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Auction: 5011 - Stamps & Covers of the World
Lot: 687

Crime and Punishment Prisons Somerset 1791 and 1800 printed court summonses (details completed in manuscript), both apparently relating to debt; 1816 and 1826 entire letters from debtor prisoners at Ilchester Gaol (both with interesting content: the former begs assistance for ´getting out of this miserable place´, the latter refers to a woman, who was on the point of release when a further charge of debt was applied by a wine merchant for the sum of £29, each showing fine strikes of the ´ilchester/130´ mileage marks; 1846 entire letter from an official at Taunton Gaol relating to a debtor prisoner; 1849 entire letter from Norwich to the Rev. James Shore at St. Thomas´s Gaol in Exeter – an extraordinary story: Shore was nominated as a curate by the Duke of Somerset but the Bishop of Exeter had refused to confirm his appointment, legal action ensued and although an appeal found the Bishop to be in default, Shore (as a completely innocent party) was not awarded costs and this then resulted in his imprisonment as a debtor!; a fascinating group Estimate £ 350-400

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