Behind & Beyond the Prison Gates THE HISTORY OF CARRICKFERGUS GAOL AND ITS INMATES
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Introduction Developed in parallel with the exhibition, 'A most proper verdict': Exploring attitudes to crime in 19th century Mid and East Antrim, it is designed to complement the themes raised in the exhibition by adding further revealing detail.
In the autumn of 2019, Carrickfergus Museum and Carrickfergus Townscape Heritage Initiative worked with Carrickfergus & District Historical Society to carry out a community engagement project on Carrickfergus Gaol .
Women in Carrickfergus Gaol I really enjoyed the opportunity to find out more about Carrickfergus Gaol, and
The exhibition is a collaboration between Mid and East Antrim Museum & Heritage Service and the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, and the Library at Queen’s University Belfast.
This publication looks at the history of the gaol based on research undertaken by the project participants, and the topics covered reflect their research interests.
the site visits were really informative Project Participant
PARTICIPANTS AT PRONI
What did we want to achieve? Provide participants with opportunities for
The project was funded by the ‘Women in the Archives’ strand of the ‘Making the Future’ project, funded by Peace IV. Working with teams from the Linen Hall Library, Public Record Office NI (PRONI) and Nerve centre Belfast, the participants investigated the conditions of the gaol and the stories of the women and children who spent time there.
learning within a supportive environment
Develop research skills amongst project
PARTICIPANTS AT CRUMLIN ROAD GAOL
participants
How did we undertake research?
Promote and raise awareness of the cultural and built heritage of Carrickfergus, specifically the gaol, and those associated with the building
The group met over a number of weeks and carried out a range of activities, which included site visits to; PRONI; Linen Hall Library; Crumlin Road Gaol; and Down County Museum.
PARTICIPANTS AT CRUMLIN ROAD GAOL
Encourage an understanding of our past
This publication was funded by the Carrickfergus Townscape Heritage Initiative and the National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland.
‘It was brilliant to discover new subjects and areas of interest!
Cover image: External view of Carrickfergus Gaol c.1900, PRONI’ T1129/507 Inside front cover image: Internal view of Carrickfergus Gaol c.1900, PRONI' T1129/504
Project Participant
2 All images from Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) are reproduced with the permission of the Deputy Keeper of the records
Promote well-being and enjoyment
Participants chose a theme that interested them and were guided to various available sources. A wide range of topics were researched, including transportation; executions; and social reform. Much of the information here was uncovered by the participants.
through group support
'This project allowed me to gain an insight into the lives of women and children in the 19th century. It was quite eye-opening.' 3
A Site of Significance Around 1232, Hugh de Lacy established a Franciscan Friary, outside the medieval town defences. This proved to be a successful monastic site and continued in use until the reformation of the 16th century, when it was taken over by the Captain of the castle for use as a store, known as the Pallace.
‘This building includes a quadrangular area 273 feet in length and 176 feet in depth, presenting a front of 273 feet. Its external appearance is perfectly plain. The street in which it stands is an obscure narrow lane of which it forms one side [Antrim Street]. In this, however, the town does not sustain any loss, as its sombre front of blackish stone, varied only by the usual melancholy appendage of a drop, presents as aspect gloomy and uninteresting in the extreme.’ OS Memoirs 1844
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LYTHE MAP OF CARRICKFERGUS C.1567 SHOWING THE FRIARY IN USE AS A STORE HOUSE. IT IS NOW DESCRIBED AS THE 'PALLACE. LATE FRIAR'S HOUSE' (TCD MS1209-26)
MAP OF CARRICKFERGUS C.1560 SHOWING THE FRIARY (BL COTTON AUGISTUS I II 42)
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ir Arthur Chichester was appointed Governor of Carrickfergus in 1599. Around 1614, he knocked down the old friary buildings and built Joymount House. Although it was considered a masterpiece of Jacobean architecture, it was eventually abandoned in favour of Belfast Castle.
JOYMOUNT HOUSE AS DEPICTED ON THE 1685 MAP OF CARRICKFERGUS (NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND, MS 3137(42))
The site then became the County of Antrim Courthouse and Gaol. Built in 1778, it was opened the following year. There was also a gaol and courthouse belonging to the County of the Town of Carrickfergus, but both were in such a state of disrepair that they were useless, and the prisoners were sent to the County Antrim gaol.
In the 1700s, Carrickfergus was an entirely separate county and was known as the County of the Town of Carrickfergus. The house was eventually demolished in 1768. Following a fire in the mid 1770s, the house and gardens were leased from the current Earl of Donegal to the County of the Town of Carrickfergus. James O’Kane, Carrickfergus 1821. PRONI D 1954/6/13
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The ‘H’ Block According to the Inspector General’s Report in 1826, the gaol was ‘formed in the shape of a letter H, with a keeper’s house in front; the debtors are placed in the cross centre building…the rear prisons are occupied, on the one side by females, and on the other by juvenile criminal offenders. The felons occupy the front prison on both sides’.
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he Ordnance Survey Memoirs, also offer one of the few contemporary detailed accounts of the gaol, including the layout, conditions and criminal returns. The initial number of cells in the gaol was 50, and with two beds to a cell and three to a bed, in theory 300 prisoners could be housed at one time. However, there were times when this upper limit was exceeded. 30 of the cells were on the lower floor and 20 on the upper floor. The cells varied in dimension from 8 by 7 feet to 9 feet 10 inches by 6 feet 4 inches.
The female ward had 10 cells, each 9' 10'' by 6' 6''. In addition there was; an apartment each for the matron and her assistant; a day room; and a work and schoolroom. The female yard area measured 62 by 53 feet. For this project, the other ward of interest was that of the juvenile offenders’. Like the female ward, it had a day room, 16 feet 8 inches by 15 feet 10 inches, and 10 cells, each measuring 9 feet 6 inches by 6 feet. It also had 2 watch-rooms.
Redrawn from original plan of gaol held by the Public Records Office Northern Ireland, LA/1/8/JA/115/1
W. A. Green (1870-1958), In Carrickfergus Gaol - National Museums Northern Ireland HOYFM.WAG.3852
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External view of Carrickfergus Gaol c.1900. PRONI T1129/499
Deficient Accommodation Prisoners were separated into different categories depending on the type of crime committed. The three key groups in Carrickfergus were: felons; minor offenders; and debtors.
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ebtors were viewed differently from criminals and often only served their sentence until the debt was paid. Male debtors had a separate ward and exercise yard, to prevent them mixing with other prisoners, however, the cramped conditions meant this was not possible for females. An ongoing issue with the gaol in the I. nspector-General's reports is the sharing of a bed by a female debtor and a female felon or minor offender.
It was because of the deficiencies constantly highlighted by the Inspector-Generals, that the Crumlin Road gaol was constructed in 1845, and prisoners began to be sent there from Carrickfergus Gaol. According to newspaper reports, men were marched in handcuffs, and women and children were transported by van. The gaol in Carrickfergus finally closed in 1850.
The lack of provision in the gaol was continuously bemoaned by the Inspector-Generals in their reports. Cells were dark, with small windows, relying solely on daylight and were often overcrowded. Being so close to the lough, the sewage system was often below the high water level. As a result, waste was not always able to drain away.
The classes are frequently mixed together, contrary to law. At night numbers sleep in one cell, and the containment arising from this free communication of all grades of crime must produce every evil result. The Governor's house, shown here, housed the condemned cell. Those to be executed were taken here, and the cell itself faced out on to the street, where the hanging scaffold was erected. Houses opposite became known as 'Drop View Terrace'.
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Prison Inspectors’ report, County Antrim Gaol at Carrickfergus, 1838
External view of Carrickfergus Gaol PRONI T1129/511A
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Internal view of a cell at Carrickfergus Gaol c.1900 PRONI T1129/504
A Cost to the Public Purse Everything required by the prison had to be paid for by the government.
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Those only who require clothes are clad in those supplied by the gaol. The suit consists of a brown fustian jacket and trousers, upon which their number is stamped in large white letters. The prison shoes have thick wooden soles shod with iron. The females wear a petticoat, bed-gown and cap supplied by the gaol. The cost of a male dress is 14s 4d ha’penny and of a female dress 8s 2d.
here was no designated prison uniform and clothing was only provided to those who needed it. Whilst the material was bought in, the prisoners had to make their own clothes and bedclothes.
Prison Inspectors’ report, County Antrim Gaol at Carrickfergus, 1838 Year
Officers Salaries
Diet
1836
637 pounds 18s 8d
1837
960 pounds 11s 1d
1838
960 pounds 11s 1d
1839
961 pounds 4s 2d
Fuel
Soap and Candles
Straw
Medicine
Stationary and furniture Male clothing
Female clothing
359 pounds 90 pounds 24 pounds 5s 2d 3 farthings 10s 8s
12 pounds 3s 10d
56 pounds 9s 7d
66 pounds 13s 1d ha’penny
60 pounds 8s 9d
17 pounds 3s 8d
1104 pounds 11s 9d
110 pounds 30 pounds 14s 2d
18 pounds 9s 9d
70 pounds
104 pounds 10s 2d ha’penny
54 pounds 2s 8d
16 pounds 18s 1d ha’penny
1,042 pounds 3d
90 pounds 36 pounds 11s 6d
10 pounds
77 pounds 19s 8d
74 pounds 12s 11d ha’penny
60 pounds 18s 8d
22 pounds 5s 4d ha’penny
The above table shows the total expenses per year as outlined in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs, 1844.
By the 1840s, gaol staff included: a local inspector; a physician; 3 chaplains; a schoolmaster, a governor and deputygovernor; 8 turnkeys; a matron and deputy-matron; and a nurse. Despite the poor conditions evident within the gaol, the staff were consistently praised by the Inspector-Generals.
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James Moore, The Reprieve Carrickfergus Museum Collection
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This Wasn’t a Bed & Breakfast Prison was not designed to be comfortable and this attitude extended to the diet as well as the clothing. The Inspector Generals' reports claim to offer a 'mixed' diet to prisoners that was 'regular and economical'.
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n reality, the diet regime was austere, with cost per head rarely rising above 3d. The authorities had to ensure the inmates were provided with enough food to survive but, during periods of hardship, famine and starvation they did not want the prison to appear an attractive option. Inmates were expected to work together to cook their own food at breakfast and dinner. This was a way of keeping prisoners active. The diet was basic as a result, mainly based on the Irish staple: the potato. Without the salt this would have been a very tasteless diet, but even still….that is a lot of salt!
We were too lazy to wash potatoes for our dinner and so were fed on bread and sweet milk' David Strahan recounting his 3 days served in the County Antrim gaol in the late 1840s (PRONI T1179/495)
Mixed Diet
Food each prisoner received
Breakfast
½ lb (oats boiled in water or milk) 1 pint new milk
Dinner June to October
4lbs potatoes
1 pint buttermilk
Dinner Remainder of year 4 lbs potatoes
1 pint sweet milk
Salt Allowance
Milk allowance per prisoner
1 pint/week
Ordnance Survey Memories, 1844.
Table above shows the food allocated to each prisoner for breakfast and dinner at different times of the year
image shows 8KG of potatoes, this would have fed an inmate for 4 days.
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1 pint of salt a week is roughly 500g. In comparison today, the daily recommended allowance for an adult is 6g. Over 10 times lower than the Victorian daily ration.
The school keeps the prisoners employed and prevents them from plotting mischief
Social Reform
Pregnant women and those who gave birth in prison received medical care. Babies who survived generally remained with their mothers until release.
(Inspector General’s report, 1818)
As the 19th century progressed, attitudes towards prisons slowly changed. Originally prisons were simply places to hold those awaiting trial as well as a punishment for those convicted.
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nspectors examining the gaols in the 1820s and 1830s were preoccupied with maintaining good morals for both inmates and staff. For example, in 1823, the matron of Carrickfergus gaol was was sacked for providing alcohol to the prisoners. She even drank with them! With the social reform of the 1800s, led by pioneers such as Elizabeth Fry, prisons were viewed as possible houses of reform. Prisons could be used to educate the inmates giving them opportunities to better themselves and as a result reduce the chance of re-offending.
Name of class
Intellectual and moral education
Adult Male and Spelling, reading and writing; the books Juvenile Felons Est. c.1818 of the Board of National Education, and Thompson's Arithmetic for juveniles' 7 learn arithmetic and 10 learn writing. Female Est. c.1823
Spelling and reading books of the Board of National Education, plain needlework, flowering, quilting and knitting.
Education classes were established in gaols and Carrickfergus was no different. This included reading, writing and religious instruction, but also practical employable skills. If prisoners could get work upon leaving the gaol, they again were less likely to recommit. For the females this meant needlework, knitting and spinning, or prison duties. In Carrickfergus the quality of needlework improved significantly, and a large number of shirts and quilts were exported to the USA. In the 1820s, it was also decided that all prisoners should work, including debtors. Although wages were very low, prisoners were given a third of their earnings once the sentence was served. This ensured no prisoner was completely destitute upon release. DUBBED, 'THE ANGEL OF PRISONS' ELIZABETH FRY TOURED PRISONS ACROSS THE UK AND IRELAND IN HER MISSION TO IMPROVE STANDARDS. HER WORK WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN DRIVING NEW LEGISLATION TO MAKE PRISONS MORE HUMANE.
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James Moore, The Age of Innocence. Carrickfergus Museum Collection
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Elizabeth Fry engraving 1820
David Strahan (PRONI T1179/495)
A Fitting Punishment? The current Town Hall was originally built as the County of Antrim Court House in 1779, and it here that the assizes would have met for the whole county.
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he courts of assizes were the higher criminal courts, which dealt with crimes such as murder and treason. Built around the gate house of Joymount House, this grand building would no doubt have seemed very intimidating. All of those arrested across County Antrim were brought to these court rooms, and held in the gaol for the duration of the trial. Once in court their crime was heard and their fate decided by the judge and jury. The Victorian court system was complex, with crimes that might seem strange to us today, for example cattle stealing and concealment of birth. Following 1829, the Offences Against the Person Act sought to simplify the law by reducing the number of crimes punishable by death. This process continued into the 20th century.
Prison Sentence: For a more serious crime, a jail sentence was immediately imposed. If the individual had been problematic during the holding period or had recommitted several times, they could be sentenced with whipping or hard labour. The latter included breaking stones for the men and spinning for women. Before the construction of the Crumlin Road Gaol, some convicts were sent to the Belfast House of Correction on Howard Street, if Carrickfergus gaol was full. This building was located on the junction of Howard Street and Great Victoria Street.
Carrickfergus had a female ‘hangman’ during the 1840s, Nell Kellet, who suffered some unknown misfortune while preparing the hanging rope and died. On occasion an accused individual could be declared mentally insane and they were either considered harmless and released, or sent to an asylum. Execution: For the most serious of crimes, such as murder, those convicted were sentenced to death by hanging. Although executions could be carried out in Northern Ireland up until 1973, public hangings were outlawed in 1868. However, public hangings ceased in Carrickfergus in 1844 after an outcry following the execution of 18 year-old soldier John Cordery. He had been sentenced for shooting his sergeant.
In 1830, Jane Graham, 49 was publicly executed for poisoning her illegitimate grandson with arsenic. She planned the murder in detail, considering the child to be a 'young devil'. Upon conviction she did not believe she had sinned.
A Range of Punishments Fine: The most basic punishment was a fine. If the amount couldn’t be paid, time was to be served instead. This punishment was generally applied to debtors or those who committed minor offences. In some cases, the sentence handed down could be time served and/or a fine. The amount of the fine could be as much as £100. In today's money, that would be around £8,000.
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Carrickfergus Town Hall, built as the County of Antrim Court House in 1778
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Leg Irons from Carrickfergus Gaol, Carrickfergus Museum Collection
Transported for Life?
Mary Moody was sentenced to death for the murder of her uncle, Alexander Boyle. She was shown mercy by the jury and was sentenced to transportation for life in Van Diemen's Land.
In some cases, a sentence of execution could be reduced to transportation. Those convicted could appeal to the judge with a character witness provided by a minister or priest. Transportation could also be imposed for those who had reoffended on several occasions.
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hile the primary purpose of transportation was the removal of problematic individuals, it provided citizens to populate the new colonies in Australia and Van Diemen's land (Now Tasmania). Authorities promoted it as an ‘opportunity’ to begin a new life once the sentence was served; but in reality it could be a traumatic experience.
Many convicts were separated from their families, but they could appeal to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to take children or spouses with them. Children permitted to travel with their mother, or born en route, were often separated upon arrival. The conditions experienced by the prisoners differed widely depending on the attitudes of their employers. Some treated the convicts as slaves whist others were treated as valued members of the household in which they worked.
Periods of transportation ranged from the minimum seven years to fouteen years and for some it was for life. In 1839, 59 individuals were sentenced to transportation at the County Antrim Assizes in Carrickfergus.
Many married or remarried during and after their sentence, and some went on to have good lives. Those who did well for themselves and those who continued to cause trouble can be traced in the records but many who fall between these extremes are difficult to find.
Individuals convicted were held in the gaol in which they were tried, such as Carrickfergus, until a ship was available to make the journey to Van Diemen's land or Australia. Prisoners were initially transported to Belfast, and then to Dublin. Grangegorman was the destination for the females and the Men’s Gaol for males. Once a ship left Dublin, it could take four months to arrive at the destination. On arrival, some convicts had to serve a further six months in prison, or on a prison ship. Then, with good behaviour, they could be released to work for a local family.
In theory, those transported were free to return home once their sentence was served. However, in reality many could not afford the price of a ticket home.
Eliza McIlveen was tried on the same day as Mary, and was found guilty of beating Catherine Kearns to death. Like Mary, she was shown mercy, and was transported for life.
Both Eliza and Mary sailed on the Mexborough on the 12th August 1841, arriving in Van Diemen’s Land on the 26 December 1841
Transportation wasn't officially abolished until 1868, long after Carrickfergus Gaol had closed its doors. It's not likely we will know how many hundreds were sent from Carrickfergus to live new lives abroad or what became of all those men women and children who experienced life behind and beyond those prison gates.
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Illustrations created based on physical descriptions of convicts documented upon their arrival to Van Dieman's land.
Behind & Beyond the Prison Gates THE HISTORY OF CARRICKFERGUS GAOL AND ITS INMATES