Graffiti wall Gloucester Prison

There was one small wall in this large prison where the inmates were allowed to scribe their details, date and initials.

[Suzanne]

How interesting!

[Babs]

So interesting. History being recorded

[Cliff McFarlane]

@ankers70 @onewing Is it nosey or inquisitive to want to know more about their lives? Or should one experience the visit and move on?

[Christine Sztukowski]

Very intriguing

[Pat]

Fascinating! I love to see old graffiti like this. So many lives and stories in it. Great shot.

[Rob Z]

That's so interesting - there was a similar thing in a couple of the old prisons over here. So many similarities!

[Babs]

@clifford I would want to know more about their history.

My great great great grandfather spent 6 months in Bedford Prison for poaching rabbits off a local farmers land. He had 10 children and I would have thought that stealing rabbits would have been beneficial to the farmer as well as to my ggg grandfather.

While I was looking at the records I spotted some interesting information. Apparently, you can get 3 months for incest, 6 months for bigamy and the death penalty for stealing a farmer's horse. Moral of the tale is don't steal from farmers.

[Cliff McFarlane]

@onewing I agree with you Babs. Life was very tough and unfare.

[Madeleine Pennock]

Yes, a fascinating piece of history!

[Madeleine Pennock]

@onewing Crime and punishment was dire for poor people in previous centuries with many stealing food just to survive. We were told that a prisoner could lose a hand if they stole a loaf of bread. That is where the expression of something 'costing an arm or a leg' comes from.