~Book Review~ The English Prison Hulks

The English Prison Hulks by W. Branch-Johnson

This nonfiction book is probably what really cemented my fascination for this macabre aspect in British history. (I realize that more countries than Britain are guilty of this atrocity and some more recently, but it's Britain's part that intrigues me, as it took place mostly in the time period I already loved.)

That being said, I found this book on Amazon, cringed at the used price ($20...but I now see it's up to $55 so...YAY!), then ordered it. It was first published in 1957. I have since picked up more recently researched/written texts on the subject but this one was still an excellent purchase.

W. Branch-Johnson has an excellent way of writing. This nonfiction book is easy to follow, comprehend, and at times very difficult to put down. If you have an interest in this morbid subject, I highly recommend finding this book.

I won't give this a star rating. As it was the first I've read cover-to-cover on the subject, I don't think a star rating would be quite fair. (Probably 'cause I'd give it a definite five stars.)

Interesting Blog ~ Restraints

I just stumbled across an interesting blog and since it's prison related, I'll post a link here.

It's called Restraints Blog and is all about handcuffs, leg irons, padlocks, and anything else related to punishment. I've already spent over an hour just looking at all the interesting pictures of these different restraints that the blog owner has found in eBay. 

*Credit for "vintage handcuffs" pic goes to © Zsolt Horvath | Dreamstime.com

"...such comfort and ease..."

The following was a letter I stumbled across in a google book, Observations on penal jurisprudence, and the reformation of criminals. It was a good thing I wasn't drinking anything at the time, because I would have spit it all over my computer screen. 

This is an example of someone in authority skewing the facts to hide the real state of affairs in the hulks. In fact, this is such a ridiculous claim that one marvels at the possibility of anyone believing such a taradiddle. The person who believed this wanted to and thus allowed ignorance to reign. 

More on this later. I apologize for my mini-rant. 

Taking a Break

I'm taking a bit of a break from hulks and prison research. It wasn't exactly a voluntary break; a new story idea pushed its way forward. 

I will get back to Retribution. It's a story I feel the need to write, not just the desire. This blog will stick around too, here for the odd moment when inspiration strikes or when my gruesome obsession with historical punishment rekindles. 

Perhaps I'll even be back with an excerpt. Perhaps. 

The Children's Hulk

In the center of this painting (done in 1815) is the Bellerophon. Crowds
gathered in smaller boats to see Napoleon, who'd been incarcerated there in 1815.

It wasn't until 1823 that the powers that be decided it might be a good idea to house criminals under the age of 16 on a separate hulk. Until that date, children as young as 9 were incarcerated with some of the worst offenders. By 1824, this plan was put into action and the adults aboard the Bellerophon were moved to different hulks, leaving that ship with no one over the age of 14, according to prison hulk records.

Retribution's hero, Wolf, would not have been placed on the children's hulk as he'd just attained his 16th birthday at the time of his conviction—and the year was only 1819, so no such hulk for children existed yet. No, he was incarcerated as an adult (so to speak—they didn't really try anyone as anything other than an adult at the time) and sentenced to the hulks as punishment.

Is that what his enemy wished? No. His enemy (not really his, but his mother's enemy) wanted him transported or dead. Since the hulks killed so many, he was reasonably satisfied with the result. He could not have known that Wolf would not only survive but emerge, desiring...retribution. 

Prison Hulks : A Definition

If you are not all that familiar with penal history, you may not know what a prison hulk is. 

Simply: 

A prison hulk was a decommissioned ship, moored, and equipped (for the most part) to house criminals. 

Longer version: 

When Britain warred with the colonies in the late 1700s, they could no longer send their criminals there. Somebody suggested they turn decommissioned naval vessels into a sort of holding ground for those prisoners sentenced to transportation, where they could wait until space was available on a prison ship bound for a penal colony. 

This was supposed to be a temporary measure but the prison hulk system lasted about 80 years. Eventually, criminals were sentenced to the hulks instead of just sent there to wait until they could be transported. 

Welcome to 'Hell on Earth'

Nothing I've written has required quite the amount of research that Retribution has. A romance that revolves around the English prison hulks? Even I can't think of anything less romantic. What if the hero is an ex-con from the hulks? Yeah, you see my dilemma. 

I've broken it down into steps:

• First step, research the hulks. (I've enjoyed that rather more than I expected.) 
• Second step, research the psychological effects such a place would have on a young man, incarcerated wrongly, and left to die. (Mental deficiencies galore.) 
• Third step, find the perfect woman for him, one whose own life can hardly be considered normal, and definitely not easy by any stretch of the imagination. (A reluctant prostitute, perhaps?) 
• Fourth step, throw them together but keep them apart. (He's highborn; she's not. What better way to keep them apart.) 
• Fifth step, figure out how to help him cope with his lot, maybe using a previous character whose mental instabilities rival his own. (Hello, Derringer!) 

This has been one interesting journey. As I learn more, I'll post to this blog. Questions are always welcome.