New County Gaol, South Street, Derby, England

The term Derby Gaol historically refers to the five

gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...

s in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Today, the term usually refers to one of two small ‘

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

s’, the gaol which stood on Friar Gate from 1756 to 1846 and the cells of which still exist and are open to the public. Their possible location, size and function have been assigned for the attraction, along side a modern kitchen and bar. The 1843 to 1929 Vernon Street Prison whose frontage can still be seen today, but has been the prison has been redeveloped for modern commercial use. Hangings in Derby

History

In 1652 the Cornmarket Gaol (no longer extant) was the site of the imprisonment of

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...

on charges of

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

. Fox became the founder of the Christian denomination the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

, perhaps better known as the Quakers. It has been alleged that Judge Bennett of Derby first used the term Quaker to describe the movement, as they bid him to 'quake for fear of the Lord', but the phrase had already been used in the context of other religious groups so the etymology is dubious. The last person to be hanged at Derby Gaol was William Slack on 16 July 1907 for the murder of Lucy Wilson.

Friar Gate Gaol

The Friar Gate Gaol was site of many hangings, and the small attraction today displays reproduction newspaper accounts of the executions on the walls, a replica of a gallows which stood in front of the building can be located in the small garden of the gaol. The police museum has subsequently closed.

The New County Gaol (Vernon Street Prison)

The Vernon Street Prison served as the County Gaol from 1843 to 1919, at which time it was demolished. The last public execution at Derby of

Richard Thorley Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

for the murder of Eliza Morrow took place here in 1862. From 1919 to 1929 the prison acted as a

military prison A military prison is a prison operated by a military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of ...

. Following demolition, the site served as a

Derby Greyhound Stadium Derby Greyhound Stadium or Derby Stadium was a greyhound racing venue in Derby, England. Origins A full century before turning into a greyhound stadium the site was used as the county gaol and called the Vernon Street Prison. It was a six-acre ...

, and today contains prestige offices, though the historical facade still remains.

Notable prisoners

Jeremiah Brandreth Jeremiah Brandreth (1785 – 7 November 1817) was an out-of-work stocking maker, living in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, who was executed for treason after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the Government of the United Kingdom. He a ...

- High Treason *

Humphrey Berisford Humphrey Berisford (probably died ''ca.'' 1588) was an English recusant who was imprisoned for his adherence to Roman Catholicism, dying in prison. Biography Christopher Green's 'F' manuscript, now in the English College, Rome, says of Berisford ...

- Recusant

References

External links

History of Derby County Gaol from theprison.org.uk

Derby Gaol website
{{Derby Museums in Derby Prisons in Derbyshire Prison museums in the United Kingdom Defunct prisons in England