Convicts exercising at Pentonville prison

Book illustration of convicts exercising at Pentonville prison, from 'The criminal prisons of London and scenes of prison life' by Henry Mayhew and John Binny. 1862. Mayhew describes how Pentonville had five exercise yards, the two largest being 'rope-yards' marked by concentric rings on which lay a rope knotted at distances of 15 feet apart. "Here the prisoners took up their station, one at every knot, all with masks down, and with a warder to watch over each of the circles of men at exercise, so as to prevent all communication between them indivdually. When the whole of the men were assembled in the yard, at each at their different stations, holding the rope in their hands, the principal warder cried in a loud voice 'Forwar-r-r-d!' and instantly the whole of the 130 convicts there began to wheel round and round, and to move along at the same rapid pace as if they were so many circles of lamp-lighters."