Bodmin Jail

Bodmin Jail is a notorious prison located on Berrycombe Road within Bodmin, Cornwall. Today the location serves as a hotel and attraction but, back from when it first opened at the end of the 1770s, Bodmin Jail conducted many executions in the way of hangings which would draw great crowds of people from around England. Not only did people die here from these hangings, but they also died here from natural causes such as disease. Overcrowding became a problem for Bodmin Jail during the 1800s, and this led to a few different extensions taking place. Finally, the jail closed during the 1920s; and with demolition attempts failing, the location became a nightclub before it first served as a visitor attraction. Bodmin Jail has recently undergone heavy investment and renovation to make it the hotel and attraction seen today.

Regarding hauntings, a number of prisoners who were hanged at the jail are said to haunt the location. There are a fair few vague hauntings too, such as 'The Warden' and 'Mister Shuffles'. Bodmin Jail does fully embrace it's paranormal side as they offer a number of paranormal events, plus they have a paranormal room within the jail where you can learn all about the history of the paranormal along with varying bits of folklore such as 'The Beast of Bodmin'. There are also claims that the paranormal activity within Bodmin Jail has caused some visitors to pass out and others to experience 'submersion', which is a form of possession.

History

Bodmin Jail was built by Sir John Call back during the 1770s. The construction of this new jail was prompted by a man called John Howard, the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, who travelled around England documenting his findings about the jail conditions during his time. It is said that during the year of 1774, John presented his findings to the House of Commons Committee. This presentation led to two Acts being passed which aimed to improve the conditions within jails. His findings detailed inhumane conditions within existing prisons which caused concerns from the committee. These concerns led to the Acts, and the Acts initiated a ground-breaking prison reform scheme.

Before Bodmin Jail, there was an old debtor's prison and sheriff's ward which had been built during the year of 1749. This location stood on the site of the Hole in the Wall pub in Bodmin and ceased operations during the year of 1779 upon being replaced by Bodmin Jail. During these times, there was no formal police force to keep law and order in Bodmin, and so it all fell to the locally appointed Sheriff. There were also hangings which occurred for crimes which varied drastically in severity due to a system known as 'The Bloody Code' that had been established in Britain from 1723. This system meant that over 200 offences were punishable by the death penalty. During the year of 1741, John Harris was hanged for horse theft and, during 1742, William Frances was hanged for sheep stealing. Another hanging which occured pre-Bodmin Jail is that of William Pearse who was hanged in Bodmin during the year of 1767 for stealing from a wreck.

It can be incredibly unclear as to exactly where all of the individual hangings took place, but I have discovered that the original Bodmin Gibbet was located at a place called Five Lanes. This gibbet had a triangular structure, which meant eight people could be hanged per side, and Five Lanes was nicknamed Five Ways in Bodmin. This was located on a high hill that would eventually be overlooking Bodmin Jail, and it was where the main turnpikes to Truro, Liskeard, and Wadebridge converged on the town. The executioners gallows was permanently sited here as it was beside the main roads that led in and out of Bodmin; and so this served as a strong warning to anyone entering the town. There is a little bit of debate as to exactly where it was located, however the general consensus says that it was clearly visible from Bodmin Jail.

It can be presumed that the Five Lanes location is where hangings would have occurred in Bodmin before Bodmin Jail was built. Sources can be somewhat unclear when it comes to this as they typically state a name, a date, a crime, and then 'hanged in Bodmin' without specifying the specific location of the hanging. So, it can be presumed the names and hangings discussed so far were possibly at Five Lanes. As for the hangings and further deaths, I will list all of those later in the article.

Going back to John Howard, there is contradictory information about the years where he gathered his information and presented them to the House of Commons. While one source has said it was during the year of 1774 that he presented his findings; other sources have said it was actually the year of 1777 that he investigated the prisons around the country which were known as 'Houses of Correction' during this time. Having done further research to see which is the correct date, I've found that his report from these findings titled 'The State of Prisons in England and Wales' was first published during the year of 1777. However, the UK parliament website states that John Howard did present his evidence to a House of Commons committee during the year of 1774, and that this did lead to the two Acts. So, it seems John Howard traversed the prisons during 1774, possibly earlier, and presented his findings during 1774. John then went on to publish these findings during the year of 1777.

One of the Acts to come about following John Howard's research granted permission to build a new prison which would reform criminals in Cornwall, and it set out to be the first of it's kind. This Act was passed during 1778 and it also provided the finances required to build this new 'House of Correction'. John Howard drew up plans for new prisons that would be designed to look after criminals and reform them. Instead of purely being focused on punishment, they instead wanted to teach the prisoners that what they did was wrong. This reform and rehabilitation was done through introducing a regime of solitary confinement, hard labour, and religious instruction. The overall creation of state-controlled prisons saw the introduction of tougher regimes, but an overall healthier environment for prisoners.

Construction for Bodmin Jail, at the time named 'Cornwall County Gaol', took place during 1779 under the direction of Sir John Call; a military engineer and High Chief of Cornwall. Apparently it was Sir John Call who decided that Cornwall needed a new gaol based on Howard's designs. As London is where Sir John spent the final few years of his life, there is a monument dedicated to him there. The new 'Cornwall County Gaol' used 20,000 tonnes of locally sourced granite and stone which came from a nearby quarry within the area of Bodmin Moor, and it was constructed by French prisoners of war. Some sources have cited these prisoners were a result of the Napoleonic wars, however these did not start until the year of 1803. This means the French prisoners could instead have been due to the American Revolutionary War which France entered into against Britain during the year of 1778.

The gaol provided inmates with better conditions than previous houses of correction as it utilised both gender separation and health care. The gaol also featured light and airy spaces for prisoners to live and work, plus the prisoners were paid for their work from products which were sold by the Governor. In fact, it's been said that Bodmin was chosen as the location for the new jail due to it being able to provide clean air and pure water to the jail. Sources have also said that the jail featured hot water, and that there is a rumour that prisoners were allowed one tepid bath every three months. In total, the initial gaol had a capacity of 67.

The construction of Cornwall County Gaol was completed to the designs of Philip Stowey and architect Thomas Jones of Exeter during 1779, and the building opened during the year of 1780. Some sources have contradicted this a little by stating that the building first opened during 1779, but I'm inclined to believe this was just the year construction was completed and that the first year of operation was 1780. I have also found information saying that John Howard designed the jail with James Chappel being the project manager and Thomas Jones assisting in the building work. So, I'm not too sure on if the jail was built perfectly to Howard's designs, or if it was a collaborative effort. If you have any documentation which clears anything up, then please do let me know and I will amend this article accordingly.

I've found that Bodmin Jail has been referred to under many names over the years. These names are 'Bodmin County Gaol and Bridewell', 'Bodmin New Prison', 'Cornwall County Gaol and House of Correction', 'Bodmin County Gaol', 'HMP Bodmin', and 'Bodmin Jail'. Apparently prisons within Great Britain were nicknamed Bridewells after London's premier gaol and this name stuck for a time regarding Bodmin Jail. As I haven't found any information around when the name changed, or if these were even used as official names, I will refer to the site as 'Bodmin Jail' for the remainder of the article.

The jail was built on fields called Berrycombe, which were located on the edge of Bodmin Moor; and these fields had been provided by Bodmin's ruling town Burgesses. The original jail built here included a gatehouse, a main gate, a chapel, workshops, an infirmary, an administration block, kitchens, a debtor's prison, and courtyards. This original jail was very different to the one seen today as it was later extended with older parts altered to cope with an increasing demand for space. After 1887, the debtor's prison portion of the jail became the officer's store and an infirmary for the Navy prison.

Despite hangings seemingly taking place at Bodmin Jail from around 1786, I've found that it was during the year of 1802 that a drop gallows was first installed outside of Bodmin Jail. I don't know if this means that hangings before this year were conducted elsewhere, or if it instead means that an alternative method of hanging was used at the jail; hence why I've still listed the hangings from 1786 as having occurred at Bodmin, but while questioning the jail part in the list featured below. As usual, if you know I'm incorrect with any of these details, then please do email me and I will correct the article. Relating to this, I have discovered that apparently the first confirmed hangings to have occurred at Bodmin Jail, not on Bodmin Moor, were those of John Vanstone and William Lee. John was aged 37, William was 60, and they both robbed the house of Walter Oake in Poughill on the 25th of February 1802. John and William were then hanged on Wednesday the 1st of September 1802.

Hangings

Many hangings occurred in Bodmin, and a large portion of those occured at Bodmin Jail. During the year of 1820, there were a total of 220 crimes you could be hanged for. Also, any theft, or attempted theft, worth over five shillings automatically had the death penalty as it's punishment. Apparently, executioners were paid £10 per hanging that they conducted; and it's said that thirty-five people were hanged for various degrees of murder at the Bodmin gallows. It's also been said that sixty-nine people in total were hanged at Bodmin, and that fifty-five executions took place at Bodmin Jail. I've found what seems to be a complete list of both the Bodmin hangings and the deaths which occurred at Bodmin Jail over the years it was in operation.

The list of hangings below will include any hangings which occurred after the jails construction and so some will have been at Bodmin Jail, and others will have been at either Bodmin Five Lanes or Launceston. I have chosen to include all of these executions regardless of location because despite them being executed elsewhere, I don't know where they were imprisoned. This means they could possibly all have a connection to Bodmin Jail even though some were not executed here. The information below will list name, age, crime, punishment, location of punishment, and the date on which the punishment took place.

1. Philip Randall, 27, burglary in Truro, publicly hanged, Bodmin Five Lanes, 02/03/1785

2. Robert Brown, 33, murder of a boy named John Newton, publicly hanged, Bodmin Five Lanes, 23/03/1785

3. William Hill, 33, murder of John Pascoe, publicly hanged, Bodmin Five Lanes, 23/07/1785

4. John Richards, 25, highway robbery with violence from Peter Jane, publicly hanged, Bodmin Five Lanes, roughly 01/08/1785

5. Thomas Roberts, 34, stealing a ewe sheep from Stephen Polkinghorne, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 06/04/1786

6. Francis Coath (possibly Goath), 45, stealing a ewe sheep from Stephen Polkinghorne, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), roughly 20/04/1786

7. John Gould, 23, burglary at Budock in Cornwall, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 10/04/1787

8. James Elliot, 35, robbing the Royal Mail on the highway, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 10/04/1787

9. William Congdon, 23, burglary at Rame in Cornwall, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 20/08/1787

10. James Kitto, 32, burglary at Breage in Cornwall, stealing 8 guineas +5/- from Bennett Treleva, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), roughly 14/09/1788

11. Michael J. Taylor, 22, stealing a mare, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 31/03/1791

12. John Carne (possibly John Dash), 23, burglary, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 31/03/1791

13. James Symons, 25, stealing an ox, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 31/03/1791

14. Benjamin Willoughby, 20, murder of innkeeper James James by fracturing his skull, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 02/09/1791

15. William Moyle, age unknown, feloniously killing a mare, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 15/09/1791

16. Jan Joice, age unknown, burglary at the Launceston post office, possibly hanged at Launceston, 1793

17. John Williams, unknown age, burglary at the Launceston post office, possibly hanged at Launceston, 1793

18. William Trevarvas (possibly Trewarris), 25, murder of Martha Blewitt, publicly hanged, possibly Bodmin (Jail?) but maybe at Launceston, 28/03/1793

19. James Frederick, age unknown, highway robbery of Thomas Leane, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 09/04/1795

20. Joseph Williams, 28, sheep stealing, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 27/08/1795

21. G. A. Selfcombe (possibly Safehorne), 35, murder of Dutchman Peter Jacobus Von Poilsma, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 23/03/1796

22. John Hoskin, 55, stealing a sack of wheat in Redruth, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 11/08/1796

23. William Howarth, theft of a purse containing 20 guineas, publicly hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 13/09/1798

24. William Roskilly, 34, burglary of Mawgan in Meneage, hanged, Bodmin (Jail?), 13/04/1801

25. Richard Andrews, age unknown, forgery and fraud, publicly hanged, outside Bodmin Jail's walls at southern jail gate, 25/08/1802

26. John Vanstone, 37, burglary at the house of Walter Oke, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 01/09/1802

27. William Lee, 60, burglary at the house of Walter Oke, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 01/09/1802

28. John Williamson, 32, breaking into the shop of Ms Tyeth, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 17/04/1805

29. James Joyce, 27, breaking into the shop of Ms Tyeth, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 17/04/1805

30. Lawrence Roach, age unknown, murder, possibly hanged at Launceston, 1810

31. Pierre Francois La Roche, 24, forgery of a £2 bank note, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 13/04/1812

32. William Wyatt, 40, murder by drowning Isaiah Falk Valentine at Fowey, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 01/05/1812

33. An unidentified mother and daughter, ages unknown, murder of an illegitimate infant at Lower St. Columb, believed to be hanged at Bodmin Jail, June 1812

34. Elizabeth Osbourne (possibly Osborne), 20, set fire to a corn stack, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 06/09/1812

35. William Burns (possibly Barnes), 21, murder of John Allen of Sennen, publicly hanged, Launceston, a Thursday during March 1814

36. John Simms, age unknown, murder of Joseph Burnett, publicly hanged, Launceston, 31/03/1815

37. William Rowe Junior from Stokeclimsland, 41, sheep stealing, publicly hanged, Launceston, 20/08/1818

38. Sarah Polgrean, 34, murdered her husband with poison, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 12/08/1820

39. Michael Stephens, 27, theft and murder of a ram, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 05/09/1820

40. John Barnicott (possibly Earnicott), 24, murder of farmer William Hancock at Cury, publicly hanged, Launceston, 02/04/1821

41. John Thompson, 17, murder of farmer William Hancock at Cury, publicly hanged, Launceston, 02/04/1821

42. Nicholas James Gard, 42, murder of Thomas Hoskin, believed to be publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail, 10/09/1821

43. William A Oxford, 21, arson setting fire to a corn stack, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 07/04/1825

44. James Eddy, 29, violent robbery of Jane Cock, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 19/04/1827

45. Elizabeth Commins (possibly Cummings), 22, murder of her child son, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 08/08/1828

46. Thomas Pring Coombe, 21, two cases of housebreaking, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 21/08/1828

47. William Hocking, 57, bestiality, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, a Thursday in August 1834

48. John Henwood, 29, murder of his parents, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 30/03/1835

49. William Lightfoot, 35, murder of Neville (possibly Nevell) Norway, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 13/04/1840

50. James Lightfoot, 24, murder of Neville (possibly Nevell) Norway, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 13/04/1840

51. Matthew Weekes, 23, murder of Charlotte Dymond near Rough Tor, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 12/08/1844

52. Benjamin Ellison, 61, murder of Mrs. Elizabeth Ruth Seaman, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 11/08/1845

53. James Holman, 27, murder of wife Phillipa Holman in Crowan, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 03/04/1854

54. William Nevan, 44, murder of Sgt. Major Robinson, publicly hanged, Bodmin Jail, 11/08/1856

55. John Doidge, 28, murder of John Drew (possibly Roger Drewe?) near Launceston, hanged, Bodmin Jail, 18/08/1862

56. Selina Wadge, 28, murder of her two year old son at Altarnun, hanged in a degree of privacy, Bodmin Jail, 15/08/1878

57. William Bartlett, 46, murder of a child at Lanivery, hanged in private, Bodmin Jail, 13/11/1882

58. Valeri Giovanni, 31, murder on the High Seas, hanged in private, Bodmin Jail execution shed, 09/07/1901

59. William Hampton, 24, murder of Emily Barnes Trevarthen Tredrea at St. Erith, hanged in private, Bodmin Jail execution shed, 20/07/1909

Hangings: Further Details

For some of the hangings detailed above, I have found a considerable bit of extended information around either the crimes which took place or their punishments. So, I will discuss this extended information below and then continue to discuss the jail's history following the list of death's which have occurred over time. To keep the idea of some sort of chronological flow to this article's history going, I will write about each hanging I've found further information on in chronological order. I will also list each prisoner below starting with the number they appear within the list of hangings above.

No10. James Kitto, age 32: Hanged roughly 14/09/1788

He was a carpenter who was convicted at Bodmin of stealing eight guineas +5/- from Bennett Treleva within Breage, Cornwall. A petition was raised which was supported by a Mr. Molesworth which cited grounds for clemency on the basis that this was Kitto's only case of housebreaking. It was pleaded that the crime featured no violence against Bennett Treleva during the theft and that James Kitto always had a visible and honest mode of substance. Kitto had even made a full confession of guilt and behaved well since his initial sentence had been passed.

This initial sentence of death was delayed for one month, but the judge still put Kitto for execution as the crime was 'particularly difficult for the poor to guard against', particularly during the summer season. There we no grounds for clemency given, but Kitto was given four more weeks after his second appeal before being publicly hanged at Bodmin. It's unsure if his hanging took place at Bodmin Jail, or elsewhere in Bodmin due to his hanging date pre-dating the first confirmed hangings which occured at the jail.

No31. Pierre Francis Xavier La Roche, age 24: Hanged 13/04/1812

Pierre was both French and an ex prisoner of war from the Napoleonic Wars which took place between 1803 and 1815. Pierre's crime was that of forging a £2 note, and upon being searched he was found to be possessing a knife which had been carved down to a dagger. This dagger was hidden beneath Pierre's shirt and it's said he wanted to use it to assassinate the chief witness of his crime. Pierre was then publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail.

No32. William Wyatt, age 40: Hanged 01/05/1812

William Wyatt was arrested for murdering Isaiah Falk Valentine by drowning him at Fowey, in Cornwall. William's execution was originally scheduled for Good Friday; and so due to it being illegal to hang someone on this day, his execution was delayed. William was then publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail.

No34. Elizabeth Osbourne (Possibly Osborne), age 20: Hanged 06/09/1812

On the 28th of May, Elizabeth set fire to a corn stack as a way of taking revenge on her former employer for discharging her. The corn, which had been described as a mow of corn by some and a corn stack by others, belonged to her former employer. Sources have cited different motives for Elizabeth's actions with others saying that she set fire to the corn because she was jealous that her employer ate better bread than her. I don't know which motive is true, but it seems agreed upon that she really didn't like her employer.

Apparently Elizabeth showed no remorse for her crime, and so she was publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail. There is also contradiction amongst sources about when Elizabeth's crime and execution took place. Where some sources have said both events occured during the year of 1813, others have said they occured during 1812. One source has detailed that her execution took place on a Sunday; and so, if this is true, then her execution must have occured during the year of 1812 as there is no Sunday the 6th of September during 1813, but there is one during the year of 1812.

No38. Sarah Polgrean, age 34: Hanged 12/08/1820

Sarah murdered her husband, Henry Polgrean, with arsenic which she had mixed into his butter. It's said that Sarah did this to escape a marriage which featured physical violence and abuse. Sources have also said that when questioned about why she owned the poison, Sarah responded by saying she had bought the poison to kill rats. Sarah was publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail for her crime, and it's said that if she committed the crime thirty years earlier then she would instead have been burned at the stake.

No45. Elizabeth Commins (Possibly Cummings), age 22: Hanged 08/08/1828

Elizabeth murdered her baby boy by beating it's head against a crib. For this, she was publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail.

No47. William Hocking, age 57: Hanged on a Thursday in August 1834

William was arrested for bestiality, and while the source which names him doesn't give any more information than this; I have found another source which says an unnamed man was hanged for having sex with a cow. I don't know for sure if it was William who interacted with a cow in this way, but given he is the only man I've found to have been hanged for bestiality, I think it's a pretty safe assumption to make that it was him. William's life came to an end when he was publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail.

No49. + No50. James Lightfoot, age 24 + William Lightfoot, age 35: Hanged 13/04/1840

Both James and William Lightfoot turned to highway robbery as a chance of earning themselves some more money. The brothers eventually murdered Nevelle (possibly Nevell) Norway, from Wadebridge, and so were arrested for this crime. They were both found guilty, after trying to blame one another for the murder, and were sent to Bodmin Jail for a double public execution which was a rare occurrence. Their public hanging drew a large crowd of 20,000 people who travelled from as far as London.

No51. Matthew Weekes, age 23: Hanged 12/08/1844

Matthew was accused of having murdered Charlotte Dymond near Rough Tor on Sunday the 14th of April 1844, and at the time everyone believed it had been him. As testament to how sure they were; there is a monument dedicated to Charlotte, which was erected before Matthew's trial had taken place, and features the text 'murdered here by Matthew Weekes' inscribed on it. However, since Matthew's hanging, there has been speculation that it may not actually have been him that murdered Charlotte; but still, not one knows for sure who it actually was if not him. When Matthew was hanged during 1844, it drew one of the largest public crowds at Bodmin Jail on record.

No53. James Holman, age 27: Hanged 03/04/1854

James killed his wife, Phillipa Holman, by striking her head with a clothes iron and then forcing her head into an open fire. For this crime, James was publicly hanged at Bodmin Jail.

No55. John Doidge, age 28: Hanged 18/08/1862

John was neglected by his parents and left to live a life of crime. During 1849, John spent nine months in Bodmin Jail for burglary; and this was just one of his times spent in prison. It's said that John murdered John Drew near Launceston following a pub brawl which occurred during the year of 1862, although I have found some sources instead refer to the murdered man as being called Roger Drewe. For the crime of murder, John Doidge was the final person to be publicly hanged outside Bodmin Jail with the use of the short drop method of hanging.

No56. Selina Wadge, age 28: Hanged 15/08/1878

Selina murdered her youngest son, Harry, by dropping him down an unused well which was located outside of Launceston. More specifically, it's been said that she killed her child in Alternun. She was unmarried, and to be an unmarried woman was frowned upon during her time. A man called James Westwood, who was a soldier, allegedly promised to marry Selina if she got rid of Harry. It's been said that Harry was disabled, and so this is why it was requested for her to get rid of him. However, it has also been said the reason was because her child was illegitimate. Selina did have a second son called John, who is said to have been four years old at the time, and apparently John was a key reason why Selina was arrested for the crime. Sources have claimed that when Selina told a witness that her child died of a throat infection, John spoke up and told the witness that the child was in a pit. This information is said to have contributed to the final decision of the judge despite it coming from a four year old child.

It's said that Selina's sentence was expected to be reprieved by the Home Secretary, Viscount Cross, on the day of her hanging; but this reprieve never happened. This refusal of clemency is said to have caused a bit of a stir at the time as some people believed Selina to be mentally ill, and so should have gone to Bodmin Asylum, not Bodmin Jail. Regardless, Selina became the final woman to be hanged at Bodmin Jail, and she was the first person to die through use of the long drop method of hanging. As she was the first, her execution was carried out by William Marwood, the creator of the long drop method, at a goods-in-goods-out door in a degree of privacy. It's said that Selina's final words were 'God deliver me from this miserable world'.

No59. William Hampton, age 24: Hanged 20/07/1909

William is said to have murdered Emily Barnes Trevarthen Tredrea, who was seventeen years old, at St. Erith. Emily was murdered during 1909 and William, who was her partner at the time, claimed it was him who murdered her. However, there is apparently still suspicion as to if it was actually him who had killed her. Before his execution, a petition of 3000 signatures was created to alter his sentence, but this plea was denied; and so, on the 20th of July 1909, William became the final person to be hanged at Bodmin Jail, and the final person to be executed in Cornwall. His hanging took place in the execution shed at 8am.

Deaths

The list of names below is all of the death's I've been able to find which 'naturally' occured at Bodmin Jail. One is due to an accident, but the rest all seem to be from illness. I've listed the names, the ages, the sentence duration, and the dates of death where I've been able to find them. Regarding Joan Wytte, the first name listed, I will discuss her in more depth at the end of the death's list.

1. Joan Wytte, aged 38, 1813

2. James Gordon, 55, 10/10/1825

3. Matthias Andrews, 19, 04/10/1826

4. John Riches, 24, 03/08/1827

5. William Nancarrow, age unknown, died serving a six week sentence, 26/05/1827

6. Jane Corney, 67, 24/08/1827

7. Mary Ann Francis, 25, 18/09/1827

8. Elizabeth Stotton, age unknown, died serving a four month sentence, 04/10/1827

9. Rosina Champion, age unknown, died serving a six week sentence, 05/12/1827

10. James Brenton, 17, 25/12/1827

11. Johnathan Long, age unknown, 26/12/1827

12. Thomas Lawry, age unknown, died serving a six month sentence, 20/02/1829

13. Charlotte Vincent, age unknown, 24/12/1829

14. Isaac Richards, age unknown, October 1829

15. Charlotte Radby, age unknown, died serving a one month sentence, 10/03/1830

16. Mark Nicholls, age unknown, accidentally killed while working in the quarry, October 1830

17. Thomas Hugo, age unknown, a debtor, died suddenly from rupture of a blood vessel, October 1830

18. William Walkey, age unknown, brought to jail in a dying state and lived a few days, October 1830

18. Mary Ann Keam, age unknown, died serving a three month sentence, 01/01/1831

19. Robert Curnow, 38, died during a flu epidemic, 19/02/1831

20. Brown, age unknown, a vagrant, 1831

21. John Phillips, age unknown, died serving a seven month sentence, 09/03/1831

22. Mary Ann Paul, age unknown, died serving a two month sentence, 20/03/1832

23. John Pipey, age unknown, a vagrant, died in infirmary of Typhus Fever a few hours after admission, 05/04/1832

24. Henry Behenna, 3, held in jail, 10/02/1833

25. James Behenna, age unknown, died serving a ten month sentence, 22/03/1833

26. Robert Wills, age unknown, 15/09/1834

No1. Joan Wytte, aged 38: Died 1813

Joan was born during the year of 1775 and died inside the jail of pneumonia during the year of 1813. She was known as the 'Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin', and was a local witch who was incarcerated in Bodmin Jail for brawling. It's said that she got into fights because of the abuse she got due to the accusations she received of being a witch; except these accusations were far more extreme than this as people said she was possessed by the Devil. Following her death, it was discovered that Joan had been living for years with an abscess under a tooth which caused her lots of pain. This poisoned abscess is believed to have been a probable contributor to her delirious rages and great show of strength.

After her death, her bones were used in Victorian séances and then displayed in a glass coffin located in the Museum of Witchcraft. She was finally laid to rest in in Boscastle during the year of 1998 with a headstone which features imagery of the different cycles of the moon and an inscription which says the following:

JOAN WYTTE

BORN 1775

DIED 1813

IN BODMIN GAOL

BURIED 1998

NO LONGER ABUSED

History Continued

Despite the quantity of hangings which occurred, and some being for minor thefts, not all theft convictions ended in execution. An example of this is that during the July of 1813, Ann Holman was convicted of stealing milk from a cow in Redruth. She was sentenced to two months in Bodmin Jail, and apparently the newspapers considered this to be harsh at the time. Before the jail's development, the jail would have been staffed by one jailer with two turnkeys. The cells of the jail were 13ft in length and 7ft in width with the doors to the cells being 6ft by 2.3ft and 2.5 inches thick. The male cells were lit by a gas light located outside of each cell, and there was a thick piece of glass infront of the light to prevent any interference. The punishment cells were only lit from the existing windows.

Around the year of 1819, there was a huge increase in petty crime in Cornwall due to a combination of poverty and a prevailing view amongst magistrates that very little misbehaviour would be tolerated. Prior to this new view, inmates at Bodmin Jail were sentenced for relatively minor crimes with short but harsh sentences. This change in view came about because behaviour in the way of drunkenness was rife in Bodmin, plus begging was considered disgusting, and loose women were not tolerated as Bodmin was a Christian town. These factors contributed in the formation of The Bodmin Association, plus local people were tired of seeing their orchards ruined and their turnips stolen.

Once The Bodmin Association was formed, which was basically a townsfolk committee, a reward of two Guineas was issued for any citizen who turned in miscreants and vagabonds. A particularly watchful eye was kept on landlords who encouraged card playing, gambling, and skittles. This new neighborhood watch scheme put more pressure on Bodmin Jail's capacity, and so soon the building was considered to be unfit for purpose. Examples of crimes during this time period are those of John Atkyns, who was given two months hard labour for stealing his friend's shoes, Mary Rogers, who was given six weeks for breaking a window in the poor house, and James Mallet, who was charged for being an 'incorrigible rogue and a vagabond'. For Mary's case, it was her 22nd time in the jail; and for James, it was his 10th time in the jail.

Other locations around Bodmin, such as Truro, followed on from Bodmin's example with Truro specifically setting up the 'Society for the Prosecution of Thieves' which offered large rewards to those who would turn people in. By somewhere between the years of 1815 and 1839 staff members at the jail increased to fifteen in total in order to cope with the increased demand, and this included a governor, chaplain, clerk, baker, plus both male and female wardens. The inmate numbers were relatively low until 1820, but overcrowding began to occur due to the increase in sentences for petty crimes prompted by magistrate intolerance and the neighborhood watch schemes.

Another factor which impacted Bodmin Jail's capacity issues was the rising crime rates in Britain prompted by the Napoleonic wars during the 1820s. These factors all resulted in overcrowding, and this meant that multiple prisoners occupied a single cell. As this was frowned upon in the prison reforms which Bodmin Jail was originally built for, the prison was extended to deal with capacity a number of times until the year of 1850. An example of how much these extensions were needed is that by 1836 Bodmin Jail's capacity increased from sixty inmates to one hundred and seventy seven. It's been said that the youngest recorded inmate was only six years old.

During the year of 1822, a treadwheel was ordered to be erected in Bodmin Jail's yard. This wheel was invented by William Cubitt, an engineer who was born during 1784 and died during 1861. The wheel, which was also referred to as an 'everlasting staircase', was somewhat similar to one on a watermill; but this one was much smaller so that prisoners could walk on it in order to turn it instead of it being powered by waterflow. The prisoners would have fifteen minute stints on the wheel with five minute breaks inbetween, and this punishment would last for six hours.

I have found contradictory information to this which states that the prisoners would have four hours on the wheel with four hours of rest, so I'm not too sure which was the case or if it varied from prison to prison. Another source has said that the prisoners would take turns between spending fifteen minutes on the treadwheel and spending fifteen minutes picking apart old rope; and this was done for eight hours a day, six days a week. Apparently, by 1883, Bodmin Jail's wheel was 80ft long, could hold up to thirty two prisoners, and would grind corn. The addition of this wheel led to the one and only prison riot I've been able to find which occured at Bodmin Jail.

During the year of 1824, the Governor of the jail was James Chappel; the project manager for when the jail was being constructed. James became both Bodmin Jail's full time 'Gaoler' and Governor during 1824 following the release of it's interim Governor, Edmund Leach. Edmund had been fired for complaining about Thomas Jones, who was the builder of the jail, and his workmanship. Both Leach and the complaints about Thomas were dismissed in court. Apparently it was James Chappel who ordered for the treadwheel to be built at Bodmin Jail, but if this is the case then either the wheel was installed later or James became the Governor earlier. There is also the possibility that, as the project manager, James could have ordered for the wheel to be built before he was Governor. The source which says he ordered it does refer to him as Governor with this information, so I'm unsure if he was governor at the time it was requested.

As for the riot over the wheel being viewed as too harsh a punishment, this event occurred during the year of 1827 and was due to an inmate called James Sowden. James was a miner who was sentenced to six months of hard labour, on the 24th of April 1827, for assault. He entered Bodmin Jail on Thursday the 26th of April 1827, and he begun the riot on Monday the 14th of May 1827. James, plus a group of prisoners, refused to go onto the wheel and proceeded to smash it up and tear it apart. It's also said that the prisoners involved armed themselves with bludgeons and threatened the prison guards. The magistrates Nicholas Kendall, who was born during the year of 1800 and died during the year of 1878, and Joseph Pomeroy dealt with the riot. Kendall sent a rider out to alert the local militia, called the Royal Cornwall Rangers, of the riot and order them into the prison to aid the guards and deal with it.

The riot was put down but James Sowden still refused to go onto the wheel. Apparently the reason for his refusal related to him being a miner. In this profession, he was used to hard labour; except, he was also used to getting paid for doing it. In the jail there was no reward for his efforts, and so it's said he felt this to be harsh and unjust. Some sources say James was gagged, bound, and taken away to be punished; but others say he was strapped down and whipped in the yard as an example to the other prisoners. Regardless, the other prisoners fell in line after this incident. Eventually the treadwheel was abolished with the Prisoner Act of 1898, and this act declared all prison work to be productive and constructive which meant there would be no more hard labour for prisoners to endure.

During the year of 1829, the Launceston Prison closed and Bodmin Jail was the only prison left in Cornwall. It was then during the year of 1834 that the gallows were moved to be located above the main gate of Bodmin Jail. There were later moved again to be located at the south wall. It was during the November of 1846 that the first Jackdaws are said to have arrived at Bodmin Jail. The story goes that they were brought to the jail with Rose Wright who was both starving and ill when she arrived at the jail. She was also a herbalist and accused of being a witch, and it's said that she cursed both the jail and the town of Bodmin when she died. Apparently she said: 'Should the last Jackdaw be born at Bodmin Gaol, so the spirits of the condemned shall rise and bring misfortune and chaos to all that reside within'. As you can see from the list of death's I've found, it doesn't appear that Rose died within Bodmin Jail and so I would take this story very lightly.

As discussed earlier, Bodmin Jail struggled to keep up with it's influx of prisoners and so it was declared unfit for purpose by the 1850s despite the extensions which had occurred until this time. Sir Robert Peel's Act of 1823 stated that there was to be no association between prisoners and that a rule of silence had to be observed and enforced. The overcrowding in Bodmin Jail made this impossible, and so it was clear by the 1850s that Bodmin Jail needed to be seriously extended. Most of the old jail was demolished, and the materials gathered from this demolition were used to extend it, with this extension work taking place between 1856 and 1861 at a cost of over £40,000.

I have found that Historic England lists two separate periods of time where Bodmin Jail was enlarged. The first period of enlargement occurred during both 1842 and 1847 at the hands of George Wightwick of Plymouth. The second period took place during 1855, and it was during this year that Bodmin Jail was replaced by a new building on an extended side. This was conducted by Porter, an architect of London. The new jail had a main kitchen, a mill, a new heating system, and a laundry with huge workrooms. The main civil prison block had a cell block for men and another which was separate for women. It also housed Bodmin Jail's administration offices and a chapel. The area which is now known as the Naval prison block was linked to the main block by means of a first floor covered walkway.

The Naval prison block had it's own administration offices, store rooms, a further kitchen, and an infirmary which was built over the old gaol dungeons. It also had three separate exercise yards. A main gateway and staff quarters were also added along with various stables and a cart house, part of which would later become an execution shed. New houses for the Navy's administration officers was built and so were Victorian villas for the Governor and the Chaplain. These villas, built during the late 1850s, were located outside of the prison walls which had been strengthened, heightened, and enlarged. The new 220 prison cells were stacked to be four floors high, and iron bars with wire mesh were stretched along the length of the balconies to stop prisoners from committing suicide. The thick wooden cell doors were reinforced with steel and ventilation to the cells came from air ducts. John Harrigan, who was 28 years old, was imprisoned for six years within the Naval Block from the July of 1857.

It was during the year of 1868 that public hangings were abolished with the Capital Punishments Amendments Act. This change in the law meant that every prison had to build a pit or a shed which kept executions away from the public eye. During the year of 1869, another change occurred at Bodmin Jail. Up until this year, the jail was mainly used as a debtor's prison; but the abolishment of being imprisoned for this crime during 1869 changed this. It was during the year of 1872 that hangings would be changed again, except this time it was a change in method at the hands of William Marwood. William was an executioner and he developed the Long Drop method of hanging someone which made it so the death was instant. This method was viewed as more humane as it meant the hanged individual didn't have to endure the possibly lengthy strangulation period which occurred with previous methods of hanging. This new method was used from this point, and Bodmin Jail's original Long Drop hanging pit is still available to view at the end of the museum tour.

During the year of 1877 the official name of the jail changed to 'H.M Prison, Bodmin' and more changes were made such as the women being moved to a different section of the prisons. Within the year of 1877, there were up to twenty four staff members working at Bodmin Jail. The last woman to be hanged at Bodmin Jail was Selina Wadge and, as mentioned earlier in the article, this event took place during 1878. Selina was also the first person to die through use of the Long Drop method, and her execution was carried out by William Marwood himself.

It's been said that it was during the year of 1874 that parts of the prison had begun to be used for Navy prisoners. I have also found that the first naval prisoner arrived during 1874; however, I have since received clarification from Bodmin Jail themselves that the jail was used to hold Navy prisoners from 1887, not from the 1874 date some sources have discussed. There are also some sources which do state the 1887 date as being correct, so I'm very glad that Bodmin Jail has backed this up and provided clarity on the 1874 or 1887 contradiction. The HM Royal Navy established an overflow section from their Plymouth prison in what used to be the women's wing of Bodmin Jail. It's also been said that this new Royal Navy prison was run by a man called Governor Colville.

I've found that Hugh Colvin possibly served as a Governor during the year of 1878, and he ordered for a canvas screen to be erected in order to hide executions from public view. I am suspicious with how similar 'Colville' and 'Colvin' are, so I don't know if these two Governors are the same person but with their last name mistyped by sources. This is speculation though, so they may very well be different people. The canvas screen is possibly what helped to shield Selina's Long Drop hanging from view. At the time of her hanging, 74 year old Dr Samuel Johnson wrote a letter to Sir William Scott, a distinguished judge in the High Court of Admiralty, which complained about the Long Drop method. In his letter, Dr Samuel Johnson wrote: 'Sir, Executions are intended to draw spectators; If they do not draw spectators, they don't answer their purpose. The old method was most satisfactory to all parties; the public were gratified by a procession and the criminal was supported by it. Why is this to be swept away?'

It was during the year of 1882 that William Marwood conducted his final execution in Bodmin. A few years later, during 1888, the construction of the execution shed was completed and ready to be used. While the construction occurred, a few hangings did happen which took place on temporary scaffolds in the courtyard. Despite being located in the courtyard, these hangings were still kept out of public view. It's said that one inmate did escape from Bodmin Jail during the year of 1897. This inmate was called Henry and is the only person who successfully escaped from this jail. Despite the law changing during 1868 stating that hangings had to be conducted privately, and the fact that the execution shed was completed during 1888, the first private execution apparently occurred at Bodmin Jail during the year of 1901 with the execution of Valeri Giovanni for murder on the High Seas. Selina Wadge's 1878 execution does not count to this statistic as her execution was only conducted in a degree of privacy.

There is a possible contradiction though as I've found that, during the year of 1882, William Bartlett was hanged in private at Bodmin Jail for the murder of a child. I don't know for sure why this execution has been excluded from the statistic, but it's possible that, like with Selina's execution, William's hanging was also only in a degree of privacy as the execution shed had not yet been completed. This means that they likely would have been hung from the temporary scaffolds in the courtyard, and so people may have been able to see it. It was then during the year of 1902 that the treadwheel was abolished in all of Britain's prisons, and during the year of 1905 Henry Leonard Browbeat served as the final Governor of Bodmin Jail. Henry was born during the year of 1858 in Coventry, but aside from this not much else is known.

The final Chaplain of Bodmin Jail was Reverend Thomas Austin. Thomas was born during 1854 and was ordained during the year of 1880. He worked at Bodmin Jail between the years of 1907 and 1922, and before this he served in the Navy aboard seven different H.M ships. His work at Bodmin Jail covered religious aspects, plus he worked hard on increasing education within the prison. He later died at the age of 79 during the year of 1934. The final Chief Warden of Bodmin Jail was Richard Amos Doidge. Richard was born during 1859 in Saltash, and he was from a farming background. He begin his work at Bodmin Jail at the age of 29, and on the 11th of March 1905 he became married and had several children. Following the jail's closure, Richard moved to St. Austell and died during the year of 1945 at the age of 86.

It was on the 20th of July 1909 that the final execution took place at Bodmin Jail, and this was the execution of William Hampton for the murder of Emily Barnes Trevarthen Tredrea. I've found that William's execution was not only the final one at Bodmin Jail, but it was also the final time anyone was executed in Cornwall. Following William's execution, all executions instead took place in Exeter. The women's section of Bodmin Jail was then closed during the March of 1911 despite there having been only one female prisoner remaining at Bodmin Jail by the year of 1908. Any remaining female inmates by the time the women's section closed were sent from Bodmin Jail to Plymouth.

During World War One, which begun during 1914, Bodmin Jail was used for protecting some of Britain's national treasures. Some of these treasures included both the Domesday Book and the crown jewels. With the outbreak of the war, the number of prisoners in Bodmin Jail drastically declined. Then, during the year of 1916, the civilian men section of the jail closed. It's said that, during the July of 1916, the final male prisoner left Bodmin Jail; however I have found a bit of a contradiction to this as some sources have said the final civilian prisoners left the jail during 1923. It seems though that these final inmates during 1923 were Navy prisoners as it was the Navy section of the prison that closed during the year of 1923. So, I suspect the final male civilian prisoner left the jail during 1916 with the closure of the civilian men section, and the final Navy prisoner left during 1923 with the closure of the Navy section. The final male prisoner, just as with the final female prisoner, was transferred to Plymouth.

I have also found a few conflicting reports about which year the Navy section of the jail closed. Some sources have said it closed during 1923, but others have said it occurred during 1922 or 1921. Some sources have also said the entire jail closed during 1922, or even as late as 1929, and others have said it was actually during the year of 1927 that the whole jail closed and it was during this year that remaining inmates were sent to Plymouth. I suspect the 1927 date has come about because it's said that it was during the year of 1927 that Bodmin Jail was officially decommissioned and closed. It seems all prisoners had left by this year and that all jail sections had been closed, it just took until 1927 to officially close the jail completely. It is also said that following Bodmin Jail's closure, Cornwall no longer had a prison.

During the year of 1929, Bodmin Jail was auctioned off to demolition men; and I suspect this is where the false 1929 closure date has come from. These men took down several of the smaller buildings located on the site and they attempted to blow up the larger buildings with dynamite. This destruction all occurred so that the buildings materials could be sold on for profit, although the demolition men found it far too difficult to destroy the main building due to the walls being over one metre thick. It's been said that these demolition attempts continued throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

The timeline for Bodmin Jail does get a bit blurred from the 1930s because despite some sources claiming there were still demolition attempts through the 1930s and 1940s, other sources have claimed that the location was used as a nightclub and casino during the 1930s. It seems the location definitely served as a nightclub, but it seems sources disagree on exactly when this occurred. The other time period provided for it serving as a nightclub is the 1960s, and I personally think this makes more sense to be correct if there were still demolition attempts taking place during the 1940s. Apparently the location, around the time of it being a nightclub, was also used as an attraction which held mock executions. It's been said that when a section of the roof was removed for repairs, it caused a rapid deterioration of the building and over time the walls started to crumble, leaving many parts derelict.

It's also been said that, during the 1960s, the jail had a number of different uses aside from being a nightclub called 'The 99 Club'. These other uses were a fishmongers, a car garage, a badminton court, and a furniture store. It's also been said that the jail was a 'repair workshop', but it's unclear if this is a source's different way of saying 'car garage'. The 99 Club itself did contain a cabaret venue, a casino, and a nightclub. Apparently all of these different uses took place between the 1960s and 1980s. During the 1990s, Bodmin Jail became a museum and pub. Many events were held here during this time, such as pro-wrestling matches which took place within the courtyard.

It was during the year of 2004 that the local Wheton family then bought Bodmin Jail and begun to restore it. During this ownership, parts of the jail was turned into a tourist attraction. During 2005, while the site was being renovated, the pit which had been used for hangings was discovered. It was ten years after this event, during the year of 2015, that it's said a businessman brought his family on holiday to the area. While on holiday, they visited the Bodmin Jail attraction and the businessman fell in love with the jail's history. As a result of this, he then spent £30 million, over the course of six years, on transforming the building into a 63 bedroom hotel which is located within the original two prison wings. The businessman also created a £8.5 million visitor attraction and education centre. I have found a different number regarding the amount which was spent on the regeneration of Bodmin Jail, and this different number is £65 million. I'm not sure where this different number has logically come from, so I don't know which is correct out of the figures stated.

For this major development of Bodmin Jail, 'Newhey Carpets' made over 3,700 square metres of 80/20 bespoke colourtec carpet for the guestrooms and public areas featured throughout the hotel. I've also found that 'Twelve Architects' were leading the consultant team for alteration, extension, and change of use to the original building and attraction. Despite the cell blocks being transformed into guest rooms, the building's original features have been retained as much as possible; and so these guestrooms have kept their original stonework. I have found though that the Old Governor's Hall has been transformed for use as a restaurant and function room.

Once the hotel was bought by the businessman, the location became part of the 'Tudor Hotels' company. I've found that they took ownership during 2016, so I assume the 2015 date only refers to when the businessman originally visited Bodmin Jail prior to the purchase. It's also said that the Tudor Hotels purchase saved the jail from being condemned and demolished, and so this is likely a large reason why a huge redevelopment plan was put into place. I have also found that apparently, during 2017, it was announced that the jail had been acquired by Russian owners who would turn it into a hotel and attraction. At first, I thought this would be a contradiction to the Tudor Hotels information; but it is not. While Tudor Hotels is a UK based company, the company is directed by a man called Timur Goriaev; a businessman of Russian nationality. Timur was appointed during the July of 2014, and he is likely the businessman who visited the jail with his family before deciding to buy it.

I have also found information saying that it was Mallino Developments who bought the ruins of the jail and decided to turn it into an attraction and hotel. Again, this also seems like a contradiction to the Tudor Hotels information, but it is not. Having done further research, I have found that Mallino Developments changed their name to Tudor Hotels. Having looked through Gov.UK, I've found that this change of name occurred on the 3rd of March 2022, but it was logged on the website with a certificate issued on the 8th of March 2022. In an article which was uploaded on the 11th of October 2017, it was stated that Mark Rablin was the jail's paranormal manager at the time. It seems this may not longer be the case as the Bodmin Jail website lists 'Kristen' as the current paranormal manager. This website also lists Gemma and Tom as heritage guides. Within an article published on the 19th of August 2020, it was stated that Martin Lyall was the General Manager of Bodmin Jail. Just as with the paranormal manager, this may since have changed; however, I have found no reference to a different general manager, so it could still be him.

Bodmin Jail is home to seven out of the seventeen resident bat species found in Britain. These species are the Common Pipistrelle, the Brown Long-Eared, the Lesser Horseshoe, the Greater Horseshoe, the Whiskered, the Daubeutons, and the Natters. An additional four species have been recorded foraging within the immediate vicinity of Bodmin Jail, and these are the Nathusius Pipistrelle, the Soprano Pipistrelle, the Barbastelle, and the Noctule. The Horseshoe bats are among the rarest of Britain's bat species as they're restricted to both South West England and Wales. The Horseshoe bats are also estimated to have declined by 90% during the 20th century, also known as the 1900s. Bodmin Jail has invested heavily in building a bat bungalow, roosting boxes, and converting loft spaces to secure the future of the colony.

The Bodmin Jail attraction, but not the hotel, opened on the 1st of October 2020 following renovations and updates to the original attraction within the jail. The hotel, which covers four storeys and features seventy rooms, opened on Monday the 17th of May 2021. I've found contradictory information to this saying that it opened during the February of 2021, but this seems to be incorrect. The location currently features self guided tours, guided tours, and self guided audio tours. There are also ghost experiences which feature overnight investigations, true stories told in candlelight, and the use of paranormal investigation equipment. There is also a 'Dark Walk' experience which you can do here. Bodmin Jail also features an entire room dedicated to the paranormal which has been expanded to include a deep dive into the history of the paranormal. This room also includes an area dedicated to folklore which covers the Beast of Bodmin, the history of witchcraft, and the Hand of Glory. Bodmin Jail became Grade II listed on the 10th of November 1969, and the Bodmin Jail Chaplaincy and Governor's House became Grade II listed on the 7th of January 1994.

Hauntings

First, there are claims that Anne Jeffries was put in the jail and starved to death as a punishment; but these claims are actually a myth. During the year of 1646, Anne was confined and starved in the mayor of Bodmin's house. This was done to test her claims that fairies would protect her, and she did survive the ordeal. Anne lived to the age of seventy and was never in Bodmin Jail given that the location was built over one hundred years after the events where Anne had been starved. There are some who claim that Anne haunts the jail, but unless she had a connection to the land which Bodmin Jail was built on; these claims are not true.

A spirit commonly claimed to haunt Bodmin Jail is that of Selina Wadge. Selina was a prisoner who was hanged for murdering her youngest son by dropping him down a well. She was also the first person to be hanged through use of the Long Drop method. There are three other women said to haunt the jail; these being a white lady searching for justice, a grey lady near the gallows, and a woman who both reaches out to small children and makes pregnant women feel guilt and remorse. In regards to the woman who reaches out to children, these children have asked who the crying lady in the long dress is on the third and fourth floors of the prison; and it's believed that this woman could be the spirit of Selina Wadge. I have also found reference to a spirit known as 'the sobbing woman', but I believe this to possibly be the same as the crying lady in the long dress.

William and James Lightfoot are two other prisoners said to haunt Bodmin Jail, and they apparently haunt the ground floor cells. They were both hanged at Bodmin Jail during the year of 1840 for the murder of Neville (possibly Nevell) Norway. It has also been said that W. H. Maughan, who was executed for murder in 1858, haunts the jail as an apparition in old-fashioned clothes. As I haven't found any reference to W. H. Maughan while researching Bodmin Jail's history and executions, I don't believe that this haunting would be legitimate. When doing further searches regarding this name and time period, all I've discovered is a 'William Maughan', who lived between 1779 and 1863, and a writer called 'W. Somerset Maugham' who lived between 1874 and 1965. Clearly neither of these people were executed for murder, and neither died in the correct year; so I'm not entirely convinced of 'W. H. Maughan' ever existing.

There is one more named prisoner said to haunt Bodmin Jail, and this is the spirit of Matthew Weekes. Matthew was hanged during 1844, and it's said that he wanders the hallways of the jail because he was hanged on the drop gallows located outside of the walls of the jail. It is also said that Matthew wanders in limbo because he died for a crime he knows he didn't commit. It's said that a young boy haunts the hospital wing and a priest haunts the chapel. Apparently a priest is also often seen walking through the corridor which is located near to the paranormal room. People have also reported a thin man to haunt the naval wing, plus for ghosts to have been seen in the bar and restaurant area. Three spirits with ominous names which I haven't found any details about are 'Mister Get Out', 'Mister Shuffles', and 'The Pipe Smoker'.

Another spirit with an ominous name is 'The Watcher'. This spirit is seen on the stairs which are located between the naval wing and the administration block. Sources say that this particular spirit is seen on the last tour of the day, but also that this sighting does not occur everyday. Apparently the bells in the area of original hanging pit ring early in the morning before the jail opens, only this event takes place when there are no staff present; and so no one knows who rings the bells at this time. These bells are located behind a locked gate and so no one, except staff members, can access them. Each time these bells have been heard, a member of staff has then checked the execution board which is displayed near to the pit. The reason for this is it seems the bells only ring on the anniversary of someone's execution.

Cell 4 is said to be a particularly haunted location within Bodmin Jail. Apparently, during the 2019 renovation, builders reported disturbing experiences inside and so the cell was sealed up. Despite this, visitors have reported being shoved, feel they're being strangled, and apparently they also see the door open by itself. Around the jail, it's said that object move, that other doors open, that there are whispers, and that there are screams which can be heard at night. People have also reported to hear scraping footsteps within empty cells and to feel cold spots around the building. Sources have claimed that marks and welts have been left on people, and that visitors can feel nauseous, a depressing dread, a deep fearful dread, and cold sweat. Apparently an information board located within Bodmin Jail claims that forty-two visitors have passed out due to paranormal activity which has occurred inside the jail. It's said that this board also claims that seventeen visitors have experienced submersion within Bodmin Jail, which is a form of possession.

The final vague haunting I've found reference to is that male staff have been seen in mirrors located within the gatehouse. As for the final haunting with a possible identity behind it, this is the spirit of 'The Warden'. People say that this warden is called George and that they haunt the cell blocks and hallways. Apparently George suddenly died from a heart attack while on duty at Bodmin Jail, and people say he now considers the location to be 'his jail'. If this is true, there are a few suspects as to who this George could be. A common theory is that it is Governor George Colville who served at the jail from 1860 until 1878. The issue with this theory is that Colville's christian name was Hugh, not George. Also, Colville died on the 4th of August 1906 at the age of eighty-four. His death occurred twenty-eight hears after retiring from the jail, and so he definitely did not die there. Plus, Colville was the Governor and not a warden.

There is also the possibility that the warden could be George Sandford. Sandford served as a warden during the 1870s and died in Bodmin at the age of eighty-four. Due to his old age, he also retired years earlier from his work at Bodmin Jail. Another George which people speculate about is George Shaftain. He was born during 1824 and served as the gateman. It's unlikely that it is him though as he died nearing the age of sixty-eight in North Devon. The final, and possibly most likely George to be 'the warden', is a prison officer called George Harrison. He was a warder, not a warden, but he died very suddenly at the age of fifty during the year of 1861. He also worked at Bodmin Jail between 1851 and 1861, so he would have died while still employed at the jail. There is no information about his death, so it's unknown if he died of a heart attack at the jail; but he definitely seems the closest candidate to the information around 'The Warden'.

Henry, the only person to successfully escaped from Bodmin Jail, is also said to haunt the jail. However, no one knows what happened to him and so this haunting tends to be speculated upon due to the possibility that Henry may not have survived long after his escape. A bit of speculation about why Bodmin Jail seems to be so haunted is the fact that it sits on St. Michael's Ley Line. This ley line goes through St. Michael's Mount, Glastonbury Tor, and Avebury until it reaches the east coast of England. It's a common belief that ley lines contribute to the strength of hauntings within locations, so it's interesting that Bodmin Jail sits on this one.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. Selina Wadge, possibly the sobbing woman - 3rd and 4th floor

2. Matthew Weekes - hallways

3. William Lightfoot - ground floor cells

4. James Lightfoot - ground floor cells

5. A warden called George, possibly George Harrison - cell blocks, hallways

6. The Watcher

7. Mister Get Out

8. Mister Shuffles

9. The Pipe Smoker

10. A priest - corridor near the paranormal room

11. A second priest? - the chapel

12. A white lady, searching for justice

13. A grey lady - near the gallows

14. A young boy - hospital wing

15. A thin man - naval wing

16. Male staff - mirrors in the gatehouse

17. Hanging pit bells ring, early morning

18. People pass out

19. Submersion experienced

20. People feel shoved - cell 4

21. People feel strangled - cell 4

22. Doors open - cell 4, plus others

23. People feel nauseous

24. Depressing dread

25. Deep fearful dread

26. Cold sweat

27. Marks and welts left on people

28. Generic ghosts - bar, restaurant

29. Screams at night

30. Whispers

31. Scraping footsteps - cells

32. Cold spots

33. Objects move

34. Henry?

My Thoughts

I think that it's incredibly easy to jump to the conclusion, due to the location's focus on the paranormal with both it's paranormal room and tours, that Bodmin Jail is another one of those locations which in reality isn't anywhere near as haunted as it may seem. However, due to the location's history, I think that Bodmin Jail is likely to be incredibly haunted. Personally, I believe that location's are either haunted or actively haunted. I think the only places 'not haunted' are those which haven't been at all touched by human history, otherwise I think there is always the chance that a spirit with a connection to that location or land may visit it beyond death. This logic of mine determines that whenever I discuss a location built by a human being, then I will reach the conclusion that it is haunted. Despite Bodmin Jail only being in operation for around 150 years, this is still plenty of human history with the quantity of prisoners and executions which took place here. Therefore, I without doubt view the jail as haunted.

So, is the jail actively haunted? I believe so, and this is why I say that it is likely to be incredibly haunted. When I say 'actively haunted', what I mean is that the spirits present within the location will make themselves known to be present to the living. This can be done in a number of the ways described in the hauntings section, such as with footsteps, whispers, objects moving, or even through being seen. You may wonder though why I am inclined to think that the jail isn't just profiting on the paranormal angle and making up these reports and hauntings. My reasoning here is that the reports are incredibly vague. Yes, there are a few named hauntings, but these are all ones which genuinely tie into the history of the jail. These aren't random names which seem like they've either been provided by a random person claiming to be psychic, or like they've been made up for the purpose of regurgitation during a ghost tour.

To play devils advocate though, I do find it odd that the only properly named spirits are the final woman to be hanged, the final man to be hanged at the jail, and the brothers who's hanging drew a huge crowd to the jail. This means all of these spirits had historical significance, and they could very well be viewed as the equivalent of celebrity hauntings for this location. When I say celebrity hauntings, I'm referring to the trend where a monarch or famed figure, such as Byron or Dick Turpin, will haunt a location. As a result, this does give me a hint of skepticism to these named hauntings in particular; but as these people legitimately died here with their lives being cut short, I genuinely do think they will be haunting the location.

I like to think that the vague hauntings do all come about from possible eye witness accounts, or through sightings and experiences being spread through word of mouth, but I can't be sure on this due to none of what I've found actually coming from any experiences detailed online. This means I can't be certain about how many people are experiencing these hauntings, or if these details all come from a couple of stories which have just been repeated by many sources. There is one tripadvisor review, posted on the 23rd of November 2021, which states "the jail itself was far too modern and you didn't get a feel for what the conditions were like back in the 1800s". I feel like this kind of experience could contribute to the lack of paranormal experiences, but this to me is an incredibly good thing. I think that the mind can play so many tricks on you, and as a result it means you experience far more than just legitimate hauntings. So, it makes me wonder if there's a lack of experiences out there because the jail's updated appearance serves as an accurate reflection of how often recognisable paranormal phenomena actually happens.

Due to all that I've discussed and speculated on, I would love to actually visit Bodmin Jail and investigate it for myself. I think that, although leaning into tourism, Bodmin Jail is likely to be actively haunted and could be an excellent case study to see exactly what spirits are capable of doing. I think the jail could also be used as a cross reference to see if there's anything to the theory about ley lines. I also have a theory which states that water is an important component when it comes to hauntings and, having looked on Google maps, I find it interesting that a river seems to run near enough directly beneath Bodmin Jail. This river stems from the River Camel, and so it really does make me wonder if the presence of this water would possibly be an amplifier to the hauntings here.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! I'm so glad to have finally documented Bodmin Mail in the database as I do believe that it's one of the more prominent haunted locations in Cornwall. I also think that it serves as a good case study for a number of different factors, and so I will label it under the 'Locations Of Interest' tag too. I hope that you've found this article to be of interest, and if so then please do take a look at some others.

The next article will be published on Friday the 24th of April and will document a paranormal artifact. The following article will be published on Monday the 27th of April and will document a haunted location in Carlisle. If you want to follow The True Paranormal you can do so on buymeacoffee, Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter), Tumblr, and Pinterest. You can also subscribe to The True Paranormal on YouTube, or directly to this website through the bar on the left which will give you email notifications. That bar also lists all of the links which will take you to The True Paranormal's various social media platforms. If you want to contact me about your own experiences, or about anything at all paranormal, you can email thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com

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