Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QGR5/300
  • Title
    Minute book of the Visiting Justices [third volume] [see also QGR 4/1-360]. Mentions straw plaiting, female prisoners' diet, tobacco smoke from Debtor's Ward pervading the building, gas, new prisoners' diet. Frontispiece includes prison rules and list of Visiting Justices. Page 299 -300 includes the following:
  • Date free text
    26 September 1840
  • Production date
    From: 1840 To: 1840
  • Scope and Content
    George P Livius. The Gaoler reports that one of the prisoners William Waples committed on a charge of horse stealing had been making preparations to effect an escape and had cut his blankets and rug into strips and bound them together to act as a rope. The Gaoler discovered that a small portion of the rugg and blanket had been cut on the morning after unlocking on the 22nd viz tuesday. On teh Wednesday the 23rd next morning there was a greater portion cut off and also a quantity of strips of blankets and ruggs cut off from those used by William Miles - a prisoner for trial in the adjoining cell. The Turnkey on coming down after unlocking the cells on the Wednesday was apprized of the circumstance by John Gilbert (a prisoner for trial) who stated that he knew the blankets had been cut and he knew where the pieces were to be found. He shewed the Turnkey the place, viz under the sloping board of the privy, which conveys the urine into the privy. The Gaoler very properly after invvestigating the case, put Waples into irons and Miles into solitary confinement. The Gaoler then waited on teh Visiting Justices resident in the town who not being at home he immediately wrote to the Chairman of the Quarter Sessions and Thomas Charles Higgins and by the authority of W B Higgins and the above Magistrates has kept them both under the restraint above specified.
  • Level of description
    item
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