years past for any except those under sentence of naval courts martial; and it affords
no means of separat-ing the officers from the privates, or prisoners committed for
different offences, from each other.
The only appartment in the Admiralty division are, - ten night rooms, one day
room, and two strong rooms for refractory prisoners; six of the night rooms are on the
upper floor, each of them fit to one prisoner; but the other four are on the ground
floor, and open into the day room, which is also kitchen; these four are too small and
close to be used, except in cases of necessity; and as they appear to have been
taken out of the day room, which is thereby too much contracted, that room
mightbe improved by reuniting them; which we recommend, under the presumtion
that the late Act of the fifty-sixth of Your Majesty will render their continuance no
longer necessary. The strong rooms having no admission for air, except through a
grating in each door, are too stose and damp, and therefore require to be better
ventilated, and the wall themselves to be rendered and stronger and more secure
than they appear to be at present. There is no infirmaty in this division; and the only
yard for air and exercise is twenty-nine feet by twgnty-three, in the middle of the
building, and necessarily between high walls. This division was formerly part of the
county gaol, and purchased from the county when the new gaol was erected in
Horsemonger Lane.
The other division of the prison, exclusive of the deputy marchal's house, and of the
chapel, which is common to both, is properly for the reception of prisoners from the
Court of Your Majesty's palace of Westminster, and of civil prisoners, if any there were,
from the court of the Marshalsea of Your Majesy's honourable household. It consist of
three stories, containing fifty-six small rooms, most of them about ten and a half feet
square, and from eight to nine feet high; four of these are appropriated to two of the
turnkeys and their families, and two other to the prisoner keeping the chandler's shop.
Of the remaining fifty, seven, being the whole of one staircase, are appropriated to
females; and seven on another staircase, form what is called the Poor side; of the
remaining thirty-six, being called the Master's side, four have, till lately, been
occupied by naval officers, committed under sentence of naval courts martial, who
have been allowed this indulgence, as the only means of separating them from the
privates; but it may be expected that this accommodation will no be required in
future.
There are also, in this division of the prison, the following rooms: a public room
called the day-room, sometimes also called the kitchen; another room called the
ale-room, sometimes called the tap-room, and sometimes the coffee-roopn; above
these rooms, on the first floor, is one bed room for the person who keeps the tap, and
one for one of he turnkeys; above these is an infirmary for men, and opposite to it,
one for women; and between these two is an small room for a surgery. If appears
from the evidence, that these infirmaries are stated to be properly warmed, and
each of them capable of containing six beds; but there being rarely occasion tu use
the infirmaty for any sick female, it is generally applied to the accommodat-ion of
prisoners on their first admission, and till they can provide themselves with bedding
Isewhere; the bedding being provided by the tapster at sixpence a night.
[Report p.357-8]
