Orders devised and agreed upon by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen of the Citie of London, the seventh day of March, 1632. for and concerning the good government of the Gaole of Newgate.
[...]N primis, It is ordered that the summe of fifty sixe pounds eight shillings foure pence in Certaintie, which is yearly given to the Prisoners in the said Gaole, by charitable gifts and legacies, aswell for their reliefe, as for their release, shall hereafter be payd, as the same doth grow due, to the Alderman or his Deputie of the Ward of Farringdon within, for the time being, to bee distributed foure times in the yeare (viz.) within foure daies next after everie quarter day, for the reliefe and release of the said Prisoners, according to the true intent and meaning of the Donors, And such Alderman or Deputie to keepe a note, what is paid, and what not, to the end that if any of the said money in Certaine bee detained, it may be recovered by due course of Law.
Item, That the summe of ten pounds eight shillings per annum, which is weekly paid by the keeper of the Conduit at Newgate, be not hereafter put into the Common Boxe, nor allowed to the Steward for his Sallarie or Wages, as formerly: But that the same be weekly paid into the hands of the Steward for the time being, for a Stock to bee imployed towards the bearing of the charge of such necessarie disbursments, as shall concerne the common good of the said Prisoners: And that the Steward shall weekly give an accompt in writing under his hand, to the Assistants in the said Gaole, how, and in what manner the moneyes have beene disbursed, and how much thereof shall bee remaining in his hands from time to time, to the end they may allow and subscribe the said Accompt.
Item, That Henry Woodhouse, the present Steward, be removed, and another nominated and chosen by the major part of the said Prisoners in the Common Gaole, out of those men onely that lye there for debt, to continue for one whole yeare, if he shall, during that time, honestly behave himselfe in the execution of the said place. In which election, no Keeper, or servant to the Keeper, is to have any voice at all, nor that any menace, constraint or enforcement be used touching the said Election, which is to be approved of by the Sheriffes of London, for the time being.
Item, That the Steward be no Vnder-keeper, or servant to the Keeper, and that hee hereafter only have and receive his former accustomed allowance of twelve pence a weeke in money, and his double share, and his lodging in the Stewards roome as formerly, so long as hee performes his office honestly, and accompt, as aforesaid, The said twelve pence a weeke to be paid him upon the opening of the Boxe, and he to make no discharge for any money that shall come to his hands to the Prisoners use, without the privitie of the Assistants, and in their presence, and they to signe his Books of Accompts weekly.
Item, That if such Steward, so to bee chosen for one yeare, shall not well and honestly behave himselfe in his said place, it may then be lawfull for the said Prisoners, to make a new election monethly, as aforesaid, if cause shall so require.
Item, That all casuall charitable reliefe bee put into the sayd common Boxe, standing in the Lodge, to which shall bee two keyes, one to remaine with the said Alderman or his Deputie, for the time being; and the other with the said Steward for the time being, that without both the said Keyes, the said Box may not be opened.
Item, That aswell the monies in the said Boxe, which is to bee opened at the times aforesaid, as also the fifty sixe pounds eight shillings foure pence, in custodie of the said Alderman or his Deputie, be by either of them disbursed to the use of the sayd Prisoners, in presence of the Steward and the Visitors of the said Gaole that shall bee appointed, And the Bakers skore, aswell that in arreare, as hereafter to be brought in, be then, at the opening of the said Boxe, first paid by such reasonable payments as the stock will beare.
Item, That no allowance or defalcation bee hereafter made out of the said Box, or other stocke of the Prisoners, for candles, inke, paper, pens, mending of locks, keyes and hindges of the Gaole, for keeping or looking to the gyves or irons of the Keepers, for the attendance of the Vnder-keepers, or making cleane of the houses of office of the said Gaole.