Ii8 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



off my premises directly I'll send the constable after 

 you." Jem took the hint and himself off at the same 

 time, and I suppose went home on his way rejoic- 

 ing. This is a sample of gaol discipline within easy 

 recollection. 



The sons of our neighbour, the governor, being about 

 my own age, and going to the same school, I was 

 constantly visiting at their residence within the walls of 

 the prison, while the windows of our nursery and other 

 rooms looked into the gaol premises. I therefore had 

 many opportunities of seeing the prisoners, and of 

 knowing the system of management then employed. 

 At that time, 1824 to 1840, and for very many years 

 previously, scarcely any attempt at classification of 

 prisoners had been practised ; and in this prison, which 

 had the reputation of being excellently managed, there 

 were about eight wards, surrounded by high walls, with 

 loose bricks at the top to crush the rash convict who 

 would venture to escape. Around these wards were the 

 living-rooms ; the floor as well as some of the yards were 

 paved with Yorkshire flagstones, a few had a pavement 

 round a gravel centre. There were open fireplaces in 

 most of the rooms, closets, and dust-holes adjoining. 

 The sleeping-rooms over the living-rooms Avere caged 

 off into separate enclosures by iron bars, with a boarded 

 partition between each cage ; the doors were iron 

 gratings with a bar to drop on the staple on the floor, 

 the cage opposite having a similar arrangement, so that 

 two bars might fall on the same staple. Sometimes the 

 turnkey would accidentally oniit to thread the chain 

 through one of the staples, or the bar might be bent. 



