The work of John Howard

John Howard toured the country in the 1770s visiting many gaols, bridewells and houses of correction, including Durham. He published his findings in 1777 in a book entitled The State of Prisons in England and Wales. We are going to use his findings for Durham (an enlarged version of the source and a transcript are available) to see what the prison was like at the end of the eighteenth century.

1. Who works in the gaol?

2. The Gaoler received no salary so how did he make money from his job?

3. What was the maximum number of prisoners at the county gaol?

4. Does anything surprise you about the number of debtors and felons that were imprisoned at this time?

5. How did the Gaoler get his job? (Note: durante Beneplacito means ‘during pleasure’, ie for as long as the Bishop likes.)

6. If the Bishop runs the prison, what does that tell us about his role in the running of the county? Think about the law and criminals.

Finished? Move on to the next page to find out more about conditions in Durham Gaol.

John Howard toured the country in the 1770s visiting many gaols and houses of correction, including Durham. He published his findings in 1777. We are going to use his findings for Durham (an enlarged version and transcript are available) to see why reform was needed.

1. Read the first and final paragraph carefully. Howard is describing the conditions of the debtors prison. Make a list of all the things that Howard finds at fault.

2. Now read the second paragraph about the felons’ prison. Make another list of all the things that Howard thinks are wrong with the prison.

3. Do you think Howard was shocked by the conditions in Durham gaol? What do you think the reaction of ordinary people would have been?

Once you have finished, find out more about Howard’s views on the prison system in general.

In addition to reporting on the state of individual prisons in England and Wales, Howard also made general observations about the prison system. Read the source very carefully (an enlarged version and transcript are available) and then try to answer the following questions.

1. Make a list of all the things that Howard thinks are wrong with prisons.

2. How many of these faults did he find when he inspected the old Gaol at Durham?

3. What does this comparison tell you about the need for a new prison in Durham?

4. Using your answer to question 1, make a list of the reforms that Howard might have campaigned for.

5. Using information on this site and other sources of information, find out if Howard’s campaign for an improvment in prison conditions was successful.

Once you have finished, find out if there had been any improvements by looking at what Fry and Gurney discovered when they visited Durham Gaol.