the inspection of the prisoners.

The Sleeping Cells are of various dimensions:—Five of 12 feet by 6 feet S inches; fourteen of 11 feet by 6 feet; one of 9 feet 9 by 4 feet 3 inches; one of 7 feet by 4 feet; one of 6 feet 6 by 4 feet 2 inches; one of 6 feet 3 by 4 feet 1 inch; four of 6 feet by 5 feet; four of 6 feet S by 5 feet 11 inches; one of 6 feet by 4 feet; one of 9 feet by 6 feet 8 inches; four of G feet by 4 feet 8 inches: each 9 feet in height. One new cell 17 feet by 10 feet; one ditto 15 feet by 10 feet: each 8 feet high. Infirmary, 18 feet by 10 feet, and 9 feet in height.

The Misdemeanants' Airing Yard:—33 feet by 29 feet.

Felons'  —  ditto  —  60 feet by 42 feet.

Females'  —  ditto  —  100 feet by 30 feet.

The prison is dry, and the drainage perfect.

Diet, Clothing, Bedding, Fuel.—Prisoners for hard labour, 2 lbs. 6 ounces of wheaten bread: not at hard labour, 2 lbs. Prisoners sentenced for a longer period than three months are allowed h lb. of meat, once a week. The cost of the bread is 1½d. a pound; and the weekly expense of the meat is about 2s. 3d.

Prison clothing is provided both for males and females. The felons wear a party-coloured dress of coarse grey, with yellow stripes.

The bedding consists of a rush mat, two blankets and rug. The sleeping places are wooden berths similar to those in the House of Correction at Coldbath Fields.

No artificial heat is supplied.

Cleanliness.—Every part of the prison very clean, and the persons of the prisoners not less so.

Health.—The surgeon says there is not sufficient room in the Infirmary in the event of epidemical disease, whiclh occurred last year, in the form of erysipelas and typhus, to a very considerable extent. There were forty cases and five deaths. It was at this time very desirable to confine the disease to a single apartment; but this could not be done from the very restricted dimensions of the Infirmary. The disease was prevalent in the neighbourhood, and was not attributable to any cause in connexion with the prison. The scurvy, if not watched, and it occasionally makes its appearance, would prevail to a considerable extent. The tendency to this complaint he attributes to the diet not being sufficiently nutritious; and he is obliged to make frequent changes by ordering porter and antiscorbutics. He states that"the administering of a small proportion of animal food and greens would be very beneficial, and there are very few prisoners who can be maintained in health longer than three months. The prisoners are always inspected by him previously to their being classed.

Moral and Religious Instruction.—The Chaplain performs morning and evening service, with one sermon every Sunday; and prayers, with a portion of the Scriptures, are read every morning. The Sacrament is administered once a quarter to such prisoners as are considered in a proper state of mind to receive it. There is no Schoolmaster appointed, but previous to the adoption of the Silent System, prisoners who were competent to the task were selected to teach *the others, under the direction, and occasionally in the presence of the Chaplain, he examining the progress made. This has ceased.

All the prisoners are seen by the Chaplain in private, and their former habits and connexions inquired into, and suitable exhortations given. All who can read are supplied with Testaments, Prayer Books, and Tracts, published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The Chaplain states that he is seldom without communicants at his administration of the Sacrament; there were live the last time. The conduct of the prisoners at the chapel is respectful and attentive. The books given to the prisoners are well kept; and, since the Silent System has been in operation, they resort to them much oftener than formerly. He considers that the Little Walsingham: prisoners have similar confidence in him to that usually reposed in the clergyman House of Correction. of a parish; they look upon him as a friend, and receive his instructions very willingly.

The general average of his attendance in the prison is two hours daily; but on Sundays, independently of the service, it is much longer. There are very few boys among the prisoners; they are generally advanced in life. The females are, if anything, more tractable than the males. The feelings of the women are always expressive of some degree of shame; their general demeanor is of a very humble nature; nor are the men, generally, of a hardened description. From what he has already observed, during the four months the Silent System has been adopted, he thinks it will be generally efficacious; he is quite sure that a great many more applications have been made for books, and they are treated with more respect. An offender who had been here nine months under the old system, was sent again for a fortnight, under the new, and he declared that he would never come back again.

A prisoner, sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, requested the Chaplain to interfere, and get him transported, rather than undergo the sentence under the Silent System.

The chapel is too small for the number of prisoners.

The Chaplain keeps a register of his attendances, and the details of the duties he performs 5 likewise a private register of the prisoners for his own use.

Classification.—The prescribed classification preserved.

Labour.—The males are employed at the tread-wheel, in shoemaking, and tailoring; the females at washing, mending, and making prison linen. The men are taught to make shoes, with leather tops and wooden bottoms, used in the prison.

As the shoemaker's period of remaining in prison gets short, another prisoner is put with him to learn, and the art of shoemaking is thus transmitted from one to another. It is stated as having been occasionally of service to the prisoners, in assisting them to procure a livelihood in the winter, when, as agricultural labourers, they are out of employ. The tailoring is carried on in the same way.

Observations.—Instead of the usual fixed hand-rail, a cylindrical wheel of about three feet diameter is affixed, and connected by simple machinery with the main axis of the wheel, from whence the motion is communicated to the handrail, which revolves, and keeps the hands and arms of the prisoners in constant exercise. The Keeper and other officers of the prison speak much in favour of its effects. It is certainly ingenious, and necessarily distributes the labour more generally over the human frame.

Punishments.—Irons used in conveying convicts, 8lbs.; in minor cases, 4¾lbs.

Scourge.—Handle 19 inches long, of thick ash; nine thongs of rope, each 3 feet 7 inches in length, with three single knots in each.

Observations: This scourge in use is a variation from any I have seen in a similar establishment; it is of much greater power, and a facsimile of the instruments made use of by the boatswain's mates, for inflicting corporal punishment in the Navy. One of the turnkeys inflicts the punishment always in the presence the Surgeon; one had taken place the morning before the inspection of the prison upon examination of the man punished, it appeared to have been of a very trifling degree of severity. The number of lashes was only 12.

Benefactions.—The prisoners are allowed a dinner at Christmas, at the expense of the county.

General Discipline.—The Visiting Magistrates having sent the Keeper to the Coldbath Fields prison, to obtain an insight into the details of the Silent System, upon his report, adopted it in this prison on August 16th of the present year, following without variation the plan of the metropolitan establishment. The following notice was given to the prisoners.

By a subsequent order, of the Magistrates the monitors were further allowed half-a-pound of meat weekly, in order to encourage them to discharge their duty properly.

It was carried into effect with little apparent difficulty; the number of punishments for infringement of the rules since its commencing to January 11th, have been 200, the daily average of prisoners being 67. The effects already observed are increased regularity at meals, a total stop to the robbery of each others' provisions, the greater respect and inclination manifested, by those who read, for the books and tracts distributed, and in the payment of fines, which is now almost invariably and immediately done by the prisoners, rather than subject themselves to the discipline.

The turnkey to the females says, that upon the first imposition of the system they cried very much, and do so now at intervals, and they complain of the cold in the cells when locked up, but there is every reason to suppose it will be attended with good moral effects: on the physical system it has had none.

Keeper.—Aged 49; appointed July 1824. Formerly in business. Salary, 175l. per annum.

Chaplain.—Appointed 3rd May 1816; at present is Vicar of Houghton, about a mile from Walsingham. The population about 200, and the duty one service on Sunday. It is not a permanency. His residence is close to the prison. Salary, 200l. a year.

Surgeon.—Appointed 1829. Salary', 70l. per annum, for attendance and medicines.

First Turnkey.—Aged 28; appointed 17th June 1835. Married; three children; wheelwright and machinist. Salary, 46l. 16s. per annum; emoluments, shaving and cutting the hair of the prisoners, 8l. a year.

Second Turnkey.—Age 45; appointed September 1832; served twenty years and six months in the army. Salary, 41l 12s. per year. Emoluments for shaving, &c., 2l. per annum.

Third Turnkey.—Age 22; appointed August 1835. Married; basket-maker. Salary, 39l. per annum. One of the turnkeys always sleeps in the prison, taking the duty by alternate weeks.

Miller.—Salary, 52l. a year.

Matron.—Wife of the Keeper; appointed May 1825. Salary, 25l. per year. Female turnkey, single woman, appointed 1829; resides in the prison. Salary, 23l. 8s. Three watchmen to maintain silence by night; two at 27l. 6s. per annum: one at 15l. 12s. per annum.