. The Victoria history of the county of Hertford. Natural history. The prison in the castle was in existence early in the 13th century and probably before-. In 123+ there is mention of a prisoner detained for murder ' in the king's prison at Stortford.'90 Why it should be called the king's prison is not clear, for the see was not vacant at that date. The custody of the gaol was held by an officer of the bishop,91 who, as mentioned above, was sometimes the same as the farmer of the manor or the farmer of the market. The gaol was used for all criminals within the liberty of the bishop in Hertfor
. The Victoria history of the county of Hertford. Natural history. The prison in the castle was in existence early in the 13th century and probably before-. In 123+ there is mention of a prisoner detained for murder ' in the king's prison at Stortford.'90 Why it should be called the king's prison is not clear, for the see was not vacant at that date. The custody of the gaol was held by an officer of the bishop,91 who, as mentioned above, was sometimes the same as the farmer of the manor or the farmer of the market. The gaol was used for all criminals within the liberty of the bishop in Hertfordshire,92 but the greater number of prisoners were convicted clerks. The treatment was probably rigorous. A certain heretic named Ranulf, an apostate Franciscan, who disturbed London by his attacks on the Catholic faith in 1336, was imprisoned there by the bishop until the best method of pro- ceeding against him should have been decided, but his death Is recorded very shortly In fifty prisoners i ed. September 1344 there l gaol, and seven more w< and of these twenty-nine the year 1345 there were twenty-five prisoners, and nine of these died. In 1347—8 there were fifty prisoners, the cost of keeping them being reckoned at \d. a day The accounts of the gaolers include such items as lights for visiting the prisoners at night, shackles, fetters, iron for staples, stocks, and so In spite of all precautions, however, the prison does not seem to have been very secure, judging by the numerous notices of the escape of prisoners from During the episcopate of Robert Bray- brook (ob. 1404) batches of prisoners escaped in succeeding In each case the bishop received pardon from the king for the escape, but William Gray,bishop in 1429, seems to have been actually charged with a fine of .£426 I 3j. 4^. for the escape of jive clerks, who had carried off their gaoler with them. On information received by the king that these prisoners had been reca
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