Wakefield House of Correction

The House of Correction was established in the 1590s by George Saville as a place of detention and not punishment. The original site was at Northgate, Wakefield. George Saville was a barrister and a member of the Inns of Court. His foundation was based upon the House of Correction at Cold Bath Fields in London. In his will of 1595 George Saville left £20 towards the building of the House of Correction at Wakefield.

Houses of Correction were established to deal with petty thefts and crimes committed by itinerant workers and travellers. In 1597 the House of Correction became the responsibility of the Justices of the Peace, who sat at the Quarter Sessions of the West Riding. The House of Correction took the prisoners from the whole West Riding. Prisoners tried under the Assize courts for serious offences were sent to York Castle, where executions were carried out.

In the early period the wages of the Governor and staff of the House of Correction were paid by charging the prisoners for their keep and fees to unlock their irons when they were released. Prisoners were also made to work and the Governor made a profit from their income. The more a prisoner could pay the better his conditions would be.

Prisoners at Wakefield were marched in handcuffs and neck fetters to the sessions. The longest march was to the quarter sessions court at Skipton, some 35 miles from Wakefield. It was not until 1786 that a cart and horses were provided to transport the staff and prisoners to the sessions courts.

In 1823 a treadmill was installed and this was included in the penal policy. It was removed and later reinstalled in 1865 although its use was limited. The House of Correction transferred to central government administration in 1878. See H.M. Prison Wakefield.