KEEPER'S JOURNALS

On the left-hand side of these giant diaries, the keeper of the prison recorded details of prisoners' extra food or financial allowances, the results of prison inspections and the names of inmates needing nursing. On the right hand page the keeper wrote his journal for the day. Entries include comments on his meetings in and out of the prison, chapel services attended, inspections made, complaints of prisoners, commitments to the strong room and the numbers of prisoners.

Later journals also include details of the official prison diet. The carrying out of the closure of the prison in 1862 was also recorded. An abstract book for 1843 to 1854 contains the journal section of the keepers' journals between these dates. The chaplain's journal contains details of the chaplain's visits to the sick and to the strong room, his sermons, and of the assistants who took over during his absences