To His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of Middlesex in
their General Session of the Peace held for the said County on Thursday
the Seventh day of December 1780.

The Humble Representation and Petition of
Samuel Newport< no role > Keeper of New Prison at
Clerkenwell .

Sheweth

That at the General Quarter Session of the peace held
for this County in the Month of October 1779 Your Petitioner was
appointed through your Worships favour to the office of Keeper of
New Prison at Clerkenwell which he now holds; at the time of his
Appointment and long before the average Number of Prisoners
confined in New Prison were about 40. and upon an average
15 were for trial at the Old Bailey .

That Your Petitioner is allowed a Sallary of £70.
a Year and that the rest of the emoluments of his Office arise
from the fees paid by persons discharged out of his Custody either
by Warrant of a Magistrate or upon the expiration of the Sentence
under which they are Committed and for the Use of Beds within
the Goal.

That heretofore the Keeper of the Prison had the
Benefit arising from the sale of Victuals and Liquor at the Tap
but now these advantages an in the Hands of another.

That the Persons generally committed to New
Prison are persons suspected of felony or of high misdemeanors
or who an Guilty thereof and are frequently in the most distressed
circumstances and not able to pay any fees whatever.

That since the late Riots, and the distruction of
the Gaol of Newgate the Number of Prisoners in Your Petitioners
Custody have been upon an average 150 or more and are daily
increasing, 80 or 90 of which have been for Trial at one
Session at the Old Bailey ,

That there being now no Gaol of equal security
in the County of Middlesex with New Prison not even all
Prisoners of such Description as was usually committed to Newgate ,
but also the greatest part of those who have been tried at the Old
Bailey , and received the Judgement of the law for Capital.