E2BN Gallery

Ground plan for the new New house of correction (also known as the penitentiary).

The prison population continued to grow at an alarming rate in Bedford (in 1802 65 gaol entries by 1817 242). In 1818 it was decided to erect a House of Correction not directly connected with the old County Gaol/House of Correction. The next year, a circular letter sent by the Clerk of the Peace stated the New House of Correction "...was fit for the reception of prisoners" Recommended by the court that offenders against the Game Laws, servants and labourers for misbehaviour in their employment, men for cases of bastardy, women committed for lewdness, persons committed for light offences or for want of sureties "with the exception in all cases of Prisoners of notoriously bad Characters" shall be sent there. The old or new house of correction should be specified on all warrants of commitment. There was a tread mill and a hand crank for those prisoners incapable of working at the tread mill.