County Bridewell, Marlborough, Wiltshire

A common work-room 131 feet by 12: a lodging-room for women 23 feet 2 inches by 9 feet 8: another for men; this is 13; feet by 10; window 19 inches by 15, not to the open air, but to the work-room, which has but one window. All these rooms are on the ground floor; and by a fewer within doors, they are made very offensive, especially the men's night-room; in which, when I was there first, I saw one dying on the floor of the gaol-fever. The keeper told me that just before one had died there, and another soon after his discharge. Up stairs are three rooms for those who pay 2s. 6d. a week. No court: no water accessible to prisoners: no straw. Allowance to petty offenders, none; felons, three-halfpennyworth of bread a day and a pint of small beer. Keeper's salary lately raised from £20 to £50, to supply the prisoners with bread. The county pays the fees, 7s. 8d. at the discharge of every prisoner. (The fees were formerly, as in a table dated 1671, felons, £1 : 6 : 4; petty offenders, 14s. 4d. &c.) Licence for beer. A surgeon; his salary £10 : 10 : 0. At my visits in 1775 and 1776, some prisoners were at work; but none in 1779. One of them said, with evident concern, "he had been there thirty weeks and had not earned one halfpenny." In 1782, no employment. On asking the prisoners, if they desired to work; they readily answered in the affirmative. Two said, their wives had brought them wool, but the keeper would not permit them to spin it.—I heard the justices had viewed the outside of this prison.

This prison is almost new: now having — for the men, two work or day-rooms, and two bed-rooms: a spacious court and water: — for the women, a work-room and two bed rooms, with a court and water. In the work¬rooms were rollers and towels. No employment. Keeper's salary £60, out of which he supplies each prisoner with two pennyworth of bread a day. Surgeon's salary £10. Clauses against spirituous liquors not hung up. The rules, the same as at the Devizes, are hung up, of which I here copy one article; "That the prisoners be obliged to sweep out and clean their rooms every day, and that they also wash their faces and hands, at least twice in every day, for which purpose towels and water tubs are to be conveniently placed for them." In the old prison, at two of my former visits, I found the gaol-fever; and since the year 1782 the keeper and surgeon died of it; but now there is little danger of such accidents.

1788, May 30, Prisoners 5.

The County Bridewell, and Town Gaol.

Gaoler, William Alexander. Salary, 70l.

Chaplain, Rev. Mr. Tucker. Salary, 20l. Duty, Prayers and Sermon on Sundays.

Surgeons, Messrs. Pingkenny and Morris. Salary, 10l.

Number of Prisoners, 1801, Dec. 13th, 19. 1806, Oct. 16th, 16.

Allowance, one pound twelve ounces of best bread per day each, in loaves sent from the Baker's; which I have regularly found to be of full weight.

REMARKS.

This Prison was first inhabited in 1787.

For men here is a court-yard, of 72 feet by 36; and two day-rooms on the ground floor, about 21 feet by 9, with a fire-place in each, and two iron-grated windows; and two sleeping-rooms above them, of the same size. One of these is 'used as a Chapel, and has two beds in it; the other has six beds laid on the floor, with straw-in-sacking cases, and one blanket each.

For Women here is also a court-yard, 29 feet square; a day-room, 29 feet by 15, with fire-place, &c. and a room above, of the same size, divided into two, for sleeping-rooms, supplied with straw-in-sacking beds, and a blanket.

In 1791, a new court-yard was added, and six cells were built over arcades, in the area of it; each cell 10 feet by 6, and 8 feet 9 inches high, with an iron grated window, of 30 inches by 18, and an aperture in each door, 6 inches by 4; ventilated also by a circular grating in the floor, and another in the cieling of each. These cells have iron- framed bedsteads, with straw- in-ticking bed, and a blanket to each. A small stone trough is in one corner of each cell, to which water is laid on by a pipe and cock.

At my visit in 1801, three Men-Prisoners were in the above cells, very ill of a typhus fever; and, what I could not but think improper, two of them were in one cell, although several of the other cells had no Prisoners at the time.

The arcades underneath are very convenient for them in wet weather. A large tub, for a bath, had been usually placed there; but, on my visit in 1806, I found it very judiciously removed to a room over the Women's day-room.

There is a sewer in every court yard, and the whole Prison is well supplied with water, and kept very clean.

The Act for Preserving Health was not hung up; and the Clauses against Spirituous Liquors were so defaced, as to be scarcely legible.

No employment is provided; but when any can be procured, the Prisoners who work receive one half of their earnings.

At this prison, a separate apartment has been fitted up for the sick since the former Report.

The classification is as follows:—l. Prisoners committed on charge of felony. 2. Ditto committed on charge of misdemeanors. 3. Ditto convicted of misdemeanors. 4. Ditto intended to be examined as witnesses in behalf of the crown.

The prison contains four day-rooms and four airing-yards, four sleeping-rooms, and five cells.

The prisoners' wards, with one exception, are under inspection from the governor's apartments.

No description of employment is carried on, as the prisoners committed to this bridewell are chiefly those before trial.

There is a room appropriated to moral and religious instruction. Service is regularly performed by the chaplain.

The female prisoners are placed under the care of a matron, and are confined in such apartments as will prevent intercourse with the men.

The greatest number of prisoners at one time last year was nineteen. The total number committed during the year was one hundred and two. The number of re-committals during the year was four.

Construction.

This prison was built in 1786, and is chiefly defective in point of extent. It might, however, be easily enlarged, by building upon the ground which at present forms the garden of the keeper. It has no boundary wall, but it is not overlooked. There are privies in every yard, but some are wanting in doors; and a supply of water exists in all the yards except one. in consequence of there being only four yards the females, both untried and convicted, are all placed together. The chapel has a separate division for the women, but there is no separation among the nude prisoners. The whole prison appears dry. The workhouse adjoins it, but does not overlook it; and this workhouse is stated to be on the eve of removal,

There are no dark cells.

Management.

This is a county prison, and is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates. It receives no debtors. Although confined in its dimensions it has occasionally been obliged to contain a large number of prisoners at one time: thus, during the riots of 1830, the Leper affirms that so many as 220 prisoners were confined here together at the same then, but only for a very short period. At that crowded juncture he was allowed to have an assistant, and contrived with this one assistant to maintain tolerable order. He has no assistant at present, and has the entire charge of the-establishment: his wife, indeed, acts as matron, but receives no salary. There are no rules, either printed or manuscript, and this deficiency strongly demands to be supplied, although their absence has been to a certain degree counteracted by the intelligence and care of the keeper. There are no bedsteads in use here, but the prisoners sleep on the floor, which is of wood. Silence is not rigidly observed; indeed, with only one overlooker, such. an event would be impossible. Two prisoners are never allowed to sleep in one bed, and, as- far as possible, all are placed at night in separate cells. Seven of the prisoners are now placed at night in separate cells. The untried are allowed to receive letters, with no other restriction than that the keeper first peruses them.; hut the convicted are only permitted to receive those letters which the keeper deems it important to communicate to them. Visits are made both to the convicted and to the untried-by the order of a magistrate only. There is no other labour here except cleansing, whitewashing, washing for the prison, and mending.

Tobacco is prohibited.

The usual punishment is to lock the prisoner in a cell, and to take away his bedding: the diet is never reduced except that cold water is sometimes given in winter instead of warm. When flogging is ordered, three dozen is the usual number of lashes, which are inflicted by a small cat-of-nine-tails, made of-whipcord, about two feet long. The women are exclusively attended by the matron. No fees are taken from prisoners in any cases whatever. The prison appears to be practically a secure one, if it is true, that, during seven years of the keeper's residence here, only two escapes have occurred; one individual was retaken; the keeper was absent at the assizes. He is absent on business during the whole year for about 25 days in general; sometimes so many as 30 to 40 days: during his absence an assistant is placed here in charge of the prisoners, who receives 5s. a-day. There has-been no alarm of fire during seven years. One case of suicide has occurred within that time: a prisoner hung himself with his garters. On the whole the prison is neat, clean, and orderly, and the prisoners appear to be under a steady control. None of them do any work for the keeper.

Diet.

One loaf of the best bread weighing one pound and twelve ounces is the only allowance. It costs at present 2d. The untried may receive food from their friends without, but not the convicted. No beer nor spirits are allowed to enter. The prisoners complain of the scantiness of their fare, but they appear healthy.

Each prisoner is allowed a straw bed and three blankets. No clothing is allowed, except for those who are destitute.

Fuel may be purchased by the untried for their own use: the county lights fires in the day-rooms only during the winter.

Religions and other Instruction.

The chaplain reads prayers three times a-week, and also performs divine service and delivers a sermon on Sundays. If there is any sick prisoner he comes on other days,and usually converses with one or two prisoners after prayers. He sometimes stops for an hour after the performance of service. Last Sunday he had four private conferences with prisoners; and four on the preceding Friday.

There are only a few religious books in the prison; the chaplain, however, informs me that he has given several Prayer-books, and other religious books at his own expense, which is a supply that ought rather to come from the county. He has no preferment nor other office.

STATISTICS OF THE POPULATION.

Care of the Sick, Disease, and Mortality.

There is an infirmary room for the men, and a room with a fire-place for the females. The surgeon visits about three times in the week, and more frequently if requisite. He has the power of ordering any extra allowance for prisoners who seem to him to need it. The surgeon has known no death to occur in the prison during the last ten years, except in the instance of the suicide above alluded to. He has never seen any case of scurvy; nor could I ascertain any traditional traces of such a disease in conversing with the prisoners. The surgeon believes that the diet is a sufficient one: the prisoners, in his opinion, enjoy a good state of health. He finds that he can deplete freely without any subsequent inconvenience. No epidemic has occurred here during his experience of ten years, nor any case of malignant cholera. During three recent years the total number of cases of sickness was in one year three, in another five, and in the other four; and the greatest number of prisoners sick at one time during these three late years has not exceeded two. There is no insane prisoner in confinement.

Salaries.

The surgeon finds all medicines at his own cost.

The late keeper receives a superannuation of £30 per annum.

Expenditure

Appears to be extremely moderate; indeed, it is affirmed, I know not with what accuracy, that the expenses of this prison do not exceed the sum incurred by the transport of prisoners to Devizes, which costs 1s. a mile for one prisoner, and 1s. 6d. a mile for two. The weekly cost of the diet of each prisoner is stated by the gaoler to have fluctuated during late years between 2s. 0½d., 1s. 9d., 1s. 7¾d., and 1s. 5½d., which was the weekly expense per head in the year 1835.