Horsemonger Lane Gaol
Encyclopedia
Horsemonger Lane Gaol was a prison close to present-day Newington Causeway
in Southwark
, south London.
Constructed between 1791 and 1799 to a design by George Gwilt the Elder
, architect
surveyor
to the county of Surrey
, this was once the largest prison in the county, and was adjacent to Sessions House, a court building also designed by Gwilt. It was built to replace the old county gaol housed at what had been the nearby 'White Lion Inn' on Borough High Street, Southwark (informally called the 'Borough Gaol') dating from the Tudor period.
Horsemonger Lane remained Surrey’s principal prison and place of execution
up to its closure in 1878. It was a common gaol, housing both debtor
s and criminals, with a capacity of around 300 inmates. In total, 131 men and four women were executed there between 1800 and 1877, the gallows
being erected on the flat roof of the prison's gatehouse.
By 1859, the gaol was no longer known as 'Horsemonger Lane' following the road's change of name to Union Road (today: Harper Road), being renamed Surrey County Gaol (through its alternative name, the New Gaol, the gaol should not be confused with the New Prison
, located north of the River Thames
in Clerkenwell
).
The gaol was demolished in 1881 and the site is today a public park, Newington Gardens
, adjacent to the present Inner London Crown Court
, opened in January 1921.
attended the public hangings outside the gaol of husband and wife Frederick and Maria Manning, who had killed a friend for his money and buried him under the kitchen floor. Dickens wrote to The Times
condemning such public spectacles.
Dickens later based the character of Hortense in Bleak House
on Maria Manning, while Mrs Chivery's tobacco shop in Little Dorrit
is located on Horsemonger Lane. Executions at Horsemonger Lane are also mentioned in Sarah Waters
' novel Fingersmith
.
Newington Causeway
Newington Causeway is a road in Southwark, London, England, between the Elephant and Castle and Borough High Street. The Elephant and Castle tube station is at the southern end....
in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, south London.
History
George Gwilt
George Gwilt , also sometimes known as George Gwilt the Elder, was an English architect of the late 18th and early 19th century, particularly associated with buildings in and around London....
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
to the county of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey 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. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, this was once the largest prison in the county, and was adjacent to Sessions House, a court building also designed by Gwilt. It was built to replace the old county gaol housed at what had been the nearby 'White Lion Inn' on Borough High Street, Southwark (informally called the 'Borough Gaol') dating from the Tudor period.
Horsemonger Lane remained Surrey’s principal prison and place of execution
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
up to its closure in 1878. It was a common gaol, housing both debtor
Debtor
A debtor is an entity that owes a debt to someone else. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor...
s and criminals, with a capacity of around 300 inmates. In total, 131 men and four women were executed there between 1800 and 1877, the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
being erected on the flat roof of the prison's gatehouse.
By 1859, the gaol was no longer known as 'Horsemonger Lane' following the road's change of name to Union Road (today: Harper Road), being renamed Surrey County Gaol (through its alternative name, the New Gaol, the gaol should not be confused with the New Prison
New Prison
The New Prison was a prison located in the Clerkenwell area of central London between c.1617 and 1877 ....
, located north of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
).
The gaol was demolished in 1881 and the site is today a public park, Newington Gardens
Newington Gardens
Newington Gardens is located on Harper Road in Southwark, London, England. To the north-west is the Inner London Sessions House, a Crown Court.The park occupies the site where Horsemonger Lane Gaol was located for almost a century from 1791...
, adjacent to the present Inner London Crown Court
Inner London Crown Court
The Inner London Sessions House Crown Court, more commonly known as the Inner London Crown Court, is a Crown Court in London, United Kingdom. It is located in the Sessions House on Newington Causeway at the corner of Harper Road in the Newington area of the London Borough of Southwark in South London...
, opened in January 1921.
Literary connections
In 1849, Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
attended the public hangings outside the gaol of husband and wife Frederick and Maria Manning, who had killed a friend for his money and buried him under the kitchen floor. Dickens wrote to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
condemning such public spectacles.
Dickens later based the character of Hortense in Bleak House
Bleak House
Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in twenty monthly installments between March 1852 and September 1853. It is held to be one of Dickens's finest novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon...
on Maria Manning, while Mrs Chivery's tobacco shop in Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period....
is located on Horsemonger Lane. Executions at Horsemonger Lane are also mentioned in Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.-Childhood:Sarah Waters was born in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1966....
' novel Fingersmith
Fingersmith
A fingersmith or finger smith is a person of extreme talent in any skill involving the use of hands. This term is most often used to refer to a talented pickpocket who has never been caught....
.
Inmates
- Edward Marcus DespardEdward Marcus DespardEdward Marcus Despard was an Irish soldier who served in the British Army. During the American War of Independence. Despard led a force to victory at the Battle of the Black River, securing the British presence on the Mosquito Coast. Following the war Despard was appointed Superintendent of what...
(executed at the gaol on 21 February 1803) - Leigh Hunt
- Maria Manning (executed at the gaol, alongside her husband, on 13 November 1849)
- William Chester MinorWilliam Chester MinorWilliam Chester Minor, also known as W. C. Minor was an American army surgeon who, later, was one of the largest contributors of quotations to the Oxford English Dictionary...
- Robert TaylorRobert Taylor (Radical)Reverend Robert Taylor , was an early 19th century Radical, a clergyman turned freethinker whose "Infidel home missionary tour" was a dramatic incident in Charles Darwin's education, subsequently leaving Charles Darwin with a horrifying memory of "the Devil's Chaplain" as a warning of the dangers...
- Arthur ToothArthur ToothArthur Tooth SSC was a Ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross . Tooth is best known for having been prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 for using proscribed liturgical practices...
- Margaret WatersMargaret WatersMargaret Waters was an English murderess hanged by executioner William Calcraft on October 11, 1870 at Horsemonger Lane Gaol in London....
(executed at the gaol on 11 October 1870) - Thomas Cathie Wheeler. Held April 1852 following matricideMatricideMatricide is the act of killing one's mother. As for any type of killing, motives can vary significantly.- Known or suspected matricides :* Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC....
committed by him. At his Old BaileyOld BaileyThe Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
trial he was sent to BroadmoorBroadmoor-Places:Canada* Broadmoor Boulevard, Sherwood Park, AlbertaUnited Kingdom* Broad Moor, an alternative name for Naseby Field, site of a famous battle of the English Civil War...
as insane, to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.