Students from the Wiltshire College evening class for adults improving their literacy skills have been creating powerful pieces of creative writing based on documents, books, photographs and newspaper accounts on prison life in Victorian Wiltshire. Please 'read more' to see this and other excerpts....

Jennifer Hart was inspired by a journal article on Bratton’s worst murder to write the diary of Rebecca Smith.

1848 Friday 31 December

Had three more children die on me in the last few years. Wish people would stop talking about it. My sister said that the village is not talking about me and I should stop thinking those thoughts...

Click here to read the full account which considers adults themes.

 
Devizes Prizon, 19th Century 

Suzanne Baker based her work on an extract from Victorian Prison Lives which gives an account of the experience of child prisoners.

I can’t believe how a child of 3 yrs old ends up imprisoned for contempt of court...
 

Click here to read her work in full

Victorian Treadmill 

Sandra Herbert was fascinated the Register of Prisoners for Devizes prison and noticed several entries for one man, Henry Talbot. Here she writes his prison diary.

I’m really scared of my forthcoming retrial, and having to go through all the public humiliation again. I will pray for forgiveness. I dread each day and night, so long, so cold and damp. I have blisters on my hands and feet to my bones, from my hard labour working the tread mill. I can’t speak to anyone, it’s so lonely...

Click here to see the rest of her account which contains some adult themes and language.

Henry Talbot's Entry 

Stacey Sweeney has written an account of the history of Devizes prison based on various accounts from the local studies collection.

The Tread Wheel was a big iron frame of steps around a revolving cylinder. In the early part of the 18^thcentury prisoners were put on the treadmill for up to six hours a day. It had no useful purpose. It was just monotonous hard work...

Click here to read her account

Ground Plan, Devizes Prison