In case anyone believes something on Google which states that the prison opened in 1769, the first prison actually in use was in the time of King Henry II. This from several sites about the prison:
Newgate Prison was a
prison in London, at the corner
of
Newgate
Street and
Old Bailey just inside the
City of London. It was
originally located at the site of a gate in the
Roman London
Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in
1777. The prison was extended and rebuilt many times, and remained in use for
over 700 years, from 1188 to 1902.
 |
| Newgate Prison |
The first prison at Newgate was built in 1188 on the orders of
Henry II. It was
significantly enlarged in 1236, and the
executors of
Lord
Mayor Richard Whittington
were granted a license to renovate the prison in 1422. The prison was destroyed
in the
Great Fire of
London in 1666, and was rebuilt in 1672, extending into new buildings on the
south side of the street.
It was certainly in use during the time of King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.
No comments:
Post a Comment