Rules and Orders for Morpeth Gaol, 1811
Reference: SANT/BEQ/28/1/3/271
Suggested age groups: KS2, KS3, KS4, lifelong learners
Subject areas: History, Citizenship, Maths, Biology, Food Technology
CONTEXT
The printed rules that can be seen here were hung up in the prison for all prisoners to see. However, it is unlikely that many of the prisoners would have been able to read.
The rules include:
Rule 1: Prisoners to attend church service on Sundays.
Rule 8: Prisoners could be brought up to 3 pints of beer a day, but no spirits.
Rule 11: Friends of prisoners could visit up to three times a day, except for on Sundays.
Rule 15: “The gaoler and his officers shall treat the several prisoners in his custody with tenderness and humanity…”
At the end of the rules is a list of charges that the gaoler could make. If the inmate wanted their own bed or better bedding, they had to pay for it. The gaoler also charged an inmate when they left the prison. (“For the discharge of each felon…”) You can compare this list with the 1759 list of charges at Morpeth Gaol in John Howard’s book (see link below).
Lady Day: 25 March
Michaelmas: 29 September
The charges to the Gaoler are in pounds (£), shillings (s) and pence (d). This was the system of money used in Britain before 1971. 12 pence were equal to 1 shilling and 20 shillings were equal to 1 pound. Someone working for a farmer might earn about 2 shillings a day and bread cost about 1 ½ d per loaf.
The lower-case letter “s” on this poster looks like the letter “f”. This is typical of the time and you can also see it in John Howard’s book (see link below).
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1
Background
The printed rules that can be seen here were hung up in the prison for all prisoners to see. However, it is unlikely that many of the prisoners would have been able to read.
SEE
See: List one rule that shows how important religion was in 1811.
See: List one rule that shows how prisoners were allowed to interact with their families.
See: List one rule that shows how the prisoners were expected to treat each other.
See: List one rule that shows how the gaoler was expected to treat prisoners.
See: List one rule that shows what the prisoners were allowed to eat or drink.
See: List one rule that shows there was an attempt to consider hygiene.
See: List one rule that shows what the sleeping conditions would have been like for prisoners.
See: List one rule that shows the types of rooms that were inside the prison.
See: List one rule that shows how prisoners would have been punished if they disobeyed the rules.
THINK
Think: What impression do you get of the conditions of the prison from reading the rules?
Think: Do you think these rules were followed?
Think: Do you think the prisoners were treated fairly?
Think: Which of the rules is most surprising to you?
Think: Which of the rules do you think would be used in prisons today?
Think: Why were the rules displayed if the prisoners couldn’t read them?
Think: Do you think prisoners were aware of these rules if they could not read them?
Think: What other ways could the rules have been displayed so the prisoners could understand them?
DO
Do: Imagine you are working in a prison and have been tasked with writing a new set of rules and orders. Come up with a list of 10 new rules from the prison.
Do: Can you present your set of rules in a way that someone could understand if they were unable to read?
Resources
ACTIVITY 2
Background
Typography is the style and appearance of printed matter. The lower-case letter “s” on this poster looks like the letter “f”. This was typical of the time.
SEE
See: What is typography?
See: Which letter in the rules document looks different to how we write it now?
THINK
Think: Why did the letter “s” look like the letter “f”?
Think: How would the rules document have been printed?
Think: What types of printing were used in the early 1800s?
Think: How was paper made in the early 1800s?
DO
Do: Have a go at making your own paper. You could do this using pulp made from recycled paper or linen rags.
Do: Design your own typography that could be used to print your set of rules.
Do: Have a go at printing your stylised typography rules onto your handmade paper. There are several different ways that you could create prints such as relief printing and stamp printing.
Resources
ACTIVITY 3
Background
The charges to the Gaoler are in pounds (£), shillings (s) and pence (d). This was the system of money used in Britain before 1971. 12 pence were equal to 1 shilling and 20 shilling were equal to 1 pound. Someone working for a farmer might earn about 2 shillings a day and bread cost about 1 ½ d per loaf.
SEE
See: Which units of currency are used on the poster?
See: Which unit of currency does £ represent?
See: Which unit of currency does s represent?
See: Which unit of currency does d represent?
THINK
Think: When did we start using the decimal currency that we currently use?
Think: Why did we change our units of currency?
Think: What is inflation?
Think: How does inflation affect the value of currency? Why does this change how much something would have been worth between now and 1811?
DO
Do: Write out the “Table of Fees and Rates to be taken by the Gaoler” and the “Rates of Rooms”. Can you convert the costs into today’s money taking inflation into account?
Do: Imagine that you work in a prison and have been tasked with writing out new rates and fees. Create a table showing the new rates and fees. Can you include both present-day and 1811 costs?
Resources
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
Keys to the Past (Northumberland and Durham Historic Environment Record) website, page about Morpeth Gaol: http://www.keystothepast.info/article/10339/Site-Details?PRN=N11546
Spartacus Educational website, page about John Howard:
https://spartacus-educational.com/REhoward.htm
Howard League website, page with biography of John Howard:
https://howardleague.org/john-howard/
The State of Prisons in England by John Howard, Google Books:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zTR9istX3x4C&source=gbs_navlinks_s
BBC Bitesize website, page about prison reform:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z938v9q/revision/5