Corner of Yorkshire: Ripon Prison and Police Museum
A prison known as the House of Correction was established at Ripon in the 17th century. These were created throughout England following the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601, and gave one month’s hard labour as a cruel punishment to anyone convicted of petty theft, vagrancy, prostitution, disorderly conduct and other minor offences. Hard labour included the tedious task of manufacturing oakum - strands of rope impregnated with pine tar - for use in the shipbuilding industry. Records from 1877 show that sales resulting from this work were the highest of any prison in England, although none of the income went to inmates.
Hard labour included the tedious task of manufacturing oakum - strands of rope impregnated with pine tar - for use in the shipbuilding industry. Records from 1877 show that sales resulting from this work were the highest of any prison in England, although none of the income went to inmates.
In 1816 the House of Correction became part of the newly built Ripon Liberty Prison. This grim cell block was designed by Thomas de Grey, 3rd Lord Grantham of Newby Hall, and now houses an unusual but fascinating museum. Nine cells on the prison’s ground floor held as many as 18 prisoners found guilty of the above offences, whilst cells on an upper floor were used to incarcerate debtors.
The building became a West Riding Constabulary police station in 1887, replacing one on High Skelgate, and served that purpose until 1958. Today, North Yorkshire Police work from a building shared with the Fire and Rescue Service in Stonebridgegate.
The museum illustrates the harsh realities of life in a Victorian prison. Exhibits include a whipping post, birching chair and a pillory - a wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were imprisoned and exposed to public abuse. Examples of transport for beat bobbies include an original police motorcycle. The stories of some prisoners who inhabited the whitewashed cells are related, while other exhibits explain the process of fingerprinting and invite visitors to compile photofit images or try on a set of old handcuffs.