Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolitionGriffiths, Arthur
History
Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolition
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
Twenty years later, when Howard was visiting prisons, he heard it
constantly affirmed by county gaolers that the gaol distemper was
brought into their prisons by those removed under Habeas Corpus from
Newgate. In May, 1763, I find an inquisition was held in the new gaol,
Southwark, upon the body of Henry Vincent, one of five prisoners
removed there from Newgate. It then appeared that the Southwark
prisoners had been healthy till those from Newgate arrived, all five
being infected. About this date too, according to the coroner for
Middlesex, there were several deaths in the new gaol, of prisoners
brought from Newgate who had caught the fever in that prison. This same
coroner had taken eleven "inquisitions" at Newgate in a couple of days,
all of whom he thought had died of the gaol distemper. He was also made
ill himself by going to Newgate. Again in 1772 there was a new alarm
of epidemic. In the sessions of the preceding year there had been an
outbreak of malignant distemper, of which several had died. An attempt
was made to remodel the ventilator, and other precautions were taken.
Among the latter was a plan to convey the fumes of vinegar through
pipes into the Sessions' House while the courts were sitting. At this
date there was no regular medical officer in attendance on the Newgate
prisoners, although an apothecary was paid something for visiting
occasionally. Howard expresses his opinion strongly on the want. "To
this capital prison," he says, "the magistrates would, in my humble
opinion, do well to appoint a physician, a surgeon, and an apothecary."
The new prison and the last, built by Dance, was just then in process
of erection, and was intended to embody all requirements in prison
construction. But Howard was dissatisfied with it. Although it would
avoid many inconveniences of the old gaol, yet it had some manifest
errors. "It is too late," he goes on, "to point out particulars. All I
say is, that without more than ordinary care, the prisoners in it will
be in great danger of gaol fever."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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