Main features of Lincoln Castle, Gaol & Prison (WJEC Eduqas GCSE History): Revision Note

Timeline

Why is Lincoln Castle Gaol Important in Understanding 19th-Century Prison Reform? - Summary 

Lincoln Castle Gaol was transformed during the 19th century as ideas about punishment changed across Britain. Like Pentonville Prison in London, the new Victorian building at Lincoln was designed around the separate system, where prisoners were isolated to reflect on their crimes and reform their behaviour. Its H-shaped design, individual cells, and segregated chapel stalls mirrored national trends in prison reform. These features show how Lincoln became part of a nationwide movement towards order, discipline, and rehabilitation. The prison’s history, from its medieval origins to its closure in 1878,  highlights Britain’s shift from punishments focusing on public humiliation to reform.

Problems of Lincoln Gaol in the 18th Century

• Lincoln Castle was ideal as a gaol as it had 

  • High walls 

  • High gates 

  • Large castle grounds

• In the 18th century, two places in Lincoln held prisoners 

  • The County Gaol 

    • In the middle of the castle bailey 

  • Cobb Hall 

    • A tower in the castle walls 

    • A mix of debtors and convicted criminals was kept here 

• Renovations to the prison were planned due to security concerns, as 

  • The castle walls needed repairs 

    • Repairs to the walls happened throughout the years 1757 to 1807 

  • Pits were dug around the corner from the castle walls 

    • There was a worry over subsidence 

• John Howard visited Lincoln Castle in the 1770s, and he was horrified by the conditions 

  • The pit in the ground where prisoners lived 

    • Lack decent sanitation 

    • Both male and female prisoners were living there

• Howard's criticisms were included in the 1777 State of Prisons book, which resulted in the construction of a new prison in 1787 

  • The new prison is often referred to as The Georgian Prison 

    • Designed by William Lumby, the Clerk of Works in Lincoln 

• The Georgian Prison had

  • Rooms at the front of the building, looking onto the castle grounds, for debtors 

    • They were treated with more leniency compared to the other prisoners 

  • A simple building at the back, known as the “Felons Wing” for other criminals 

    • At the back of the exercise yard 

  • An apartment on the top floor for the prison governor and his family 

    • Gaolers still charged inmates at this time 

• In 1820, new additions were made to the prison 

  • New debtor's yards 

    • One for men and one for women 

  • Separate private ash privies and washrooms 

  • An infirmary

Building of the New Gaol

• Following the 1839 Prisons Act, Lincoln Castle's Felon Wing was demolished and replaced by the Crown Wing 

  • Also known as the Victorian Prison 

    • Designed by William Adams Nicholson

Victorian Prison 

• Male, female and child prisoners were held in Victorian Prison before their trials, along with criminals who 

  • Were awaiting execution 

  • Were awaiting a transfer to another prison 

• Victorian Prison was designed for the use of the separate system 

  • Designed by Joshua Webb, who designed Pentonville Prison 

• The prison was a ‘H’ shape with 

  • Enclosed exercise yards in between the wings 

• As the prison was designed for the separate system, the prisoners were kept separate at all times and had the following features 

  • Individual cells with 

    • A stone bath 

    • Ventilation 

    • Toilet 

    • Sink 

    • A hammock to sleep in 

    • Gas lit lamps 

    • Heated rooms via a vent 

• The prison cells were arranged in the style of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon design 

  • This allowed guards to see all of the cell doors from a central place

• Victorian Prison also had a chapel 

  • Each prisoner had their own stall

    • As they were not allowed to communicate 

    • They could only see the Chaplain during the services 

  • Partitions were removed in the 1860s 

Georgian Prison 

• Was still used at this time and held debtors 

• The cells were divided into 

  • New cells for debtors 

  • Rooms for the prison guards 

• The prison guard rooms had

  • Big fireplaces 

  • Large bay windows 

    • To observe exercise yards and prisoners 

  • Dado rails 

• The new debtor cells were separated into male and female cells 

  • Male debtors grilled over a fire in a hole 

  • Female debtors had a fireplace and cupboards 

• Some of the cells were better than others 

  • The gaolers would charge debtors more to use them 

Ending of Public Executions

• Lincoln Castle was also used for executions 

• There were two places where these executions would happen 

  • Outside the castle walls on Burton Road 

  • On top of Cobb Hall 

Burton Road Executions 

• Prisoners who were executed on Burton Road were brought to the gallows on a cart 

• They were executed by hanging using a cart and a horse 

  • Prisoners would have a noose tied around their necks from the gallows 

  • Once they were standing on the cart, a horse would be whipped where the criminal was hanged until dead 

• Today, this execution site is marked by a pub called The Strugglers Arms 

Cobb Hall Executions 

• Public executions also happened inside the grounds of Lincoln Castle when the governor John Merriwether built a roof and gallows on top of the Cobb Hall tower 

  • 15,000 locals would watch these executions 

• Cobb Hall used trap door gallows 

  • Seen as more humane than the Burton Road gallows 

• Between 1918 and 1859, 38 people were executed here 

• Those executed were buried at the mound of Lucy Tower inside the castle 

  • Their graves are marked by a simple headstone 

• Most prisons did not have their own hangman 

  • Some prisons used convicted criminals as executioners 

    • This happened at Lincoln Castle, as two men convicted of horse theft acted as executioners and hanged four men 

• William Calcraft became Lincoln Castle’s hangman between 1829 to 1859 

  • Developing the ‘short drop’ method took a long time for criminals to die

• Later, William Marwood became the hangman and developed a new hanging method in 1872 

  • Known as the ‘measured drop’

    • This used the height and weight of a criminal to calculate how long the rope should be 

    • Allowed for a quicker death 

• Once public hangings were banned in 1862, under the Capital Punishment Act, all executions happened inside Cobb Hall 

  • Four people were executed between 1868 to 1877 

    • The first was Priscilla Briggadike 

• Execution continued at Her Majesty’s Prison Lincoln in 1872 until they were abolished in 1961, as Lincoln Castle Prison was closed down in 1878

  • 18 executions happened here

Opening of HMP Lincoln

• In 1872, Her Majesty’s Prison Lincoln was built 

  • On Greetwell Road 

    • Outside of Lincoln 

• Lincoln Castle Prison was eventually closed in 1878 

• Her Majesty’s Prison Lincoln was a Category B prison 

  • Used for Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Humberside 

    • It is still used today as a prison 

• It was initially used for both male and female prisoners 

  • In 1900, it was used for only male prisoners

•  In 2002, a serious  prisoner riot happened at the prison

  • The prison became known as Britain’s most overcrowded prison 

• Today, it is operating slightly under capacity