Life Inside
Although it only had a short-lived history the gaol played host to many fascinating and tragic stories. Life Inside is a repository for some of these remarkable moments and also a collection of short and engaging articles on life in and around the gaol. These have been put together by the principal team and a selection of local experts and students.
Force feeding in Newcastle Gaol
Although most often associated with the treatment of suffragettes, force-feeding was also used more widely in prisons as a means of imposing discipline. A number of women supporting the suffrage movement went on hunger strike in Newcastle Gaol and were subjected to the ordeal of force feeding (for example, Lady Constance Lytton in 1909). However, what is less well-known is that some men held in the gaol during and after the First World War also underwent the ordeal of force feeding. These men were all Conscientious Objectors.
The Matron and the mattress
In 1834, the office of Matron at Newcastle Gaol was vacant. It was an important if onerous position. The work would be hard, monotonous, and often physically challenging.
The Last Woman Executed
The first prisoner at Carliol Square Gaol to meet their death on the gallows was Jane Jameson, occasionally recorded as Jamieson, in 1829. She was to be the last woman hanged in Newcastle and suffered the further ignominy of being the last prisoner of Newcastle to be publicly dissected, an additional punishment for the crime of murder until 1832.