The "Round House" or "Honey Pot" at Curbar
In 1863, John Warren wrote in his diary: "William WELCH of Whaley Bridge was put in the Buxton Lockups for being Drunk and Disordley the cost was all together £4.2s.6d."
The fine was the equivalent of £450 today, a hefty penalty for being drunk.
The
location of the Buxton Lock-up is unknown. It had opened in 1829 and
was in use until about 1899. The inspector of prisons described it in
his 1850 report. It was a detached building with two cells, but no
accommodation for a keeper. The building is very ill adapted for its
purposes. It had been built at the cost of the township and was intended
chiefly for vagrants in want of a nights lodging, and that was its main
use. Only one cell was used, the other used to store coal and other
articles. This cell is about 9 feet long, 6 feet wide and 6 feet high.
It is dry, with an open fire. It had unglazed window, through which
people outside might be hand anything in. There were two poles fixed on
each side of the cell for seats, and there was some loose straw for
bedding. The constable said that there were formerly proper benches, but
that they had been pulled to pieces and burnt.' Many towns and villages had their own lock-ups, established mostly in the 19th century as local police forces were established although some were of a much earlier period.
