Victorian prison buttons

[Jamesb853]

Here are two more early Victorian prison buttons: 1. Newcastle Upon Tyne Prisons; 2. Borough Prison Nottingham. Certain cities and boroughs had their own prisons and houses of correction, independent of the County gaols. These boroughs invariably also had their own police forces, Magistrates Courts, and Quarter Sessions courts, the latter presided over by a part-time professional judge called a Recorder. Some, including both Nottingham and Newcastle, had their own Assizes as well. Criminal justice was very "local" in Victorian England.Prison badge002.jpg

Prison badge001.jpg

[altcar73]

I've unearthed a number of prison buttons from my various boxes and append them herewith. In addition I've come across a button named "Kent Javelin Men" (photo below). I would suspect that those who wore these buttons were responsible for escorting the Judges en route to the Assizes etc. I hope they are of interest.

As an aside, I've never seen any hat/cap badges named to similar prisons (apart from a query Newgate) and wonder if in those days they had "named" buttons but just a generic "Vic. Crown on their caps.

Best wishes, Dave.

[btns]

Nice buttons. Thank you to both for showing these.

[Jamesb853]

I am not sure myself about cap badges. There is documentary evidence (see elsewhere on the forum) that the cap badge for local prisons in England and Wales in 1869 was a crown. There are few contemporary photographs but it would seem that in some instances at least, no cap badge was worn. The HM Convict Department badges sometimes seen were not used in the UK and were only worn in certain colonies, e.g. South Africa and Australia. There is a KC version of that badge as well, incidentally.

[Jamesb853]

Dave, did you get a private message from me, in reply to your last?

[altcar73]

Originally Posted by Jamesb853

Dave, did you get a private message from me, in reply to your last?

James,

Yes, I've just replied to you.

Dave.