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At the end of the 18th century, penal reformers such as John Howard were demanding a new approach to the construction of prisons so that they should rehabilitate convicts and not just punish them. The existing prisons in Winchester - particularly the prison over the Westgate - were notorious with squalid conditions and a high mortality rate.
Until 1787, a County Bridewell (House of Correction) was located in central Winchester - John Howard's report of the conditions there in 1784 can be found at theprison.org.uk
Inspired by the writing of activists such as John Howard, the authorities for the County of Southampton (now Hampshire) decided to construct a purpose-built prison on the abandoned site of what had been Hyde Abbey - seemingly regardless of the impact its construction would have on the underlying archaeology. Alfred and his family's burials would appear to have been forgotten.
Prisoners were put to work digging the Bridewell foundations on the Hyde Abbey site and in doing so – or maybe in reburying materials from other parts of the site – they came across a number of graves.
One observer, the local Catholic priest, Rev. John Milner commented that:
"Miscreants couch amidst the ashes of our Alfreds and Edwards... In digging for the foundations of that mournful edifice, [the bridewell] at almost every stroke of the mattock or spade, some ancient sepulchre was violated; the venerable contents of which were treated with marked indignity*. On this occasion a great number of stone coffins, were dug up; with a variety of other curious articles, such as chalices, patins, rings, buckles, the leather of shoes and boots, velvet and gold lace belonging to chasibles and other vestments: as also the crook, rims and joints of a beautiful crosier, double gilt."
* The writer of this was in some degree witness to the scene which he describes. 'History and Survey of the Antiquities of Winchester' Rev. John Milner DD, FSA (1798)
Crosier Head
Abbot’s crosier head from Hyde Abbey, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
This was found during the excavations of 1788 and is believed to date from the first half of 13th century.
In 1788, the Bridewell moved to the Hyde Abbey site.
Ten years later, the keeper of the Bridewell (Mr Page) 'overseer of the prisoners and other workmen there employed, during the whole time of the building of this gaol' provided an account of what had happened in the area of the royal graves to a visiting antiquary, Captain Henry Howard, who 'with the high veneration I feel for the character and principles of our renowned Alfred ' had decided to 'make the discovery of his tomb an object of research ' whilst quartered in Winchester the previous year.
Howard made a rough drawing of the lay-out of the Abbey remains with a warning 'not to expect great accuracy, as the plan and measurements are taken solely by stepping the ground in different directions and are taken without instruments or chain.'
Captain Henry Howard's plan of the Abbey remains
In 1798, Howard wrote a letter reporting what Page, the keeper of the Bridewell had told him:
“About 'a' was also found a stone coffin cased with lead both within and without, and containing some bones and remains of garments. The lead, in its decayed state, sold for two guineas; the bones were thrown about and the stone coffin broken into pieces. There were two other coffins, and no more, found in this part, which were also for the sake of the garden, in which they lay, broken and buried as low as the spring.”
'Enquiries concerning the tomb of King Alfred at Hyde Abbey, near Winchester', Archaeologia (1800)
The Bridewell remained on the Hyde Abbey site until its closure in 1849. More information on the Hyde Bridewell, prisoner statistics and reports can be found at prisonhistory.org.
From the 1850s onwards, the Bridwell site was sold and developed for housing, becoming what is now King Alfred Place.
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