The Petitions
The Petitions
Petitions were written pleas for help that prisoners sent to the County Magistrates. Sometimes 80 or even 100 prisoners put their names to a list of complaints.
The magistrates paid attention to the petitions and often acted on the complaints in them. Prisoners did not have much power, but this system of petitioning at least helped them reduce the risk of dying from starvation, cold, disease or torture.
Original petitions survive from the early years of the 18th century and give a glimpse of life in the prison at York Castle.