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 Remarkable Year of Governor Burgoyne
In prison histories, it is often the punishments and the criminals themselves that become the predominant focus, and other fascinating details often fall by the wayside. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lack of knowledge of the staff who ran these institutions. So, I was really excited when Dr Shane McCorristine, the Project Lead, said he had located a portrait of a former Governor of the gaol – Captain Roderick DHU Hamilton Glenyon Burgoyne.