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Ancestry UK

County Bridewell, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire

A County Bridewell, or House of Correction, was in existence in Newport Pagnell by 1779. In 1784, John Howard describes it as:

Two cells in the back court of a public house, 7 feet by 6½, and 6 feet high. The apertures in the doors 10 inches by 9. No water : no allowance : no employment. Keeper lives distant. Salary, £20. He pays two guineas rent for the cells. The prisoners mull be almost suffocated in hot weather, as the doors now open under a penthouse. A deserter lately went out who had been confined here a fortnight. From January 1780 to January 1781, here were committed twenty-nine prisoners. From January 4, 1782, to July 2, here were thirty-three; deserters included.

On visits is March and October 1779, and in July and November 1782, there were no inmates.

Records

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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.