A history of the iconic London prison, featuring insights on daily life, the evolution of prison systems, and famous inmates. As the place where prisoners, male and female, awaited trial, execution, or transportation Newgate was Britain's most feared gaol for over 700 years. It probably best known today from the novels of Charles Dickens including Barnaby Rudge and Great Expectations. But there is much is more to Newgate than nineteenth century notoriety. In the seventeenth century it saw the exploits of legendary escaper and thief Jack Sheppard. Among its most famous inmates were author Daniel Defoe who was imprisoned there for seditious libel, playwright Ben Jonson for murder, and the Captain Kidd for piracy. This book takes you from the gaol's 12th century beginnings to its final closure in 1904 and looks at daily life, developments in the treatment of prisoners from the use of torture to penal reform as well as major events in its history. Praise for The History of Newgate Prison "An amazing, entertaining and informative book!" -Books Monthly "This is a highly readable and accessible account, not only of the iconic institution, but also of the history of crime and punishment. It is packed full of evocative detail and is essential reading for all those interested in crime history." -Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

Caroline Jowett is a journalist and former Arts and Literary Editor of the Daily Express where she has written about everything from badgers to ballet, etiquette to Italy. Shes been a fan of the eighteenth century since discovering the work of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer and loves the periods sheer exuberance for life. She later discovered that the complexity of its history is even more beguiling than the fiction of its novels. When not writing about the Georgians she is working on a novel of her own.