The Gaol the Story of Newgate London's Most Notorious Prison by Kelly Grovier

Įlevation and plan of Newgate Prison published in 1800

In 1752, a windmill was built on top of the prison by Stephen Hales in an effort to provide ventilation. The prison was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and was rebuilt in 1672 by Sir Christopher Wren. Though the prisoners lived in separate quarters, they mixed freely with each other and visitors to the prison. By the mid-15th century, Newgate could accommodate roughly 300 prisoners. Prisoners were separated into wards by sex. The prison housed both male and female felons and debtors. The king often used Newgate as a holding place for heretics, traitors, and rebellious subjects brought to London for trial. There were three main wards: the Master's side for those could afford to pay for their own food and accommodations, the Common side for those who were too poor, and a Press Yard for special prisoners. There was a new central hall for meals, a new chapel, and the creation of additional chambers and basement cells with no light or ventilation. The gate and gaol were pulled down and rebuilt. The executors of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington were granted a licence to renovate the prison in 1422. The situation in Newgate was so dire that in 1419, city officials temporarily shut down the prison. Indeed, one year, 22 prisoners died from ' gaol fever'. The building was collapsing and decaying, and many prisoners were dying from the close quarters, overcrowding, rampant disease, and bad sanitary conditions. Some Londoners bequeathed their estates to repair the prison. Following pressure from reformers who learned that the women's quarters were too small and did not contain their own latrines – obliging women to walk through the men's quarters to reach one – officials added a separate tower and chamber for female prisoners in 1406. īy the 15th century, however, Newgate was in need of repair. The addition included new dungeons and adjacent buildings, which would remain unaltered for roughly two centuries. Ī few decades later in 1236, in an effort to significantly enlarge the prison, the king converted one of the Newgate turrets, which still functioned as a main gate into the city, into an extension of the prison. In 1188, Newgate was the first institution established to meet that purpose. As part of his Assize of Clarendon of 1166, he required the construction of prisons, where the accused would stay while royal judges debated their innocence or guilt and subsequent punishment. In the early 12th century, Henry II instituted legal reforms that gave the Crown more control over the administration of justice.

The Gaol the Story of Newgate London's Most Notorious Prison by Kelly Grovier