Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QGR2/7/2/3
  • Title
    Report of the Prison Governor, Robert Evan Roberts, to the Easter Sessions 1872. Includes the following:
  • Date free text
    9 April 1872
  • Production date
    From: 1872 To: 1872
  • Scope and Content
    Prisoners in custody 30th March 1872 = 118. The committals during the Quarter have been 105 males and 19 females, total 124, being an increase of 2 as compared with the corresponding quarter of last year, but a decrease of 30 as compared with 1870 and of 151 compared with 1869. Of the 124 committals 71 were residents and 53 non residents. 1 could read and write well, 46 imperfectly, 24 read only and 53 could do neither. 12 had been in this prison once before, 9 twice, 2 thrice and 19 four times or more. One prisoner for ttrial at this Sessions...an entire stranger, having no connection with the County whatever. at the like Sessions last year there were 12 prisoners for trial. It is difficult to state what cause so great a reduction in the prison population may be attributed; I cannot however but think that it is in some measure owing to the steps taken in regard to the treatment of vagrants in this County. The new regulations recently issued by the Poor Law Board for the treatment of vagrants in Unions - requiring every casual pauper on admission to have a bath, his clothes to be taken away form him, and to be provided with separate sleeping accommodation for the night will do much to suppress vagrancy, and I am pleased to find, through the courtesy of the Master Mr Acton, that in the Bedford Union these regulations are rigidly enforced. Discusses suppression of vagrancy in Hampshire. Fifty prisoners have been received from Cold Bath Fields prison by order of the Secretary of State, 8 have been discharged, 20 more expected. William Skinner, a tramp, aged 70 years, committed to prison by the Biggleswade Bench on the 15th March under the Vagrant Act for 21 daysdied on the 27th ultimo. The coroner of the County Mark Whyley Esq, held an inquest on the body the following day vierdict of the jury - died of natural causes. Four boys viz. Charles Gascoign, George Cox, George West and Charles Brown committed to prison from the Borough of Bedford for 3 days each and to receive 8 strokes each with a birch rod were whipped accordingly. Joseph Swannell who had only been discharged from prison two or three days when he was recommitted was subsequently found to be insane and was removed to Fisherton Lunatic Asylum on the 15th February last by order of the Secretary of State. Henry Tuck, sentenced at the last County Sessions to amonths imprisonment and to be detained in a Reformatory was removed to the Akbar Reformatory ship at Liverpool on the 9th February last. One of the warders has been absent for some weeks owing to smallpox in his family. One of his children has died, he is still absent on sick leave and is suffering I believe from erysipelas.
  • Level of description
    item
Hierarchy browser