I didn't have a class today, so I decided to take the opportunity to go & visit Old Melbourne Gaol. This was in part because there is currently an Underbelly: Squizzy exhibition, but more on that later.
Photo: this is the area of the gaol that visitors go through. This was the second cell block built & was completed in 1858. In its day, it was the men's cell block & included the gallows.
Construction of the first cell block began in 1841 & was opened in 1845. By 1850, the gaol was already overcrowded. With the gold rush in 1851 came an influx of people. The population in Melbourne grew from 77,000 to approx. 340,000 in a single year. The obvious consequence of this population explosion is that the crime rate also rose & construction of a second cell block began in 1852. This block opened in 1858 & still stands to this day. This is the cell block that visitors go through to view the cells & experience prison conditions. The gaol also included exercise yards, hospitals, a chapel, a bath house & accommodation for staff.
Melbourne Gaol was modelled on Pentonville Prison in London, where prisoners had their own cell. The model also followed the imposing of long periods of isolation, silence & constant surveillance. Isolation was intended to break a prisoner's spirit in order to reform their character, rather than the physically brutal punishment used in the convict system. By the end of the century however, this premise was abandoned, as it was psychologically damaging & rarely led to reform.
Photos: levels 1 & 2 of the Gaol
Photo: the size of the cells on levels 1 & 2
On levels 1 & 2, the cells were approx. 2x3m. As mentioned, each cell housed a single in-mate. The prisoners spent 23 hours each day locked in these cells. The other hour was spent on solitary exercise. Communication between prisoners was forbidden, even to the extent that when they were outside their cells, they wore calico masks to disguise their identities.
Photo: shows the calico mask prisoners had to wear when moving around outside their cells. On the right is an iron mask which was an additional form of punishment
On level 3, the cells were larger at approx. 4x3m. This floor housed debtors, trusted prisoners & those nearing release. The larger cell, however, housed 2 in-mates.
Over the period of its operation there were 133 hangings, female prisoners included. The most famous of these was that of Ned Kelly who went through the trapdoor at approx. 10am on 11/11/1880. He reportedly hung there for 30min before being transported to the Gaol's dead house for autopsy & the making of his death mask. The making of the death mask involved covering the shaven head with wax. The hardened wax was then carefully cut off & the pieces reassembled into a hollow mould. The mould was then filled with plaster. When the plaster hardened, the mould was removed.
Photo: the death masks of 4 Melbourne Gaol in-mates executed by hanging
The "science" of Phrenology was developed in the late 18th century in an attempt to determine personality type, intellect & human behaviour. Phrenology examined the shape & contours of the skull. Two Austrian physiologists mapped out the skull into 35 sections, linking each section with specific physical, mental & moral attributes. It was used to predict criminal behaviour. Phrenologists sometimes attended hangings at the Gaol.
Photo: the gallows, showing the rope hanging from the beam & the trapdoor
Prisoners often acted as "hangmen' at other prisoners hangings & were paid. An Englishman, Elijah Upjohn acted as hangman at Ned Kelly's hanging & for this was paid 5 pounds. Upjohn was in & out of gaol often for drunkenness, exposure & petty larceny. He was later moved to Pentridge, where he again performed hangman duties & was paid 5 shillings a day. Acting as hangman affected him, however, & he needed to drink in order to be able to perform his duties. He was sacked by the gaol Governor for incompetency.
I mentioned earlier that a Squizzy exhibit was also part of the gaol tour. This was presented in cells on the second level of the gaol. I've never watched Underbelly- it's too close to the truth for me, but I know some of you are avid viewers. The exhibit was basically costumes from the series, as worn by some of the characters, such as Squizzy, his wife & his mistress. There was only a brief history on him such as his relationship with the police, his wife & other women & how he led a charmed life & managed to manipulate others to handle his dirty work. His income came from armed robberies, prostitution, selling illegal liquor & drugs & race fixing. He was shot numerous times in a shoot out with a rival mobster & died in 1927 in hospital.
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