HC Deb 22 March 1849 vol 103 c1121
MR. F. O'CONNOR

repeated a question he had previously addressed to the Home Secretary as to the alleged ill-treatment of one of the Chartist prisoners now in Newgate—the complaint relating partly to the deprivation of knife and fork, and partly to the withholding of books sent by the prisoners' relatives.

SIR G. GREY

said, it should be understood that the prisoner (Shaw) was subject to no special regulations with respect to his confinement in Newgate. A regulation was made at the last court depriving all prisoners of the use of knives and forks, but it would be reconsidered at the next meeting of the justices. Some of the hooks sent to Shaw by his friends were deemed by the chaplain of the prison improper books for his perusal, and were therefore rejected by him; but the fact was, that the chaplain had no jurisdiction over prisoners not members of the Church of England, and the prisoner, who, until then, had not intimated that he dissented from the Church, having then declared himself a Dissenter, the prohibition of the books on the part of the chaplain was withdrawn, and the matter referred to the visiting justices, who allowed some of the books but disallowed others, of which one appeared to partake of the character of a parody of the Holy Scriptures.

Subject at an end.

Back to