Newgate

Newgate , former prison in the City of London, England, originally in the gatehouse of the principal west gate of London. Dating from the 12th cent. and burned by Wat Tyler's followers in 1381, it was rebuilt in the 15th cent. with funds bequeathed by Sir Richard Whittington. The great fire of 1666 damaged it, and the Gordon rioters partially burned it again in 1780. In the 19th cent. Newgate was a target of Elizabeth Fry's efforts to improve prison conditions. After 1868, executions were held within the prison rather than outside, where they had been attracting huge crowds of sensation-seekers. After 1880 the prison was used only for pre-trial detention, and in 1902 it was torn down.

Newgate a former London prison, originally the gatehouse of the main west gate to the city, first used as a prison in the early Middle Ages. whose unsanitary conditions became notorious in the 18th century before the building was burnt down in the Gordon Riots of 1780. A new edifice was erected on the same spot but was demolished in 1902 to make way for the Central Criminal Court.
Newgate Calendar a publication issued from c.1774 until the mid 19th century that dealt with notorious crimes as committed by those who were prisoners in Newgate.

Newgate prison was founded during the reign of Henry I in a gatehouse of the city of London. It housed mainly serious criminals and from 1783 replaced Tyburn as the place for public executions. The prison was destroyed and rebuilt twice, once following the Great Fire of London in 1666 and again after the Gordon riots of 1780. Newgate finally closed in 1902.