HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as
Cornhill, is a
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
located in
Shepton MalletShepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council.The town is approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells...
,
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
, England. It is the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison.
Shepton Mallet is a
Category C Lifer PrisonThere are four prison security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
and holds 185 prisoners. The prison is a grade II*
listed building.
17th and 18th Centuries
The prison was established as a House of Correction in 1625, to comply with an Act of King James I in 1609 requiring that every county have such a House. In the 17th century, Shepton Mallet was not the only place of imprisonment in Somerset: the County Gaol was in
IlchesterIlchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis , has a population of 2,021.Sock Dennis lies on the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath.-Roman times:In...
, and there was another House of Correction at Ilchester and also at
TauntonTaunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
. In these times all prisoners, men, women and children, were held together in reportedly dreadful conditions. The gaoler was not paid, instead making an income from fees from his prisoners (for example, for providing them with liquor).
In 1773, a commissioner appointed by Parliament to inspect prisons around the country reported that sanitation at Shepton Mallet House of Correction was extremely poor. He said:
In 1790 additional land was purchased to extend the prison, and around this time men and women began to be held in separate areas. Further extensions were carried out in 1817 to 1822, at around which time Shepton Mallet held about 200 prisoners.
19th Century
In 1823, a large
treadwheelA treadwheel is a form of animal engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference , or by a human or animal standing inside it .Uses of treadwheels included raising water, to power...
was built within the prison on which men who had been sentenced to hard labour would serve their punishment. 40 men would tread the wheel for many hours at a time, a punishment which was recorded as causing
herniaA hernia is protrusion of an organ or the muscular wall of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes upwards into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm.-Pathophysiology:...
s in some convicts. The wheel was used to power a grain mill situated outside the prison wall. The wheel remained in use until 1890.
Other prisoners were engaged in breaking stones which were used for roadbuilding, oakam picking (unpicking old ropes) and other tasks.
Ilchester Gaol closed in 1843, with the inmates transferred to Shepton Mallet and Taunton. A year earlier, Inspectors appointed by the Government had reported that Shepton Mallet prison was:
In 1845, the prison was recorded as holding 270 prisoners.
By 1897, the population was only 61, overseen by the Governor, three Warders, six Assistant Warders and a Night Watchman. Other staff included the Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain, Surgeon, Matron and School Master.
1904 fire
At 10.15pm on Saturday 2 July 1904 a fire, believed to have been started by a prisoner about half an hour earlier, was discovered in C block.
The alarm was raised by the ringing of the prison bell and the prisoners were evacuated to the prison chapel. Within ten minutes the town fire brigade, which was provided by the
Anglo-Bavarian BreweryThe Anglo-Bavarian Brewery was established in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England in 1864 as the first lager brewery in the United Kingdom. It closed in 1920...
, was in attendance. They were joined at about midnight by the
WellsWells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills.The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral....
brigade and at about 3:00am by the Frome and
GlastonburyGlastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town has a population of 8,800...
brigades.
The fire had spread quickly within C block and was fought by prisoners, warders and firemen working together; prisoners helped to man the hoses and worked the fire engine pumps in shifts. Despite the opportunity offered by the disruption, no prisoner attempted to escape.
There were no fatalities as a result of the fire, and no major injuries. Whilst contemporary photographs show that the roof of C block was substantially destroyed, the building itself, being constructed of stone and concrete, remained nearly intact. Consequently, it was not necessary to transfer any prisoners to other gaols.
Closure in 1930
In 1930, the Prisoner Commissioners recommended to the Government that Shepton Mallet Prison should be closed because it was under-used, having an average population in recent years of only 51 inmates.
The prison closed in September of that year, with the prisoners and some of the staff transferring to other jails in neighbouring counties. The prison itself remained empty except for a caretaker until the outbreak of the Second World War.
Civilian Executions
The total number of executions at Shepton Mallet in its early years is unknown, however seven judicial executions took place within the prison walls between 1889 and 1926:
- Samuel Rylands - 13 March 1889
- Henry Dainton - 15 December 1891
- Charles Squires - 10 August 1893
- Henry Quarterly 10 November 1914
- Verney Hasser - 5 March 1918
- William Bignall - 24 February 1925
- John Lincoln - 2 March 1926
All of the condemned men were hanged for the crime of murder. Their remains were buried in unmarked graves within the walls of the prison, as was customary following British executions.
Use during the Second World War
The prison was reopened for British military use in October 1939. It soon housed 300 men from all three armed services, with some having to live in huts in the prison yard.
Public Records storage
At almost the same time as it took its first British military prisoners, the prison also took into protective storage many important historical documents from the
Public Record OfficeThe Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
in London, including
Magna CartaMagna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum , is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215. It was written in Latin and is known by its Latin name...
, the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
, the logbooks of the
Olive Branch PetitionThe Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Continental Congress in July 1775 in an attempt to avoid a full-blown war with England. The petition affirmed American loyalty to England and entreated the king to prevent further conflict...
(1775), dispatches from the
Battle of WaterlooIn the Battle of Waterloo forces of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte and Michel Ney were defeated by those of the Seventh Coalition, including an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher...
, and the "scrap of paper" signed by Hitler and
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
Neville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940...
at the Munich Conference of September 1939. In all, about 300 tons of records were transported to Shepton Mallet. Some documents, but not the Domesday Book, were moved out of Shepton Mallet on 5 July 1942 due to concern at the concentration of important items being held in one place, especially with German bombs falling on Bath and
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
. During their time at Shepton Mallet, the archives were still able to be inspected.
The archives were returned to London after the end of the war, between 10 July 1945 and 1 February 1946. German
prisoners of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
were, at one point, used to help with the loading of the lorries.
American military use
Between mid-1942 and September 1945, the prison was used by the American military as the "6833rd Guardhouse Overhead Detachment", later "The Headquarters 2912th Disciplinary Training Center - APO 508 United States Army". The prison was entirely staffed by American military personnel during this period. The first Commandant was Lt Colonel James P. Smith of the 707th Military Police Battalion.
At times during its use by the Americans, Shepton Mallet held many more men than it had ever held before. At the end of 1944, there were 768 soldiers imprisoned, guarded by 12 officers and 82 enlisted men.
American military executions
Under the provisions of the
United States of America (Visiting Forces) Act 1942A Visiting Forces Act is a law governing the status of military personnel while they are visiting within areas under the jurisdiction of another country and/or while forces of one country are attached to or serving with forces of another country, and may also apply to some foreign nonmilitary...
, a total of eighteen American servicemen were executed within the prison walls. Sixteen were
hangedHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. It hurts a lot. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", although it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would...
in the execution block and two were shot by firing squad in the prison yard. Three of the hangings were double executions i.e. both condemned prisoners stood together on the gallows and were executed simultaneously when the trap-door opened. Of the 18 men executed, nine were convicted of murder, six of
rapeRape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
(which was not a capital offence in the United Kingdom), and three of both crimes. A
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
film claimed that a disproportionate number of black soldiers were executed. Although the American army was 90% white, 10 of the 18 men hanged there were black Americans and three were Mexican-Americans. No claim has been made that the crimes were not committed by the men concerned.
The Americans constructed a small, two-storey building containing a
gallowsA gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging.A gallows can take several forms.*the simplest form resembles an inverted "L", with a single upright and a horizontal beam to which the rope noose would be attached.*the horizontal crossbeam is supported at both ends.*temporary...
adjoining one of the prison wings.
The flat-roofed execution block has a single window, approximately on a level with the trap-door. It is sandwiched tightly between two much larger buildings, close to the rear of the prison. Visually, it clashes with the other architecture because it is made of brick, whereas the rest of the prison is constructed from stone. The precise location of the execution block within the prison is
.
The executioner at most of the hangings was Thomas William Pierrepoint, assisted mainly by his more famous nephew
Albert PierrepointAlbert Pierrepoint is the most famous member of the family which provided three of the United Kingdom's official hangmen in the first half of the 20th century. He was born in Clayton, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, though some other assistant executioners were used. Executions by hanging took place after midnight, at around 1.00 am. Albert Pierrepoint is known to have disapproved of the American's practice of reading out to the condemned man, as he stood on the trap-door, the details of his offence and sentence. He said:
The names and dates of American military executions are as follows:
- Private David Cobb [b], 21 yrs, from Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama, situated approximately twenty miles west of the Georgia state line and eighteen miles north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
- 12 March 1943 - Murder of 2nd Lieutenant Robert Cobnor at 827th Engineer Battalion ordnance depot at Desborough, Northamptonshire
- Private Harold A. Smith of Troup County, West Georgia
Georgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
- 25 June 1943 - Murder of Private Henry Jenkins (116th Infantry) at Chisledon Camp near SwindonSwindon is a large town and unitary borough authority in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in south west England. It is midway between Bristol, west, and Reading, east. London is east....
, WiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in the south west of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km²...
- Private Lee A. Davis [b], 18 yrs - 14 December 1943 - Murder of Cynthia Lay and rape of Muriel Fawden at Marlborough
Marlborough is a market town in the English county of Wiltshire on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath. It is well known for having the widest high-street in Britain.-History:...
- Private John H. Waters, 39 yrs from Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 47,303. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay"....
- 10 February 1944 - Murder of Doris Staples (girlfriend, 35 yrs old) at Henley-on-ThamesHenley-on-Thames is a town on the north side of the River Thames in south Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
- Private John C. Leatherberry [b], 21 yrs, 356th Engineer Regiment - 16 March 1944 - Murder of Henry Hailstone (taxi driver). (An accomplice, Private George Fowler, was sentenced to life imprisonment.)
- Private Wiley Harris Jnr [b], 26 yrs - 26 May 1944 - Murder of Harry Coogan (pimp
A pimp, also called a fleshmonger or pander, finds and manages women who might be vulnerable and susceptible, for whatever reason, to extreme manipulation and engages them in prostitution in order to profit from their earnings...
) in BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
- Private Alex F. Miranda of Santa Ana
-People:*Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary*Santa Anna , Native American tribal leader*Antonio López de Santa Anna , Mexican general and President-North America:*Santa Ana, California, United States...
- 30 May 1944 - Murder of First Sergeant Thomas Evison of 42nd Field Artillery Battalion, 4th Division (executed by firing squad)
- Private Eliga Brinson, 25 yrs, and Private Willie Smith, 21 yrs, both of the 4090th Quartermaster Service Company - 11 August 1944 - Rape of Dorothy Holmes
- Private Madison Thomas [b], 23 yrs - 12 October 1944 - Rape of Beatrice Reynolds at Albaston, near Gunnislake
Gunnislake is one of the first villages in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom after crossing the River Tamar from Devon. Sprawled over the picturesque steep sides of the Tamar Valley, the village has a rich history in copper & tin mining....
- Private Benjamin Pyegate from Dillon, South Carolina
Dillon is a city in Dillon County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 6,316 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dillon County.-Geography:The City of Dillon is located at ....
- 28 November 1944 - Murder of Private First Class James Alexander, from Arkansas, at WestburyWestbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
, WiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in the south west of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km²...
(executed by firing squad)
- Corporal Ernest Lee Clarke [w], 23 yrs, and Private Augustine M. Guerra [w], 20 yrs - 8 January 1945 - Rape and murder of Elizabeth Green (15 yrs old) at Ashford
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the River Great Stour, M20 motorway, South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most important in the...
, KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
- Corporal Robert L. Pearson [b] and Private Parson Jones [b] - 17 March 1945 - Rape of Joyce Brown (9 months pregnant) at Chard
Chard is a town and civil parish in the county Somerset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Devon border, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 12,000 and, at an altitude of , is the highest town in Somerset and also the southernmost...
, Somerset
- Private William Harrison [b], U.S. Army Air Corps - 7 April 1945 - Sexual assault and murder of Patricia Wylie (7 yrs old) at Stewartstown
Stewartstown can refer to:*Stewartstown, New Hampshire*Stewartstown, Pennsylvania*Stewartstown, County Tyrone, a village in Northern Ireland...
, County TyroneCounty Tyrone is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland....
- Private George F. Smith, 28 yrs - 8 May 1945 (i.e. VE day) - Murder of Sir Eric Teichman
Sir Eric Teichman, born Erik Teichmann was a British diplomat, orientalist.He was a son of Emil Teichmann and Edith Harbord, and younger brother of Oskar Teichman . He was educated at Gonville College and Caius College, Cambridge University...
on his estate at Honington Hall, near NorwichNorwich is a city in Norfolk, East Anglia which is in Eastern England. It is the regional administrative centre and county city of Norfolk...
, NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
- Private Aniceto Martinez [h], 24 yrs, from Vallecitos, New Mexico - 15 June 1945 - Rape of Agnes Cope (75 yrs old) at Rugeley
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield, and Uttoxeter...
, StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
Note: the race of the prisoner (where known) appears in square brackets after the name.
- b = black (African-American)
- w = white (Caucasian)
- h = Hispanic (Mexican-American)
Initially, the remains of executed American prisoners at Shepton Mallet were interred in unmarked graves at
Brookwood CemeteryBrookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.- History :...
in
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
. However, circa 1949 all eighteen bodies were exhumed. In what appears to have been an administrative error, the remains of David Cobb were repatriated to Dothan, Alabama. The remaining 17 were reburied in Plot
E at Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial in France. Plot
E is a private section for the "dishonored dead" which adjoins (but is not part of) the main cemetery. Visits to Plot
E are not encouraged. Public access is difficult because the area is surrounded by a wall and is closed to visitors. In any case, all the black grave markers bear numbers not names, so identification of individual soldiers is impossible without the key.
Three other American soldiers also died accidentally at Shepton Mallet: they asphyxiated and died from
carbon monoxideCarbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, yet very toxic to humans. It consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom, connected by a covalent double bond and a dative covalent bond...
poisoning in a locked cell in which the ventilation shaft was blocked with leaves and a naked gas-lamp had used up most of the oxygen.
There was another American soldier executed in England, Karl Gustav Hulten, aged 22, who was hanged at Pentonville Prison, London on 8 March 1945 for shooting dead a taxi driver in Chiswick, London in October 1944. This execution was carried out under British, rather than American military, law, after Hulten had been tried at the
Old BaileyThe Central Criminal Court in the United Kingdom, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, in...
.
British military use
In September 1945, the prison was once again taken over by the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
and became a British Military prison for service personnel. It was used for soldiers who were going to be discharged after serving their sentence, provided that sentences was less than two years (if more than two years, the sentence was served in a civilian prison).
Shepton Mallet was notorious amongst British servicemen and known as 'the glass house'. Amongst the soldiers held there were the
Kray twinsReginald "Reggie" Kray and his twin brother Ronald "Ronnie" Kray were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in London's East End during the 1950s and 1960s...
who, while serving out their national service in the gaol after absconding, met Charlie Richardson.
Discipline was very strict and the punishments meted out to prisoners were reportedly extremely severe.
On 10 March 1959 a
riotA riot is a form of civil disorder characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against people or property. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are typically chaotic and exhibit herd behavior.Riots often occur in reaction to a...
(officially termed a mutiny) began in the dining hall. Thirteen soldiers were subsequently tried by Court Martial, and five were sentenced to three years imprisonment; the remainder were acquitted.
Post-war use
The prison was finally returned to
civilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agencies, which often use...
use in 1966. It was initially used to house prisoners who, for their own protection, could not be housed with 'run-of-the-mill' prisoners, and also well-behaved first offenders.
The gallows in the execution block was removed in 1967 and the room became the prison
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
.
In 1973, the prison changed role and became a training prison for men serving sentences of less than four years. The aim was to provide the inmates with the education and skills necessary for them to become productive members of society after their release. There were now about 260 prisoners who worked in a range of workshops, including plastic moulding,
tailorA tailor is a person whose occupation is to sew and scissor menswear style jackets and the skirts or trousers that go with them.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits,...
ing and scrap metal recovery. Some also worked outside the prison (some unsupervised), for example in the local Park or Churchyard, on local farms or at the
BabychamBabycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling perry invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England; the name is now owned by Constellation Europe Limited. Launched in the United Kingdom in 1953, the drink was marketed with pioneering television advertisements to...
brewery.
In the 1980s, the prison held prisoners who had been in prison several times before and had not reformed. Around this time the population continued to be 260 living in accommodation designed for 169.
In 1991, Shepton Mallet took its first category 'C' life prisoners – those nearing the end of their sentences. The maximum number of prisoners to be held in the prison was fixed at 211.
In 1992, the then
Chief Inspector of PrisonsHer Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
, Judge Stephen Tumin issued a report which said:
There were fears that the prison would be closed, but these proved to be unfounded.
Current use
Shepton Mallet became the first category 'C' second-stage solely-lifer prison on 1 August 2001. As such it holds prisoners who are not considered dangerous, but who cannot be trusted not to escape if they were held in an open prison. It has an official capacity of 160, but as at June 2008 was holding 185 prisoners, with the most recent arrivals having to share cells for up to a year. It is divided into four wings:
- A wing – 32 spaces
- B wing – 91 spaces
- C wing – 40 spaces
- D wing – 20 spaces
Population statistics
As at June 2008, the prison held 173 prisoners serving a life sentence and 12 serving
indeterminate sentences for public protection-Biochemistry:* Isopentenyl diphosphate, a metabolite of both the mevalonate pathway and non-mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis-Space science:...
. All 185 had committed offences categorised as violence against the person (including murder), and 47 were classified as sexual offenders. 16 prisoners were aged 60 or over, with the oldest aged 78 years. 134 had been at Shepton Mallet for a year or more, and 38 for four years or more.
The prison held only 5 foreign nationals, and had an usually low number of inmates from ethnic minorities: 152 prisoners were white British or white Irish, 12 other white, 16 black or black British, 1 Asian, 3 of mixed race and 1 of another ethnic origin.
2008 inspection report
The most recent report on the prison was issued following a short visit by inspectors from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons carried out in June 2008. The introduction to the report described the prison as:
The report commented in particular on the very good relations between prisoners and prison officers, the lack of bullying amongst prisoners, there being few occasions when prison officers had had to use force to restrain prisoners (only two incidents in 2008), and the fact that the prison was virtually drug-free. However the Inspectors lamented the fact that new arrivals to the prison had to share cells and recommended that this practice should cease; they also commented on the prison's antiquated heating system which meant that some cells were too warm or too cold.
Escapes and attempted escapes
Escapes, successful and attempted, from Shepton Mallet Prison include:
- November 1765 – prisoner Jeffreys, imprisoned for sheep-stealing. Recaptured after 10 days at Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border. It is nicknamed "The Pearl of Dorset." In the 13th century it developed into one of the major British...
.
- 5 July 1776 – Mary Harris, aged about 30, broke out. She was still free on 6 March 1777 by which time the reward for her capture had risen to 20 guinea
Guinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
s.
- 2 October 1819 – James Thompson escaped. He was caught in Bath on 23 March 1820.
- December 1835 – four prisoners, John Fowler, William Sage, Henry Mitchell and Thomas Ryan attempted to escape from the prison chapel, but were prevented from doing so.
- c 1860 – prisoner Judge escaped through the two-foot wide tunnel which carried the prison treadwheel shaft to the mill on the outside of the prison wall. He was later captured at Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 750 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...
.
- 23 February 1866 – Daniel James escaped through the roof and over the wall. He was recaptured by midday near Upton Noble
Upton Noble is a village and civil parish on the River Frome. It is roughly north-east of Bruton, and from Frome town centre, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England....
.
- 12 January 1878 – Samuel Glover Fudge, age 27, escaped. He was recaptured and, at the assize held in Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
on 28 March 1878, was sentenced to an additional three weeks of hard labour.
- during the prison's Second World War use as a British military prison:
- Brian Houghton escaped and remained free until voluntarily surrendering himself; he was court-martialled for his escape.
- prisoner Maddison escaped.
- prisoner Gutheridge escaped but was recaptured in Shepton Mallet.
- prisoner George M, a professional safe-cracker, was found to be missing at morning roll call.
- July 1945 - during the prison's use as an American military prison, seven American soldiers stacked railway sleepers against a wall to escape, possibly also with assistance from outside. Three remained at large for almost two months.
- 17 August 1966 – a convict, in prison for larceny and burglary, escaped whilst engaged in repairing prison staff accommodation. He was found later the same day having a drink in The King William Inn in the town.
- 30 July 1968 – two prisoners in an outside working party, again repairing staff accommodation, made off.
- May 1970 – once again a prisoner in an outside working party escaped his escorts. He was apprehended in the town centre a little over two hours later.
- 1976 – three inmates escaped through the barred toilet window of their dormitory, made it to the roof and then escaped over a lower roof.
- Summer 1977 – three men made their escape through the window of the plastics moulding workshop. A fourth attempted to escape but was prevented. One of the successful escapees was caught fairly quickly. The second was finally apprehended in Bridgwater
Bridgwater in Somerset, England, is a market town, the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and the leading industrial town in the county.Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England....
after hijacking' is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction, which did not...
a police car and forcing the officer, at knife-point, to drive him away. The third remained at large until his arrest three months later for burglary.
- 1981 – the lock on a cell door was found to have been sawn off. The occupants of the cell were found elsewhere in the prison before they escaped.
- 24 July 1981 – two prisoners escaped from an outside working party. They were found in Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
six hours later that same day.
- February 1985 – a prisoner who set fire to his bedding in the hospital wing and pretended to be unconscious was taken to the Royal United Hospital
The Royal United Hospital is located in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, about 1½ miles from Bath city centre.The Royal United Hospital takes its name from the union of the Bath Casualty Hospital founded in 1788 and the Bath City Dispensary and Infirmary founded in 1792.The Casualty Hospital was...
, Bath. However, when there he changed his mind and decided not to escape. In court he pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage.
- 7 May 1985 – a prisoner left an outside working party but was recaptured five hours later a couple of miles north of the town.
- July 1985 – another prisoner absconded from work at the Town Council offices and stole some items from the parish church. He was found later in the day and, following trial, sentenced to an additional two months.
- 29 January 1987 – an inmate clearing snow in Collett Park made off, but was later arrested.
- 28 February 1987 – a prisoner stole and made off in a prison officer's car.
- 7 May 1987 – three men sawed through their cell window's bars, climbed on to the roof and escaped over the wall using a rope of knotted sheets.
- November 1990 – three prisoners broke through the ceiling of their cell, accessed the roof and descended the wall using knotted sheets.
- later in November 1990 – another prisoner escaped.
- 25 February 1991 – two prisoners managed to squeeze through a narrow hole in the ventilation shaft of the prison's plastics workshop. They were apprehended within a few hours, having been seen by a member of the public hiding from police.
- March 1991 – not technically an escape from the prison, but a Shepton Mallet prisoner who had tricked officers into taking him to the Royal United Hospital, Bath, by telling them that he had swallowed razor blades and glass escaped from his escorts through a toilet window. He was arrested in Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the...
four days later.
- June 1991 – a prisoner on an organised trip into Shepton Mallet to buy food for the prison kitchen made off.
- June 1991 - another inmate, part of a party making repairs to the prison wall, escaped.
- July 1991 – a prisoner in an outside working party escaped after asking to use the toilet.
- 5 November 1993 – after making a hole through a wall two feet thick, three prisoners escaped on to the roof and then descended the prison wall by means of knotted sheets. They were soon recaptured.
- Early January 1996 – prison officers found parts of the grill from a cell window in the cell yard, and subsequently found a rope and six-inch masonry nail in a cell. A prisoner was initially charged with attempting to escape, which was later reduced to damaging prison property for which he received a 21-day extension to his sentence.
It may be thought from the above list that prisoners on outside working parties spent all their time trying to escape. However, on one occasion two prisoners undertaking gardening work near the parish church went to the aid of an elderly lady who had collapsed, by breaking into her house with the help of a neighbour. They were rewarded for their efforts by an official commendation and a reduction in their sentences of seven days.
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