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Ancestry UK

Town Gaol, St Ives, Cornwall

St Ives had a Town Gaol in the Guildhall (Town Hall) on Shoot Street (now Street-An-Pol). In 1818, it consisted of one small room.

In 1835, it was reported that:

The Gaol has been recently constructed; it consists of two apartments or cells on the staircase of the town hall. The cells are lighted by means of a small window looking to the staircase; no yard is attached, nor can the prisoners take any exercise; the prisoners cannot be employed in the rooms, and there is no means whatever of any classification, except the separation of male and female. It is stated that persons are rarely in custody for more than a few days.

The prison appears to have closed in about 1836.

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.