For the first half of the 19th century the county's prisoners remained held at the Abbey Gateway, but in the 1860s it was considered the accommodation in this building was too restricted and basic, so a field was acquired next to the planned railway station, which today happens to be the western limit of what we, on this site, have come to know as St Albans' Own East End; in today's Grimston Road. No sooner had the prisoners made the move, pupils from the Royal Grammar School at the Abbey were moved from the Lady Chapel into the Gateway accommodation in preparation for rebuilding the Abbey. Children, it appears, were provided with less consideration than prisoners!
The new prison offered less than fifty years of service, having closed in 1913, but was immediately taken over for military purposes during the First World War. Plans had been made for the reburial at Hatfield Road Cemetery, of capital prisoners, of whom there were four. But presumably, because of the complications of transfer to the military, the reinterments did not take place. After the war the prison remained empty until 1930, when St Albans City Council purchased the premises for the purpose of converting it into the Highways Department's headquarters, although to ensure sufficient space, the internal cell block and other buildings were demolished.
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| Modern photo of the same section of the remaining part of the prison. The tall tower, which may have been a water tower, being part of the core structure, was demolished c1930. |
During these works someone obviously realised that the re-burials had not taken place as intended, in 1913. Rather belatedly the operation took place in March 1931. The event was a straightforward one, with no ceremony and no minister of religion present. The grave plot was provided by the council, located on a corner near the eastern pathway, and in the tradition of all common graves no headstone or other marker was provided.
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| The space to the left of the tree, right foreground, contains the remains of the four prisoners re-buried from the grounds of the former prison. |
During the period of operation four prisoners, three male and one female, were handed capital sentences. That much is known, although not so much detail of the individual prisoners and the nature of their trials. Fortunately, research carried out by Nicholas Connell and Ruth Stratton has been published under the title Hertfordshire Murders.
Let's reveal the story of Charles Coleman and discover how he met his end at the young age of 36.
Coleman was a Rickmansworth man, having been born and brought up in the town. We know where he was in 1911, because the prison governor listed him as one of his inmates in that year's census. By midsummer he had been released, having served a sentence of six months for "mutilating a dog".
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| A classic image of old Mill End COURTESY RICKMANSWORTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
As with many released prisoners he joined the pool of casual labourers at Mill End, Rickmansworth, and we assume work to have been various but intermittent We know from the published court records that he met a former acquaintance, Rose Gurney, where they spent some time in a local public house. Witnesses reported seeing the pair later that evening, and Coleman was observed having his hands around Gurney's neck. They then came across two other male acquaintances of hers; she left Coleman and accompanied them. Coleman stated he did not appear to be concerned about the parting although he was observed to have shown some irritation at the time. No other event of that evening was reported to the trial.
Two female witnesses reported walking through Rickmansworth Park the following morning and came across the body of a woman who was subsequently identified as Rose Gurney, with neck bruises and a number of knife stabs on her chest. Coleman was found later that day at a public house in nearby Sarratt village. The arresting police officer found fresh blood on his clothing, and in the trial Coleman was quoted as saying "I'm not afraid to die", inviting the officer to hang him for what he had done.
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| A postcard view of Rickmansworth Park probably taken near the time when the murder of Rose Gurney took place. |
We don't have a detailed account of the trial and are left with the impression that witness statements and other evidence were fairly brief. The jury was evenly split, causing a judge to re-hear the case later in Hertford, where Coleman was found guilty. His previous convictions also came to light at this point: indecent behaviour in a church, larceny, wilful damage, game trespass, assault, drunk and disorderly behaviour, and the above mentioned mutilation of a dog.
Coleman was returned to St Albans Prison and executed on 21st December 1911, the final capital punishment before the prison closed.
The case was covered in detail by the Watford Observer and in one or two national newspapers, but not at all by the Herts Advertiser, possibly on the grounds that the prisoner had no connection with St Albans other than the place of his incarceration, in spite of the newspaper's considerable circulation area, covering at least half of the county at the time, including Watford and Rickmansworth.
