Dorset Prisons

Dorset Prisons

His Majesty's Prison, Dorchester

Situate on the site of the ancient Castle, and was originally erected in 1793, on the plan of Mr. Howard, at an expense of £16,179; Since the transfer from the County Authorities to the Government it has been entirely rebuilt, and is now available for 140 male prisoners.

Henry John Evans, Governor.
William Ernest Good, Medical Officer.
Frederick W. Edwards, Clerk and Schoolmaster.
Source: Kelly's Directory 1915

Extract from an account of the jail and house of correction at Dorchester by Wm Morton Pitt, Esq pp 047-054 dated 9th March 1797

The building of the new jail, at Dorchester, and the reform in the management of the old one began in 1790. The old house of correction at Sherborne was sold in 1794, and its prisoners were transferred to one of the wings of the new prison, which was then appointed the house of correction for the county. From that period both establishments have been under the direction of the same keeper, and the inspection of the same magistrates; and have but one chaplain, surgeon, etc. The present prison, built on a plan approved by Mr Howard, cost £16,179-10s-6d, and was first occupied in December 1793. It contains 88 sleeping cells, besides those for the condemned, the reception cells, and working cells, which are all single - the infirmaries, two large dormitories for male debtors, in addition to the cells in the debtors' wing, and two for female debtors and female fines, and also dark single cells for the refractory. Each dormitory contains 4 beds, but is capable of containing more in case of necessity.

In 1791, manufactures were introduced, for the employment of all such prisoners, as either were compelled by law, or could be induced by encouragement to work. Convicts, and all persons sentenced to imprisonment and hard labour (to whom the law has not already allotted any certain portion of their earnings) are allowed one-sixth part thereof, besides broth in addition to their bread; and if they earn the amount of 5 shillings per week, they are also allowed meat. Debtors, and persons committed for trial, not being compellable to work, enjoy the whole of their earnings, if they purchase their own raw materials, and sell the produce on their own account; but, if they are supplied with the materials, and the county has the risk of the sale of the goods, they have then only the half of such earnings.

In all cases, except where debtors, and others voluntarily working, provide themselves with materials, the jailer is allowed one-sixth of the earnings, as a gratuity for his extra trouble, and as an incitement to further exertions; and the remainder, (after deducting the jailer's and prisoner's shares) is placed to the credit of the county. The full amount, however, of the shares of the earnings, except those of debtors, are not paid to the prisoners until their discharge, but are carried to their respective accounts; and 2d per week only is allowed them, for the purpose of procuring for themselves any little indulgences, consistent with the police of the prison; and even the sums placed to their accounts, are liable, in the whole, or in part, to forfeiture, in case of misbehaviour. There are instances of men who have received 8 or 10 pounds, or more on quitting the prison; and the money has been for the most part laid out by them in clothes, tools, furniture, a stock of bacon, or other provisions etc for their future comfort and advantage.

The produce of the work, the expense of maintenance etc, are stated in the table, No I :-
In No II is added an account of the manner in which the donations left at the prison, and other charitable contributions have been applied - in liberating and assisting debtors - in aid and relief to other prisoners discharged at the assizes or sessions, and in rewards to persons, who have heretofore been in confinement, and who have obtained certificates, properly authenticated, of their industry, honesty, and good behaviour in the services, in which they have been since they have left the jail.

Observations :-
In this institution, the object has been to combine the two principles of industry and reflection, and by the judicious application of solitude, in a greater or lesser degree, as the specific cases may require, to reform the offenders, so as to restore them to society in an improved state, and encourage them to persevere in a course of industry and virtue. The attempt has in a great measure succeeded. In the last six years there have been but as many instances of offenders having been a second time committed to prison;
viz. 1 for felony, 2 for petty larceny, 1 for assault, and 1 for leaving his family chargeable, and 1 for returning unlawfully to her parish after an order of removal. Of those who have been discharged, 27 have entered the sea-service, 9 into the land service and 35 are known to be, at this time, maintaining themselves and families by honest industry; which probably would be found to be the case with many more, who are strangers to the county; if information were obtained of their present residence and situations in life.

Table I - Number of Prisoners, account of earnings & salaries

	1791	1792	1793	1794	1795	1796
Average Number of Prisoners	40	47	50	50	51	49
General amount of Earnings	£51-6- 6-11	£275 6s 0d	£287 2s 0d	£366 11s 5d	£382 5s 11d	£462 12s 0d
Annual average of each Prisoners earnings	£1 5s 7d	£5 17s 0d	£5 14s 10d	£7 6s 7d	£7 9s 11d	£9 8s 8d
General amount of Prisoners shares of earnings	£8 15s 6d	£75 5s 1d	£60 16s 11d	£64 0s 5d	£72 3s 5d	£99 4s 3d
Annual average of each prisoners individual share of earnings	4s 10d	£1 12s 0d	£1 4s 4d	£1 5s 7d	£1 8s 3d	£2 0s 5d
Amount of salaries, a permanent expence attached to the establishment	£270	£270	£270	£293 10s 0d	£298	£298

NB - The working system did not commence until late in the year 1791.

Table II - Application of donations and charitable contributions

	1792	1793	1794	1795	1796
Paid for the Liberation of debtors	-	£21-7-1	£25-4-5		£5
Paid to prisoners on their discharge	£1-17-9	£1-1-6	£11-1-0	£3-9-3	£2-10-6
Paid gratuities to debtors by order	£2	£3-3-0	£4-1-0	-	-
Paid for coals for debtors	-	-	£2-9-9	£9-16-7	-
Paid for clothes for a distressed convict on his discharge	-	-	£1-14-10	-	-
Paid rewards to persons who had been discharged, and afterwards obtained certificates of good behaviour	-	-	£4-4-0	£4-4-0	£5-5-0

p 323 in Additional Observations.
Upon examining the general produce of labour, in a workhouse of house of correction, it should seem that there is something in the name, the air, the situation, or in the system of them, that palsies the power of human industry, and reduces the energy of a strong vigorous man to a level with that of a helpless child. I am extremely happy in being able to state an exception, equally honourable to the individual, to the magistrates, and to Mr Ayres, the governor of the Middlesex House of Correction, in Cold Bath Fields. In February 1797, a person was committed to the house for a twelvemonth on account of his concern in a fraudulent transaction, which he had been drawn into by a combination of artful Jews; and in the progress of which he had been stripped of nearly all his own property. He was a smith, and an excellent workman. Mr Ayres fitted him up a forge and employed him to repair the locks of the house, which are 800 in number, and were got into bad condition. In the course of 11 months he cleaned and put in order all the locks in the prison. He, being so satisfied with his conditions in the prison, said that if he could maintain his wife and two children decently by his labours, he would pass the remainder of his days there. Consequently an apartment has been fitted up for him and his wife, his children being placed in a charity school; he has been appointed the county smith, and she the Inspectoress of the female prisoners, with a salary perfectly satisfactory to them.
Source:
The Reports of the Society for Bettering the Condition and Increasing the Comforts of the Poor. Vol 1 1798 446 pp
Submitted by Alan Longbottom

Records

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DORCHESTER
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Page updated August 06, 2007