Borstal, Kent
Encyclopedia
Borstal is a place in the unitary authority
of Medway
in South East England
. Originally a village near Rochester, it has become absorbed by the expansion of Rochester.
The youth prison at Borstal gave its name to the Borstal
reform school system.
burg-steall "fort site" or "place of refuge", likely referring to the hill there. The hill is now the home to Fort Borstal
.
The village is mentioned in Domesday Book
.
The parish church, built in 1879, is dedicated to St Matthew.
The noted artist Donald Maxwell
lived at No. 3, Borstal Villas from 1908 to 1930.
, by convict labour between 1875 and 1885. It is of polygonal design and was never originally armed. An anti-aircraft battery was based there in the Second World War
.
and Cookham Wood
prison
s. Rochester was originally known as Borstal Prison, and was founded in 1870. Borstal Prison was once an experimental juvenile prison of the reformatory type set up in 1902. Because it was the first detention centre of its kind in the UK
, the word "Borstal
" became synonymous with other detention centres for youths across the country, and elsewhere. In view of that connotation, the prison was renamed 'Rochester Young Offenders Institution'. HMP Cookham Wood
was added to the site later, in 1978.
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
in South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. Originally a village near Rochester, it has become absorbed by the expansion of Rochester.
The youth prison at Borstal gave its name to the Borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
reform school system.
History
Its name came from Anglo-SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
burg-steall "fort site" or "place of refuge", likely referring to the hill there. The hill is now the home to Fort Borstal
Fort Borstal
Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, by convict labour between 1875 and 1885, to hold the high ground southwest of Rochester, Kent. It is of polygonal design and was never originally armed...
.
The village is mentioned in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
.
The parish church, built in 1879, is dedicated to St Matthew.
The noted artist Donald Maxwell
Donald Maxwell
Donald Maxwell was a British writer and illustrator.-Life and family:Donald Maxwell was the son of Dr Frederick Charles Maxwell, a Methodist clergyman and schoolmaster, and his wife Lucilla, also an illustrator...
lived at No. 3, Borstal Villas from 1908 to 1930.
Fort Borstal
Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United KingdomRoyal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
In 1859 Lord Palmerston instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom because of serious concerns that France might attempt to invade the UK...
, by convict labour between 1875 and 1885. It is of polygonal design and was never originally armed. An anti-aircraft battery was based there in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Borstal Prison
On the edge of Borstal are RochesterRochester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Rochester is a male Young Offenders Institution, located in the Borstal area of Rochester in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is located next to HMP Cookham Wood....
and Cookham Wood
Cookham Wood (HM Prison)
HM Prison Cookham Wood is a male juveniles' prison and Young Offenders Institution in the village of Borstal in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s. Rochester was originally known as Borstal Prison, and was founded in 1870. Borstal Prison was once an experimental juvenile prison of the reformatory type set up in 1902. Because it was the first detention centre of its kind in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the word "Borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
" became synonymous with other detention centres for youths across the country, and elsewhere. In view of that connotation, the prison was renamed 'Rochester Young Offenders Institution'. HMP Cookham Wood
Cookham Wood (HM Prison)
HM Prison Cookham Wood is a male juveniles' prison and Young Offenders Institution in the village of Borstal in Kent, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
was added to the site later, in 1978.
External links
- Borstal website, including history (village and prison)
- Young Offenders Institution