Newgate Prison was a notorious prison in London for over 700 years, inspiring social reformers due to its squalor. It was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, holding a range of prisoners. The prison no longer exists, but its history lives on through depictions in art and literature.
Newgate Prison was a notorious prison that operated in London for over 700 years. It has appeared in a number of novels and films about British history, and the conditions in the prison inspired many 19th-century social reformers, who were rightly horrified by the squalor of Newgate. Newgate Prison has a turbulent history and during the years it has been in operation it has housed a wide range of Britons, from famous people such as Thomas Malory, author of Le Morte d’Arthur, to debtors who have been unable to settle their accounts.
The prison no longer exists today, but was located on Newgate Street, close to the Roman wall that once surrounded London. The street and prison are named after the nearest door in the wall, although a clear explanation of the door’s name has been lost to history. Historians theorize that Newgate got its name from an expansion of St. Paul’s Church near Ludgate which led to increased traffic, causing the town to create yet another gateway for people who wanted to bypass St. Paul’s.
Originally, Newgate had a small gaol, which was enlarged into a full gaol in 1188 by order of Henry II. This prison was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, after which it was rebuilt again. In 1780, a series of violent riots ravaged Newgate Jail again, and it was rebuilt just in time for the London Gallows to move to Newgate Jail in 1783. In the early 19th century, social reformers raised awareness of the conditions of the prison, leading to some changes in the structure of the prison. Eventually, the prison was closed in 1902 and destroyed in 1902.
During its time as a prison, Newgate Prison held prisoners awaiting trial, people who had been sentenced to death and debtors, among others. The layout of Newgate Prison included an area for ‘ordinary’ prisoners as well as more luxurious cells for people who could afford to pay them. The prison offered no services beyond its cell walls, and conditions inside could be extremely grim, especially for those without outside help.
It’s a shame that Newgate Prison was destroyed, as it played an important part in British history. The building that replaced it, the Old Bailey, is itself an important listed building, serving as one of the main criminal courts in England. Numerous depictions of Newgate Prison can be found in contemporary writing and art, fortunately, so the prison’s sordid history is unlikely to disappear entirely.
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