Рет қаралды 27,698
" Built in 1610 following on Act introduced by King James I, which stated that all counties had to have their own ‘House of Correction’; Shepton Mallet was the oldest working prison in the United Kingdom up until its closure at the end of March 2013
The prison has a long history of death sentences being carried out under methods including HDQ, hanged and by firing squad. The Hanging room which still exists, though has been used as office space for many years. Following the Monmouth Rebellion of 1642-1685 at least 12 Shepton men were HDQ for having sympathised with the rebels, their bowels were burned and their heads placed on poles around the town.
The last death sentence at Shepton Prison occurred in 1945 under military use. The last civilian hanged there was John Lincoln in 1926, for fatally shooting 25 year old Edward Richards in Trowbridge on 24th December 1925. The list of executioners used included Thomas and Albert Pierrepoint. The gallows were removed in 1967 after the return of the prison to civilian use in 1966."