Toodyay Gaol stood on lot R66, close to the first Convict Hiring Depot, in the original townsite of Toodyay, now known as

West Toodyay West Toodyay (previously known as Toodyay; colloquially known as Old Toodyay) was the original location of the town of Toodyay, Western Australia. It is situated in the Toodyay valley, north east of Perth. The Toodyay valley, discovered by Ensig ...

, in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Although generally referred to as a gaol, it was technically a lock-up, holding prisoners only until they were brought before the resident magistrate (after which, if appropriate, they were transferred to Fremantle Prison). Construction of the new gaol began on 23 December 1851. A number of ticket-of-leave holders were withdrawn from the road parties to carry out this work. Other masons and mechanics were on hand. The new gaol was built to a standard plan used also at

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 ...

. The building was of stone with a shingled roof. Due to the lack of a ready source of

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

, it was necessary to use

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

as a mortar. It was a large building containing twelve solitary cells with floorboards throughout. An extra cell was added for the holding of Aboriginal prisoners. A two roomed warder's quarters and store were attached. A brick paved exercise yard was laid, and the whole complex surrounded by a high brick wall. No provision was made for a courthouse or office and Magistrate

Joseph Strelley Harris Joseph Strelley Harris (1811–1889) was a pastoralist in Western Australia. Between 1840 and 1888, he was a resident magistrate, serving in the towns of Williams, Toodyay, Busselton and Kojonup. Early life Harris was born on 23 November 1811 ...

was forced to use the gaol storeroom as a substitute. The Toodyay Gaol was the largest building in the township and was completed by December 1852.

Pensioner Guard The Pensioner Guards were English military personnel who served on convict transportation ships en route to the Swan River Colony between 1850 and 1868, and were given employment and grants of land on arrival. Their initial employment lasted for ...

John Jones was appointed as its warder on 8 December 1852 and, even though he was lame, he carried out his duties to the best of his ability. However, further alterations were made to counteract the ease with which Aboriginal prisoners were able to escape. Several cells were lined with boards, the yard extended, and the wall heightened to . Iron rings replaced those made of wood. The Toodyay Gaol remained in use until 1861. By this time, the town of Newcastle had been gazetted, and the police had transferred their quarters to the new townsite. As a temporary measure, a three celled lock-up was constructed within the Barracks of the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot situated in Newcastle. For a number of years, the town of Newcastle found itself without an adequate lock-up. The lack of police supervision in "Old Toodyay" caused the closure of its last hotel, The Queen's Head.

References

{{reflist, 30em Buildings and structures in West Toodyay 1852 establishments in Australia 1861 disestablishments in Australia Defunct prisons in Western Australia Convictism in Western Australia