On theMonth28th January 1764 a Petition of several Persons inhabitants of London residing near Newgate was presented by Mr. Alderman Harley one of
the Members for the City of the House of Comons Setting forth that the Goal of Newgate was the Comon Goal for the City of London and County of
Middx- That for several years last past there had been Comunits Annis near 1000 Persons Committed to sd. Goal annually, two thirds of whom had been
Middx PrisonersThat said Goalwasis a very Old ill constructed Close and incomodious building and in its present State state unfit for the
Reception of the Prisoners committed thither-That a great Number of Prisoners had been usually crowded into the said Goal at the Opening of
the Several Session of Oyer and Terminer and Genl. Goal Delivery held at Justice Hall in the Old Bailey That the Petr. were [..] Advised it
might be in a great measure Attributed to those Causes that the Prisoners in said Goal had been frequently visited with a Maliqnous Disease [..]
called the Goal distemper by which many lives had been last in the sd. Goal and sd. Sessions House being contigions to sd. Goal the Health of all Persons
resorting there to must be on dangered That the Petrs. and the sevl. other Persons who reside near sd. Goal were greatly annoyed by the Noxious Effluvia from aged Goal and that same was become a post dangerous nusence

The Petition was Ordered to lie on the Table which gave Reason to Apprehend that nothing would be done in it,
but it appearing by the Public Papers that the City were preparing Plans of a New Goal that a Committee to whom it had
been referred to consider of a place for it had reported the Old Bailey as proper And it being given out that the Expence of rebuilding
Newgate would Amount to £60,000 the Justices for Middx assembled in the February Session considering them selves as the Guardians of the County Rate
the only Fund at present applicable to the Repair of Goals thought it necessary by a Public Advertisement to convene
their Brethren in Order to form a Resolution in a Matter of so Great importanceconsequenceand an Advertisement for that purpose
was Published but before the day of Meeting a Petition of the Mayor Alderman and Commons of the City was presented to the
House the 8th. of March in Substance much the same as the former with the Addition that the Goal ought to be rebuilt at the Expence of
the City and County and that the Petitioners were ready to do every thing on their part that could be Equitably expected of them
and this Petition as also the former was referred to a Committee of which Mr. Alderman Harley was Appointed Chairman.

A Great Number of Justices from all parts of the County Attended this Meeting and the Matter having been Opened to them and
the Unreasonableness of the City's Demand on the County clearly shewn as also that if their Petition. should be granted the County
besides contributing two Thirds of the Money required to Rebuild the Goal would be chargeable with the perpetual Repair of it
It was unanimously resolved to Oppose the Petition, so far as it tended to & Impose a Charge on the County

Previous to this Care had been taken by a very deligent Research into the History of the City Wells and Gates an Inspection
of Sundry ancient Records in the Tower the several Charters granted from time to time to the City the Inscription on the
northeast andsouthwest sides of Newgate and other Matters of antiquity to Collect materials for and Evidence in Support of a
Counter Petition and a Petition was accordingly Ingrossed and produced at this Meeting which after reciting the purport of the
former Petitions set forth that etc. Invert Petn.

This Petition being read was unanimously approved of and was signed by all the Gentlemen present among whom were sir
William Beauchamp Procter< no role > and George Cooke< no role > Esquire the Members for the County and Lord Work worth and the Honble Mr. Sanders
the Members for Westmr. Sr. Wm. Beauchamp Proctor under took to present it It was also agreed that Petitions to the same effect as
that of the Justices should be preferred by the several Hundreds of the County and Directions were given to prepare such sr. Wm.
Beauchamp Proctor< no role > then went to the House immediately and Presented the Petition and it was referred to the Committee to which
the former Petitions stood referred.

In a few days after the other Petition to the Number of 12 came in and they were all referred in like manner as the former

Before the breaking up of this meeting it was moved that the Management of the County Opposition should be referred to a Comittee
and accordingly a Committee of seven Gentlemen was appointed who were Thomas Lane< no role > Esqr. the Chairman John Hawkins< no role > , John
Spencer Colepeper< no role > John Brettell< no role > Bartholomew Hammond< no role > Elisha Biscoe< no role > and William Bayntun< no role > Esquires Mr. Poyntz a Solicitor
of the House of Commons was Employed to take care of the Petition within Doors and Mr. Jefferson the Deputy Clerk of the
Peace was appointed Solicitor at large

Of the Proceedings of this Committee from day to day Minutes was taken by the Clerks Attending it and of those minutes a Copy
is to be found among the papers relating to this Matter in the Custody of the Clerk of the Peace at the first Sitting the Managers
for the County procured an Order for producing the Charter of Confirmationgranted a 2of Cha 2d. an Account of
sums paid into the Chamber of London for Sheriffs Fines an Account of Monies received by the Duty on Coals under the Statute
of 19 Cha 2d. and an Account of Monies reced by the Sale of the Materials of such of the city Gates as had then lately been
pulled down

By these Accounts which the City were very unwilling to have produced it appeared that they had reced

£ s d
For Sheriffs Fines from the Year 1762 only130.550
By the Total produce of the Impost on Coals736,804..9..2
By Produce of Materials of City Gates794..-..-
868148..9..2

That the Goal in is supposed to have been originally Built in the Reign of King King Heny. ye pet. of or K. Stephen
that is to say between the Year 1100 & 1154 and that the same hath been under the sole Governmt. of and from time to time Rebuilt
repair'd Attend & enlarged by the City of London -That supposing the Number of Prisoner yearly committed to the said Gaol
to be as great as is Alledged (which the Petr. did by no means Admit) and that two thirds of them are Middx Prisrs.the Petrs. say thatthe number was not
greaternewthan it hath been for a long Series of Years Past-That the County of Middx have Two Prisons wherein thre the Providence of God and the great
care that hath been taken to keep the same Clean and to prevent the Accumulation of Fifth no Malignant decease hath yet ever Appeared To which Prisons Persons
for the less atrocious Offences were [..] comitted and that the sole reason why any Middx Prisoner were [..] in Newgate was that the City of London did by their several Charters
among divers other valuable Priviledges and Immunities hold the Shrivealty of Middx together with that of London in Farm and that as they unite those two sevl