Norwich City Gaol

Overview

Details

Records

Overview

Alternative Names   Norwich City Gaol and House of Correction

Prison Type   Local Prison -  Common Gaol & House of Correction/Bridewell

Jurisdiction   Municipality

Date opened   1826

Date closed   1878

Location   end of St Giles' Street in Heigham hamlet/ present day Earlham Road & Unthank Road, now a Catholic church on site built 1882-1910 (St John the Baptist Cathedral)   Norwich

Map location   exact or closely approximate

County   Norfolk

Critical Remarks

The Norwich House of Correction (ID 518), located on the same site as the City Gaol and sharing the same senior management, officially merged with the Gaol in 1838, becoming one institution.

Prison Info

Alternative Names   Norwich City Gaol and House of Correction

Prison Type   Local Prison

Jurisdiction   Municipality

Date opened   1826

Date closed   1878

Location   end of St Giles' Street in Heigham hamlet/ present day Earlham Road & Unthank Road, now a Catholic church on site built 1882-1910 (St John the Baptist Cathedral)   Norwich

Map location   exact or closely approximate
Lat.   52.6291383  Long.   1.2838765

County   Norfolk

Critical Remarks

The Norwich House of Correction (ID 518), located on the same site as the City Gaol and sharing the same senior management, officially merged with the Gaol in 1838, becoming one institution.

Prisoner Statistics

 

Year 1828

Annual Committed   -   166

Daily Census   -   24

 

Year 1833

Annual Committed   -   368

Daily Census   -   36

 

Year 1838

Annual Confined   -   850

Daily Census   -   71

 

Year 1843

Annual Confined   -   869

Daily Census   -   80

 

Year 1848

Annual Confined   -   569

Daily Daily average   -   56

 

Year 1853

Annual Confined   -   475

Daily Daily average   -   62

 

Year 1858

Annual Committed   -   477

Daily Daily average   -   68

 

Year 1863

Annual Committed   -   515

Daily Greatest number   -   120

 

Year 1868

Annual Committed   -   464

Daily Daily average   -   70

 

Year 1873

Annual Committed   -   320

Daily Daily average   -   45

 

Year 1878

Annual Committed   -   13

Daily Daily average   -   0

Principal Primary Sources

  • Eighth Report of the Committee of the Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline and for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders (London, 1832), Appendix, p.31
  • Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1826-27, XIX.365), p.289; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1828, XX.327), p.342; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1829, XIX.1), p.306; Reports and Schedules Pursuant To Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1830, XXIV.1), p.308; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1830-31, XII.1), p.303; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1831-32. XXXIII.197), p.302; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1833, XXVIII.1), p.327; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1834, XLVI.1), p.312; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1835, XLIV.225), p.297; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1836, XLII.1), p.200; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1837, XLV.1), p.201; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1837-8, XLIII.227), p.203; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1839, XXXVIII.17), p.204; Reports Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1840, XXXVIII.1), p.218; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1841, XVIII.1), p.232; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1842, XXXII.1), p.234; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1843, XLIII.1), p.235; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1844, XXXIX.403), p.225; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1845, XXXVII.417), p.264; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1846, XXXIV.187), p.274; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1847, XLVII.297), p.277; Reports and Schedules Pursuant to Gaol Acts (Parl. Papers, 1847-48, LII.465), p.280
  • Royal Commission of Inquiry into Municipal Corporations of England and Wales, First Report, Appendices: Part 4 (Parl. Papers, 1835, XXV.1), p.2469
  • Abstract Return of Establishment and Expenditure of Gaols and Houses of Correction in England and Wales (Parl. Papers, 1840, XXXVIII.241), p.42
  • Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District. First Report (Parl. Papers, 1836, XXXV.161), p.62; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern, Third Report (Parl. Papers, 1837-38, XXXI.1), p.156; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Fifth Report (Parl. Papers, 1840, XXV.565), p.114; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Seventh Report (Parl. Papers, 1842, XXI.1), p.147; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Eighth Report (Parl. Papers, 1843, XXV. & XXVI.249), p.176; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Tenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1845, XXIV.1), p.186; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland and Eastern District, Fourteenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1849, XXVI.1), p.30; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Fifteenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1850, XXVIII.291), p.8; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Sixteenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1851, XXVII.461), p.154; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Seventeenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1852-53, LII.1), p.69; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Eighteenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1856, XXXIII.1), p.42; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Nineteenth Report (Parl. Papers, 1856, XXXIII.385), p.49; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Twenty-first Report (Parl. Papers, 1857, Session 2, XXIII.1), p.38; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Northern and Eastern District, Twenty-second Report (Parl. Papers, 1857-58, XXIX.1), p.42; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland District, Twenty-third Report (Parl. Papers, 1859, Session 1, XI.1), p.78; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland District, Twenty-fourth Report (Parl. Papers, 1860, XXXV.1), p.71; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland District, Twenty-fifth Report (Parl. Papers, 1860, XXXV.229), p.69; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland District, Twenty-sixth Report (Parl. Papers, 1861, XXIX.45), p.73; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain II. Midland District, Twenty-seventh Report (Parl. Papers, 1862, XXV.93), p.75; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Twenty-eighth Report (Parl. Papers, 1863, XXIII.1), p.59; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirtieth Report (Parl. Papers, 1865, XXIII.1), p.168; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-first Report (Parl. Papers, 1866, XXXVII.1), p.149; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-second Report (Parl. Papers, 1867-68, XXXIV.203), p.200; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-third Report (Parl. Papers, 1868-69, XXIX.1), p.141; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-fourth Report (Parl. Papers, 1870, XXXVII.1), p.152; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-fifth Report (Parl. Papers, 1871, XXIX.241), p.188; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-sixth Report (Parl. Papers, 1872, XXXI.1), p.110; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-seventh Report (Parl. Papers, 1873, XXXII.1), p.221; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-eighth Report (Parl. Papers, 1874, XXIX.1), p.253; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Thirty-ninth Report (Parl. Papers, 1875, XXXVII.1), p.273; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Fortieth Report (Parl. Papers, 1876, XXXV.1), p.273; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Forty-first Report (Parl. Papers, 1877, XLIII.1), p.280; Inspectors of Prisons of Great Britain I. Southern District, Forty-second Report (Parl. Papers, 1878, XLI.1), p.281

Additional Primary Sources

  • Francis White, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk (Sheffield, 1854), p. 86

Secondary Sources

  • http://www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/view/NCC098527

Management

Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: N/S 2/1-11

Collection: Norwich City Council

Description: Quarter Sessions minute books

Dates: 1839-1971


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: N/TC 11/1-6

Collection: Norwich City Council

Description: Gaol Committee minute books

Dates: 1836-1878


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 19

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Minute books and ledger and cash accounts of various Assembly Committees. Includes records of the City, Coal, Market, River and Streets, Tonnage, Bridewell, and Gaol Committees, and of the Chamberlain's Council.

Dates: 1556-1857


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 19c

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Gaol Committee minute books

Dates: 1799-1836


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 20a (MF 612-620)

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Norwich City Quarter Sessions minute books. Likely to contain material relevant to the administration of the borough prisons

Dates: 1511-1846


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: N/S 10

Collection: Norwich City Council

Description: Visiting Justices' order books

Dates: 1846-1878


Finance

Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: N/T 21

Collection: Norwich City Council

Description: Orders on the Treasurer for payment made by (among others) Gaol and House of Correction Committee

Dates: 1836-1865


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 18b

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Chamberlains' annual account books, fees and salaries. Taxes paid by Corporation for various properties (Workhouse, Waterworks, Brewhouse and Mint, Gaol, Butchery and Fishery, Gun House etc). Payments by bills and orders (eg drink for prisoners on public days). Also, payments by orders of Committee (eg for Gaol, Hay House).

Dates: 1700-1835


Prisoners

Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR 12d

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Gaoler's certificates of numbers

Dates: 1808-1834


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: DN/MSC7/13

Collection: Diocese of Norwich records

Description: File of copies writs issued by Norwich Sheriff and Gaol delivery sentences

Dates: 1834-1835


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 12d

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Sessional returns of prisoners

Dates: 1702-1833


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 6a

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Coroners' inquests, including prisoners

Dates: 1669-1835


Land & Buildings

Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: DS 239

Collection: None

Description: Norwich Heigham estate map, Unthank Road, City Gaol area

Dates: undated


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: N/TC 52/2

Collection: Norwich City Council

Description: Site of Norwich City Gaol, Unthank Road. Left to the Corporation in trust for the Prison by Sir John Pettus. Correspondence with Charity Commission, Home Office, Treasury and others, and case for opinion on sale of part of site (1872-1880). Correspondence, minutes of Special Committee, Counsel's opinion, plans relating to sale of site to Duke of Norfolk for building a Roman Catholic church.

Dates: 1872-1892


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 16e

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Tenders, with plans, elevations, sections and specifications for the new Gaol, including by William Cubitt

Dates: 1823-1831


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: NCR Case 16e/38

Collection: City of Norwich Records

Description: Report of City Surveyor, J. T. Patience, on the insecure state of the Gaol (1837). Also, plan of a proposed new wall near the infirmary.

Dates: 1837


Archive name: Norfolk Record Office

Catalogue ref: RC 2/140

Collection: Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral

Description: Inventory of plant on old Gaol site, and offices.

Dates: 1882-1886