Although " the gaol is the King's." as has been stated, the remark, formerly applied to the institution not necessarily to the premises. Richard Lintott and John Lintott owned the first two gaols at Horsham, and the twenty acres of gaol lands, besides a great amount of other property in the borough and neighbourhood. When, however, about 1640 another change was decided upon the county authority took up the business, bought its own land, and built its own new gaol

By a pair of indentures dated 13th and 14th March. 1640.

 

" William Greenfield the elder of Billingshurst in the County of Sussex, butcher, and William Greenfield the younger of the same place, butcher, " did sell " unto Sir Henry Compton of Brambletye: Sir Thomas Pelham of Hayland; Sir William Goring of Burton; Sir Thomas Parker of Willington; Sir William Ford of Harting: Sir John Leeds of Wappingthorne; and Thomas Henshaw of Billingshurst " all that messuage or tenement and all that barn to the said messuage or tenement belonging commonly called or known by the name of Ockledens - situate lying and being in the parish town of burrough of Horsham. in the said county of Sussex - bounding, abutting, lying, or adjoining to the great street commonly called the Bulls Place in the said town and burrough, and held of the said town and burrough of Horsham in free and common burgage by the yearly rent of 6d. - to hold the same to them their heirs and assigns for ever.In trust nevertheless to and for the inhabitants of the County of Sussex aforesaid to be used and kept for a common goal for the said county of Sussex. "

 

In a subsequent deed dated the 19th January, 1750, after reciting the above stated fact it proceeds;

 

" all and every which said messuage and premises were purchased by and with the proper moneys of the inhabitants of the said County of Sussex and afterwards erected and built into a common, goale or prison of and for the said county and for the Sheriff of the same for the time being, but at the charge and expense of the inhabitants of the said County and for divers years last past employed and used by the several Sheriffs of the said County for the time being for a common gaol."

 

The building of the new gaol was begun very soon after the purchase of the land. For although full accounts from the beginning are not available, it appears that when " the accompts of Thomas Henshaw expenditor for the building of the gaol were examined " there was found due to the said Mr Henshaw upon the last accompts which was made the 7th September 1642 the sum of £47 12s. 6d. besides the interest of £50 borrowed upon bond for the use of the County, which money is still owing being to be paid by the treasurer for maymed soldiers for the Western part of this County."

This money was ordered to be paid to Mr Henshaw " as soon as it can be collected, and what money is in the treasurer's hands shall forthwith be paid to him in part."

 

From the fact that this order was not made until the 15th July, 1645: that on the 8th January, 1646. the sum of £13 "being the one half of the charge laid cut in securing the gaol due to Charles Towne Robert Nye, and others the workmen employed hereabout shall be forthwith paid unto them by the treasurer for maymed souldiers and charitable uses or one of them out of the first monies coming to their hands": and from other similar entries, it is obvious that the financial affairs of the County were not at all satisfactory. Payments were in arrear " by reason the treasurer cannot receve the money from the country to discharge the same."

 

Thomas Henshaw of Billingshurst, Under-Sheriff for the County, one of the original trustees of the new gaol, the one living nearest Horsham. appears to have been general supervisor of the building of the gaol until this time, but the condition of the gaol was quite as unsatisfactory as was the state of the county finances, for on the 5th April, 1649, complaint is made " that the common gaol at Horsham is not of sufficient strength to hold the prisoners by reason whereof divers (of them) have made escapes," and " it is ordered that the same shall be viewed and speedy course taken for the strengthening thereof, and it is desired by this Court that the committee at Horsham shall be pleased to view the same to certify how it may be secured that soe it may be done accordingly."

 

After two years, on the 7th April, 1651, there is recorded " the great necessity of the speedy ' repairing of the gaol at Horsham and that the charge thereof will be £100." And it is ordered " that the money shall be raised and levied " and " speedily paid into the hands of Richard Yates and Edward Michell Esquires, " the newly appointed expenditors of the gaol, " who are desired to be expeditious for the same work " By the 15th July, 1652, the financial situation of the county has improved, but the state of the gaol has worsened, for Mr Yates reports " that the moneys formerly ordered to be paid (£100), for the repairing of the gaol is all expended, the charge amounting to or for a greater sum than the sum was estimated to be.

 

" And " they are forced now to build it from the ground. " It was ordered that another £100 shall be given and paid unto them for the finishing of the work. On the 18th of April, 1653. Mr Yates and Mr Michell further report that " they are indebted to workmen for work and materials already used and that it will require £100 more to finish the same. " And it is ordered " that the money be raised."

 

Yet again on the 3rd October, 1653, with what courage and conscience one must guess at, Mr Yates reports that " the monies formerly allowed for the gaol is all expended and that the charge of finishing the gaol will amount yet to £120 more. " It was further ordered that " the money be raised accordingly. " In January, 1658, a further sum of £50 was ordered to be spent on repairs under the direction of Walter Burrell and Henry Yates, Esquires, who are " to view and see what is most fit to be done and to give them directions accordingly and are desired to be surveyors and expenditors for the finishing of the work.

 

" In October of the same year, one might almost now say as the result of such repairs, it was once more ordered that " it be referred to Henry Onslowe, George Husse, Edward Michell and William Freeman Esquires or any two of them to view the defects of the common Gaol at Horsham who are desired to call some able workmen to their assistance and to consider what reparations are fit to be done to make the said Gaol tenable and suflicient and to estimate the charges thereof."

 

In none of these many references to the building and repairing of the gaol, one of the most important county institutions, is there any mention of architect or contractor, nor indeed of jerry builder or his equivalent at that time. The whole piecemeal, haphazard business suggests that the jerry builder got the first hold of the job and kept the architect and mastercraftsman at arm's length for the whole of the eighteen years.

 

On the 15th October, 1669. Thomas Henshaw the last surviving trustee conveyed the gaol to a new set of trustees: again in 1707. and again in 1750 new groups of trustees were appointed as their immediate predecessors passed away. The site of this new gaol is clearly ascertained. It stood on the ground now occupied by the General Post Office and telephone department.

 

We have found, however, but few structural details. There are many subsequent, accounts of expenditure upon repairs to the gaol among which are mentioned the dungeon, two common vaults, felons' vaults, felons' wards, felons' inner ward, debtors' ward, women's wards, long ward, smugglers' ward, passage to vault, guard room, the large chain, the great gates.

 

In the British Museum there is the itinerary of a gentleman who visited Horsham about the year 1729. He says: " At the North end of the market place stands the Gaole built of free stone and crenelled on top, " . In the survey of the borough 1650 the jury present under the heading Scarfolkes " and that the new Gaole is holden of the Lord of this Manor in free Burgage but who is tenant to the lord they know not and the same is chargable with a yearly rent payable to the lord as above said 6d." In the margin is written " belongs to the County." This gaol remained in continuous use as such until 1779.

 

At the time cf John Howard's denunciation of the prisons of England to the House of Commons in 1774 the Horsham gaol was described as filthy and unsafe. In his report of it Howard says : " The wards are dark, dirty, and small and in no way proportioned to the number of unhappy persons confined there. There is not the least outlet for felons or debtors but the poor unhappy creatures are ever confined without the least breath of fresh air. The rooms are too small except the freeward for the debtors: no straw: no court and yet ground enough for one behind the gaol. Transports convicted at Quarter Sessions had, as those condemned at Assizes the King's allowance of 2s. 6d. per week. "

Howard's visit to Horsham and the other county gaols resulted in discoveries and disclosures which shocked and shamed Parliament and the nation, and eventually proved fatal to the whole of the old prison structures and administrations in the kingdom.

The Duke of Richmond, the Lord Lieutenant of the County, who, a very broad and liberal minded gentleman from the first supported Howard's movement, at once responded to his altruismand took the necessary steps for a new gaol for the county of Sussex. At three successive county assizes, upon his initiative, the grand juries presented " that the common gaol or prison of the county is insufficient both as to the security and health of the prisoners," and at the quarter sessions held at Petworth on the 2nd September, 1775, it was resolved to build a new prison at Horsham.

 

 

 

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