Knutsford Prison - The Inside Story, by David Woodley
Knutsford Prison - The Inside Story, by David Woodley
Book published by Leonie Press, 100 pages. Paperback (N6496)
Book published by Leonie Press, 100 pages. Paperback (N6496)
From the rear side cover: Prison overcrowding is nothing new - in 1811 there were so many prisoners in Cheshire that the authorities decided to build a new Sessions House, Grand Jury Room and House of Correction "in a convenient situation near the town of Nether Knutsford". Work began in 1817 and when the building was eventually finished 'The Countryman's Rambler' commented: "one hardly believes that such a fine place was built only for thieves."
Whether the inmates would have agreed is another matter, although the food was thought by many to be superior to that provided in the workhouse. The regime included the physical exertions of the treadmill, the drudgery of picking oakum, the pointlessness of turning a crank which "ground nothing but air", the back-breaking ordeal of moving heavy cannonballs from one pile to another and occasional floggings.
Over the years, as well as local criminals, debtors and offenders against the Game and Bastardy Laws, Knutsford Prison housed disaffected Chartists and those awaiting transportation. From 1886, until it was taken over by the Home Office as an Army detention barrack in 1915, nine executions took place on its scaffold. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into an often overlooked aspect of Knut ford's social history....
Condition of the book is generally excellent. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. There is an old price printed and a small price sticker, both on the rear side cover
Condition | New |