The Female Prison is a former women's prison and a

Grade I Listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

located in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, North Yorkshire. Since 1938 it has been part of the

York Castle Museum York Castle Museum is a museum located in York, North Yorkshire, England, on the site of York Castle, which was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The museum itself was founded by John L. Kirk in 1938, and is housed in prison b ...

History

The prison and yard were built in 1780–83 at a cost of £1,540 and to a design by Thomas Wilkinson and John Prince. The frontage of this building matches that of the Court building on the opposite side of the bailey. The prison was altered and wings added in 1802 with a podium and steps added in 1820–50. The front of the building is constructed from sandstone ashlar with the inside of the portico rendered. The prison was bought by York Corporation in 1934 opening as the Castle Museum in 1938.

Executions

The castle area became the regular place of executions in York in the early 1800s, replacing the Tyburn on the Knavesmire. The new gallows were completed on 8 March 1801 at a cost of £10 and 15 shillings and were first used for the execution of a cattle thief, Samuel Lundy, on 11 April 1801. Condemned criminals were hanged in this space, known as 'the Drop', between the Assize Courts and the bailey wall until 1868. From 1868 to 1896 executions took place inside the prison walls at the north end of the Female prison. A total of 153 men and 7 women were hanged in the Castle precincts between April 1801 and December 1896.

Mary Bateman Mary Bateman ( née Harker; 1768 – 20 March 1809) was an English criminal and alleged witch, known as the Yorkshire Witch, who was tried and executed for murder during the early 19th century. Biography Most of the details of Mary Bateman's l ...

, known as the 'Yorkshire Witch', was executed at the Castle on 20 March 1809. A 1998 archaeological excavation immediately to the north of the Female prison located five graves, thought to date between 1802 and 1826. The skeletal remains were analysed and are thought to represent executed prisoners from the site. One of the skeletons, an adult female (aged 18–25 at death), had had a post-mortem

craniotomy A craniotomy is a surgical operation in which a bone flap is temporarily removed from the skull to access the brain. Craniotomies are often critical operations, performed on patients who are suffering from brain lesions, such as tumors, blood clot ...

performed on her, though it is unclear whether this was performed as an autopsy or for anatomical dissection in the interests of science. The

Murder Act 1752 The Murder Act 1751 (25 Geo 2 c 37), sometimes referred to as the Murder Act 1752,Leon RadzinowiczA History of English Criminal Law and Its Administration from 1750 Macmillan Company. 1948. Volume 1. Page 801. was an Act of the Parliament of Gr ...

stipulated that only the corpses of murderers could be used for dissection, though this was changed by the

Anatomy Act 1832 The Anatomy Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. IV c.75) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave free licence to doctors, teachers of anatomy and bona fide medical students to dissect donated bodies. It was enacted in response to public revu ...

which provided provision for surgeons and physicians to access cadavers that were unclaimed after death.

References

{{Prisons in Yorkshire and the Humber Grade I listed buildings in York Defunct prisons in North Yorkshire History museums in North Yorkshire Prison museums in the United Kingdom Grade I listed prison buildings York Museums Trust 18th-century establishments in England Women's prisons in England