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104
NEWGATE GAOL.
The demolition and rebuilding of the Prison necessitated the removal of
the remains of convicts who had been executed and buried within its walls.
For this purpose a license was granted in October last by the Home
Secretary, under the provisions of the Burial Act, 1857, of which the
following is a copy:—
"License for the Removal of Human Remains,
"20 and 21 Vic., cap. 81, s. 25.
In virtue of the power vested in me by the 25th section of the
"Burial Act, 1857 (20 and 21 Vic., cap. 81), I hereby grant license for
"the removal of all human remains which have been interred within the
"precincts of Newgate Prison, on the following conditions:—
"1. That the removal be effected with due care and attention to
"decency, early in the morning.
"2. That freshly-made ground lime be freely sprinkled over the
"remains, the soil, or any matter that may be offensive.
"3. That the remains be placed in well-pitched shells, and be in each
"case entirely surrounded by four inches of newly-made
"vegetable charcoal in powder.
"4. That the removal be carried out under the supervision and to the
"satisfaction of the Medical Officer of Health for the City of
"London.
"This License simply exempts from the penalties which would be
"incurred if the removal took place without a license ; it does not in
"any way alter civil rights. It does not, therefore, confer the right to
"bury the remains in any place where such right does not already exist.
"This License shall, if any of the conditions on which it is granted
"be not complied with, be deemed to have been void from the beginning,
"and if not acted upon within twelve months from this date shall become
"void.
"(Signed) A. AKERS DOUGLAS,
"One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State.
"Whitehall, 21st October, 1902."
The work of removal, commenced on the 11th November, 1902, was
completed on the 7th January last, during which period 73 baskets of bones,
57 skulls, and 35 bodies, representing in all the remains of 92 persons, were
exhumed, placed in 46 cases, and re-interred in accordance with the terms of
the license.