Duke Street prison Glasgow.

The Glasgow Bridewell was constructed on Duke Street in 1798, on the eastern boundary of the city of Glasgow. It had 115 cells originally. In December, 1824 an additional wing was added with 150 cells, making it one of the largest prisons in Scotland and around that time it became known as Duke Street prison. Prior to 1862 there were eight prisons within Glasgow, but after the passing of the 1839 Act to Improve Prisons and Prison Discipline the other seven closed, leaving Duke Street as the sole prison for the city. Thomas Sulmans used a hot air balloon to make this drawing of the prison as it was in 1864. It was completely rebuilt between 1875 and 1892. Here is a plan of the prison from 1880. Here is the original condemned cell and here is prison frontage.

In 1882 a new prison was opened at Barlinnie and Duke Street continued as a female prison up to 1955 with 207 single cells, although there were a dozen cells set aside for male prisoners, presumably those awaiting trial at the High Court of Justiciary on serious charges and those under sentence of death.

Duke Street was the place of execution for Glasgow between 1883 and 1928, when executions were transferred from the Southern Prison. There would be five hangings in the 19th century. The first to be carried out here were those of poachers Henry Mullen and Martin Scott who were hanged on the 26th of April 1883 for the murders of gamekeepers Robert Fyfe and David McCaughtrie. William Marwood was the hangman. Henry Devlin was executed on the 2nd of September 1890 for the murder of his wife. William M'Keown was hanged on the 28th of December 1892 for the murder of Elizabeth Connagher and George Paterson became the final 19th century execution when he was executed on the 17th of May 1897 for the murder of Mary Ann McGuire.

Between the 12th of November 1902 and the 3rd of August 1928, eleven men and one woman, Susan Newell, were hanged here. William Billington did the first two 20th century hangings. Henry Pierrepoint carried out the third one, Pasha Liffey on the 14th of November 1905. John Ellis carried out the next six executions, including that of Susan Newell. Thomas Pierrepoint had one job here, that of John Keen on the 24th of September 1925. Robert Baxter did the last two. They were James McKay for the murder of Agnes Arbuckle and George Reynolds, who was the last to hang here for the murder of Thomas Lee.

After closure in 1955 executions were transferred to Glasgow's Barlinnie prison where a further ten hangings were carried out.

Duke Street had a small Execution Block separate from the main wings. A screen was put up to conceal a prisoner as he or she were taken from the condemned cell to the execution block. In the 20th century, 17 people spent time in the condemned cell with five being reprieved. Magistrates witnessed executions through a glass partition. Here is a view of the drop after the trap doors were removed.

Duke Street held members of the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland. In addition to campaigning for the right to vote, women also organised the 1915 Rent Strike when tenants refused to accept landlords’ rent increases. The women would physically prevent officials from evicting tenants who refused to pay rents.

The prison was demolished in 1958 to make way for the Ladywell housing scheme, that was constructed between 1961 and 1964.

In May 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, the IRA had made an attempt to free one of their senior members who was being transported to Duke Street Prison in a police van. The attackers ambushed the vehicle from the Rottenrow and Cathedral Street as it made its way to the prison from High Street. The escape attempt failed but left a police inspector dead and another policeman injured as a result of the shootout.

Back to Contents Page