The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
More precise details of the manner in which a Newgate ordinary
interpreted his trust will be found in the evidence of the Rev. Brownlow
Forde, LL.D., before the committee of 1814. Dr. Forde took life pretty
easy. Had a prisoner sent for him, he told the committee, he might have
gone, but as no one did send, except they were sick and thought
themselves at death's door, he confined his ministrations to the
condemned, whom he visited twice a week in the day room of the press
yard, or daily after the order for execution had arrived. He repudiated
the notion that he had anything to do with the state of morals of the
gaol. He felt no obligation to instruct youthful prisoners, or attend to
the spiritual needs of the mere children so often thrown into Newgate.
He never went to the infirmary unless sent for, and did not consider it
his duty to visit the sick, and often knew nothing of a prisoner's
illness unless he was warned to attend the funeral. Among other reasons,
he said that as the turnkeys were always busy, there was no one to
attend him. While the chaplain was thus careless and apathetic, the
services he conducted were little likely to be edifying or decorous. The
most disgraceful scenes were common in the prison chapel. As the
prisoners trooped into the galleries they shouted and halloed to their
friends in the body of the church. Friends interchanged greetings, and
"How d'ye do, Sall?" was answered by "Gallows well, Conkey Beau," as the
men recognized their female acquaintances, and were recognized in turn.
The congregation might be pretty quiet after the chaplain had made his
appearance, but more often it was disorderly from first to last. Any
disposed to behave well were teased and laughed at by others.
Unrestricted conversation went on, accompanied by such loud yawning,
laughing, or coughing as almost impeded the service. No one in authority
attempted to preserve order; the gatesmen, themselves prisoners, might
expostulate, but the turnkeys who were present ignored any disturbance
until reminded of their duty by the chaplain. The keeper never attended
service. It was suggested to him that he might have a pew in the chapel
with a private entrance to it from his own house, but nothing came of
the proposal. It was not incumbent upon the prisoners, except those
condemned to death, to attend chapel. Sometimes it was crowded,
sometimes there was hardly a soul. In severe weather the place, in which
there was no fire, was nearly empty. It was very lofty, very cold, and
the prisoners, ill clad, did not care to shiver through the service. On
"curiosity days," those of the condemned sermon, more came, including
debtors and visitors from outside, who thronged to see the demeanour of
the wretched convicts under the painful circumstances already
described. The service must have been conducted in a very slovenly and
irreverent manner. Dr. Forde had no clerk, unless it chanced that some
one in the condemned pew knew how to read.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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