Wymondham Bridewell
Encyclopedia
Wymondham Bridewell was the local prison or bridewell
in Wymondham
, Norfolk
. The site was in use as a prison from as early as 1619. The present, grade II listed building, building dates from the 1780s. It closed as a prison in 1878. Since then it has had various uses including police station and courthouse. At present the main part of the building houses the Wymondham Heritage Museum.
The building was constructed in the form of a square and, in the 1820s the Governor’s house was at the front, cells were either side and the treadmill was at the back, There were 22 cells and most of them were 12×7 feet. They had brick floors and contained two iron beds, some three.
In 1824, the Bridewell staff included the Governor, two turnkeys and a miller and it contained two classes, two wards, treadwheel
(image), three day-rooms, two airing yards and the mill yard. After 1827 the Bridewell remained unoccupied until it was re-opened, chiefly for the incarceration of females in 1832. The average number of prisoners, in 1842, was 19. By 1853, although the Bridewell was a woman’s prison, it was sometimes used to house men awaiting transfer, with even quite dangerous prisoners kept there.
The conditions appear to have been quite civilised by the 1850s, as there were only nineteen inmates at the time of the 1853 report. Of the prisoners, five were under 16, five were married and 14 unmarried. The women were instructed in reading and writing by the Matron and the Chaplain helds regular services and instruction and many of the prisoners ended up taking jobs at the time of their release. The employment for the prisoners at the time included washing, ironing, mat-making, knitting, needle-work and cleaning the prison. The inmates at Wymondham were responsible for making, mending & washing the linen for Norwich Castle Prison, as well as their own and this work alone was valued at £69 9/9d that year.
Bridewell Palace
Bridewell Palace in London, originally a residence of King Henry VIII, later became a poorhouse and prison. The name "Bridewell" subsequently became synonymous with police stations and detention facilities in England and in Ireland...
in Wymondham
Wymondham
Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk 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 and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The site was in use as a prison from as early as 1619. The present, grade II listed building, building dates from the 1780s. It closed as a prison in 1878. Since then it has had various uses including police station and courthouse. At present the main part of the building houses the Wymondham Heritage Museum.
The building was constructed in the form of a square and, in the 1820s the Governor’s house was at the front, cells were either side and the treadmill was at the back, There were 22 cells and most of them were 12×7 feet. They had brick floors and contained two iron beds, some three.
In 1824, the Bridewell staff included the Governor, two turnkeys and a miller and it contained two classes, two wards, treadwheel
Treadwheel
A 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...
(image), three day-rooms, two airing yards and the mill yard. After 1827 the Bridewell remained unoccupied until it was re-opened, chiefly for the incarceration of females in 1832. The average number of prisoners, in 1842, was 19. By 1853, although the Bridewell was a woman’s prison, it was sometimes used to house men awaiting transfer, with even quite dangerous prisoners kept there.
The conditions appear to have been quite civilised by the 1850s, as there were only nineteen inmates at the time of the 1853 report. Of the prisoners, five were under 16, five were married and 14 unmarried. The women were instructed in reading and writing by the Matron and the Chaplain helds regular services and instruction and many of the prisoners ended up taking jobs at the time of their release. The employment for the prisoners at the time included washing, ironing, mat-making, knitting, needle-work and cleaning the prison. The inmates at Wymondham were responsible for making, mending & washing the linen for Norwich Castle Prison, as well as their own and this work alone was valued at £69 9/9d that year.
External links
- Map sources for
- The museum website
- A 1786 description
- The local Quaker meeting currently worships in part of the building