PRISON HULKS BRANDON THOMPSON PRISON HULK YORK WHAT

PRISON HULKS BRANDON THOMPSON

PRISON HULK “YORK”

WHAT ARE PRISON HULKS? § They were originally meant as a temporary means of housing prisoners before transporting to outlying prison colonies. • Hulks were typically old or unseaworthy ships, often ex-naval vessels that were moored in rivers and harbors. § Eventually prison hulks became a cost-efficient, and important part of the British prison system.

WHERE? • In 1784, the British government passed legislation that authorized the transportation of prisoners. This led to hulks being established in New South Wales (Australia), Gibraltar, Bermuda, and Tasmania. • One of the larger and more prominent ports for prison hulks was just off the shore of Woolwich on the Thames River.

PORTSMOUTH HARBOR PAINTING BY AMBROISE LOUIS GARNERAY CIRCA 1814

WHEN AND WHY? • This mode of transportation and housing was popular from 1776 – 1857 • The British used to transport to North America before 1775. However, the American Revolutionary war (75’-83’)put an end to that. • During this period around 150 capital offenses existed, including minor crimes such as petty theft. • The Home Secretary, William Eden, saw the inescapability that different accommodations would need to be made for the 1000 per year growing prisoner rate. • The prisons in England were already extremely overcrowded.

DAILY LIFE

WOOLWICH ARSENAL

HARD LABOR § Prisoners assigned to prison hulks, were often tasked with hard labor, such as building docks, preserving river banks, and, building arsenals. • Despite the low quality of life for the prisoners i. e. clothing, food, and accommodations; hard labor was intended to offset the costs. • Often times, the prisoners worked 10 -12 hours per day

THE FOOD § Most meals the prisoners consumed oxtail, peas, and a biscuit. § The biscuit was almost always moldy and green on both sides. § The meat was usually boiled or made into some type of soup. § Two days a week the meat was replaced with oatmeal and cheese. § They were allowed two pints of beer four times per week. § The water they received was poorly filtered usually directly pulled from the river. § Imagine how the water tasted for the fellows on the Thames river.

LAND OR SEA…IT SUCKS! BRITISH PRISON BRITISH HULK

LIFE ABOARD • Living quarters were par with the rest of prison hulk life. • The hulks were extremely cramped. • The prisoners lived on one deck that was barely tall enough for a man to stand up in. • All prisoners wore fetters. (basically a ball and chain) • Prisoners were often subjected to beatings, flogging, and sent to solitary confinement, which was nicknamed the “Black Hole”. • The prisoners were issued one pair of pants, a linen shirt and a brown jacket. (Many of the men who controlled the ships pocketed the remaining money from their clothing allowance the government issued)

LIFE ABOARD – DISEASE AND DEATH • Hygiene standards were extremely poor, which created a haven for illnesses and diseases. • Medical care was rarely given to the prisoners. • Two months after the first prisoners were established in hulks, a gaol fever rapidly spread. (Gaol is a type of typhus spread by rodents) • Dysentery was also very common due to the unclean drinking water. • Mortality rates were around 30%. • From 1776 – 1795 around 2000 of the 6000 prisoners serving their sentence on board a hulk died.

THE FALL OF PRISON HULKS • In 1779, John Howard started a campaign against the prison hulks during the renewal of the 1776 Act. • He wanted a more open style prison where the prisoners could work with each other by day and have separate cells for sleeping quarters by night. • Jeremy Bentham and others supported Howard’s views and plans. • After years of lobbying, the Millbank Prison was built in 1816. Unfortunately this prison was unsuccessful due to the way it was managed. Also, the overall architecture proved to be inadequate. • Despite the setback, many individuals were following suit with the idea of abolishing the transportation of prisoners. • Prisons were eventually built in Pentonville, Brixton, and Chatham to replace the hulks.

PENTONVILLE PRISON

THE FALL OF PRISON HULKS CONTINUED • In 1857, Woolwich Docks were burned down which finalized the ending of prison hulks. • The new jails followed a similar but different version of the colonial labor regimes. • Many convicts would go into the new jails on a probationary period, which would be followed by a pardon. • The stipulation to that pardon was they would be exiled to Australia. The government would word it as emigration. • Some of the old convict ships were turned into emigration boats. Such as the St. Vincent which was built in 1829.

SOURCES "Convict Hulks. " Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Sydney Living Museums, n. d. Web. 15 June 2016. <http: //sydneylivingmuseums. com. au/stories/convict-hulks>. "Prison Hulks on the River Thames. " Port Cities. Royal Museums Greenwich, n. d. Web. 15 June 2016. <http: //www. portcities. org. uk/london/server/show/Con. Narrative. 56/chapter. Id/414/Prisonhulks-on-the-River-Thames. html>. “Sentencing to Departure – Prison Hulks and Convict Gaols. ” Victorian Crime and Punishment. E 2 BN, 2006. Web. 01 July 2016. <http: //vcp. e 2 bn. org/justice/page 11382 -sentencing-to-departureprison-hulks-convict-gaols. html>