The material below is taken from the web page Unless otherwise indicated, content is copyright Peter Higginbotham and may not be re-published without permission.
Ancestry UK

County and Town Bridewell, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire

A Staffordshire County Bridewell, or House of Correction, was opened in Wolverhampton in 1745. It occupied premises on North Street, Wolverhampton.

In 1784, John Howard described it as:

Only two rooms about 12 feet square, viz. a common day-room on the ground-floor; and a night-room above, for men: women sleep in the day-room. The prison dirty, and most of the straw worn to dust. The court not secure: no water: no employment. Weekly allowance supplied by the keeper, in bread, fourteen pence: cheese, seven pence: straw, three pence. Keeper's salary, £25: licence for beer: fees, 1s. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up.

The prison is greatly out of repair; and so insecure, that prisoners, even for the slightest offences, are kept in irons. The county may redress this; for they have a large garden close to the prison (which they did let with an old house on the spot) now occupied by the keeper. Sometimes, here are fourteen or fifteen prisoners, and to prevent suffocation, they are let out into the court, which is 17½ feet by 15½.

1776, Sept. 11,Prisoners, 4 Men.
1779, Aug. 23,  "  2 Women.
1782, Nov. 25,  "  2 Men and 1 Woman.

The prison was rebuilt in 1800. In 1812, James Neild wrote:

Keeper, George Roberts. Salary, 80l. No Fees.

Surgeon, Mr. Fowke; who makes a Bill.

Number of Prisoners, 1802, Nov. 2d, Nine. Allowance, seven pounds and a half of best wheaten bread, one pound of cheese, and five-pence half-penny, in money or vegetables, per week,for each Prisoner.

REMARKS.

The Men Prisoners have a small flagged court-yard, about 33 feet by 18, furnished with a pump and sewer. Here is a day-room, with a fire place; a work-room, and two solitary cells.

Up stairs are ten sleeping-cells, and an Infirmary room, with a fire-place. The Women Prisoners have also a day, and working-room below stairs; a small court yard, 27 feet by 18, with water laid on, and a sewer provided. Above stairs three sleeping-cells, and a sick-room with a fire-place; each cell 8 feet by 6, and fitted up with a rush mattress on the floor, two blankets, and a coverlet. The two rooms set apart for the sick have wooden bedsteads. The passage, or lobby, that separates the sleeping-cells from the court-yard, 4 feet 5 inches wide.

The Prisoners are employed in making sacks, nails, screws, &c. and receive two pence in every shilling of their earnings.

Here is a Magistrates' visiting-book, provided for entries; but none made of its being visited. The cells are well ventilated, and the Prison is clean.

In 1818, the prison could hold a total of thirty inmates in its seventeen cells, which were allocated to five different classes of prisoner. The weekly allowance of food per inmate was 6lb. of bread, 1lb. of cheese, and 10lb. of potatoes. The only clothing provided was that such as was necessary for health and cleanliness.

The prison was closed in 1821.

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.
  • Staffordshire Record Office, Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ. Modest holdings include: Return relating to prisoners in Stafford County Gaol and Wolverhampton Prison (1820).
  • 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.