Welcome To Derby Ghost
Capital Of England --Derby Goal
Derby Goal
Site of
the old Derby
Gaol, 50-51 Friar Gate :
This was
the site of the Derby Gaol, originally built in 1756. The original
prison was demolished and the Georgian houses you see here were built
on top of the cells in the basement. You can now take a tour there to
see where condemned criminals lived their last hours. This was a prison
from 1756 to 1824. It is said to be one of the most
haunted spots in the countrey
The prison cell area.
This is a chopping
block
where the prisoners would have their bodies cut open. They would be
kept awake during this process by having cold water thrown onto their
faces to make sure they endured as much pain as possible.
Derby Goal
In early 19th
Century Derby, the issue of gaol conditions and prisoner treatment was
as contentious as it is today. The stark differences between Friar Gate
County Gaol and its replacement at Vernon Street reflect a major shift
in ideology. From little more than holding pens for the courts or
scaffold, the modern-day concept of prisons as places for criminals to
"serve their time" was born.
The
Bloody Code
During the
period known as the Bloody Code
(1770-1830)
you could be hanged in England for a whole range of minor crimes.
Capital offences included stealing cheeses, stealing geese and breaking
into a weaving shop.
Just
how
does a hangman get his job?
Around
the year 1660, John Crosland was found guilty of the capital offence of
horse stealing. To escape the noose himself, he agreed to execute his
partners in crime - his father and brother! His skill evidently
impressed officials, who appointed him as the county executioner.
The prevalence of executions and other forms of public punishment was
reflected in the gaols of the time. Gaols such as Friar Gate (1756)
were designed to hold criminals awaiting trial or punishment, rather
than incarcerate them for punitive lengths of time. The idea of
separating and reforming criminals away from law-abiding society did
not exist.
Cramped
and lawless
The plain,
brick building of Friar Gate Gaol,
designed
by architect Mr Irons of Warwick, was incredibly overcrowded. The gaol
had seven cells, each measuring 7 ft by 7 ft, 4 inches wide and 8 ft 3
inches high, with precious little ventilation. In 1819, records show
that these seven cells housed 69 prisoners, a level of overcrowding
that was all too common.
In
1782, before fixed gaoler salaries were introduced, Friar Gate
gaoler Blyth Simpson managed to take home a profit equal to double his
salary by the sale of liquor to prisoners, resulting in a staggering
level of drunkenness! The day room saw convicted murderers mixing with
those awaiting trial for petty crimes, and communicating over walls
with those held at the House of Correction.
Towards
a new gaol
Friar Gate's
poor design and horrendous
conditions did
not escape criticism and minor improvements were carried out. In 1774
an advertisement was placed in the Derby Mercury looking for "persons
willing to make a bath and two rooms" for prisoners at the gaol. The
walls were now whitewashed once a year and a surgeon was employed.
However, gaol fever and overcrowding continued.
End of
an era?
In
1833, John Leedham was the first person to be executed at Derby's new
County Gaol on Vernon Street. He was also the last person to hang in
Derbyshire for a crime other than murder. Convicted of bestiality, he
was hanged on April 12th in front of a crowd of over 6,000.
From 1770 onwards, philanthropists such as John Howard and Elizabeth
Fry had been calling for prison reform. In December 1817, an
architect's report condemned the gaol as "insufficient and insecure".
At the Summer Assizes in 1820, Judge Baron Garrow informed the Grand
Jury that unless improvements were underway by the time of his next
visit, he would "impose a heavy fine upon the County". The Corporation
of Derby had no choice; plans for a new County Gaol were drawn up.
On announcement of the new County Gaol, the rate paying population of
Derby exhibited little of the compassion felt by reformers for prison
inmates. In a publication of 1823, assizes from across Derbyshire
bemoaned the collection of rates to fund the new gaol.
However, the rate was collected and the new County Gaol at Vernon
Street was opened in 1827. Designed by Francis Goodwin, the layout of
this new gaol signalled a shift in the treatment and punishment of
criminals. The approval of and alterations to the gaol's plans by the
Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline must account for its
authoritarian and dominating style. Huge entrance gates, Martello
Towers and 25ft walls exuded a feeling of repression, strict control
and severe penitence.
The gaol had 185 cells initially; this number increased to 228 in later
years. Designed in the popular wheel layout, the central hub of the
gaol was formed by the chapel and governor's house with seven cell
wings. Uniformity and regularity replaced the confused mish-mash of
rooms at Friar Gate.
At Vernon Street Gaol prisoners were excluded from law-abiding society
in a very physical and visible way. The new gaol exemplified order and
regularity - a big departure from the cramped feverishness of Friar
Gate. Here was a gaol that's very design and layout attempted to instil
discipline through confinement and strict regularity; a far cry from
the haphazard, ill-conceived holding pen at Friar Gate.
The prison cell area.
This is a chopping
block
where the prisoners would have their bodies cut open. They would be
kept awake during this process by having cold water thrown onto their
faces to make sure they endured as much pain as possible. 
