Eleanor Cheshire would have been incarcerated in C wing of Shrewsbury Gaol in 1898. Women with children under four were given slightly larger cells, but it seems unlikely that any of Eleanor’s children would have accompanied her there following her conviction for cruelty, depravity and neglect. Rope beds would be tightened when they became slack; that’s where the saying “sleep tight” originated.
There were rules regarding hygiene in Victorian times. Long before the provision of showers, prisoners would be directed to a tepid bath at least once a month; men would be shaved at least once a week and women’s hair would be cut only if necessary “on account of vermin or dirt”.
In the exercise yard, a silent and separate system was operated. Prisoners walked around the edge of the yard in single file anti-clockwise for an hour a day in all weathers. This represented turning back time for reflection and repentance of their sins. When C wing housed female prisoners, hooks were provided in the walls around the yard for them to hang the prison laundry. There were two Tuberculosis cells with large windows to allow increased access for the fresh air treatment that was believed to help the condition.
Hard labour for Eleanor may have included water carrying, oakum picking as well as cooking, sewing, mending and washing clothes. Punishments included restricted diet, solitary confinement, whippings and the pointless turning of the crank handle maybe 10,000 times a day with officers tightening the screws.
A visit to Shrewsbury Prison is highly recommended.
Travels Through Time 