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Wakefield Prison - Improved diet in 1833 after cholera epidemic

Prison Diet

Improved diet introduced in 1833 following cholera epidemic.

  Breakfast Dinner Supper
Sunday 1 quart of oatmeal and 1½ lb of bread. 5 oz. Of boiled beef, ½ lb of mashed potatoes or other vegetables 1 pint of broth thickened with oatmeal and ½ lb of bread
Monday As Sunday ½ lb of boiled rice in a solid state, seasoned with all-spice, and ½ lb of bread 1 pint of oatmeal porridge and ½ lb of bread
Tuesday As Sunday 1 quart of porridge thickened with 1 ¼ oz of oatmeal and 3 oz of flour and ½ lb of bread As Monday
Wednesday As Sunday As Sunday As Sunday
Thursday As Sunday As Tuesday As Monday
Friday As Sunday 1 pint of ox-head soup thickened with peas As Monday
Saturday As Sunday 1 quart of porridge thickened with ground rice and oatmeal, and ½ lb of bread As Monday
Women and boys under 16 to be allowed only 1 lb of bread daily

 

Diet in 1863 (per week)

Prison term Cereal Vegetables Meat Total
Up to 10 days 140 oz 0 0 140 oz
10 days to 1 month 164 oz 36 oz 0 200 oz
Long term (over 1 month)        
1st month 182 oz 60 oz 8 oz 250 oz
2nd and 3rd months 188 oz 68 oz 10 oz 266 oz
4th month onwards 200 oz 104 oz 16 oz 320 oz
  Cereal consists of bread, oatmeal, 2 oz to each pint of gruel, flour used in puddings or soup and peas used in soup Vegetables are mainly potatoes and onions Meat is cold or in soup  
Punishment diet is bread and water for 3 days, or reduced rations as above.

Sample modern diet (one day)
Breakfast Dinner Tea Supper
Porridge, bacon or hash browns, spaghetti, jam, margarine. Soup, French bread, rolls, ham, egg, mayonnaise, cheese, cream sponge. Breaded fish, Mushy peas, chips, bread, margarine. Cake or fruit
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This page (prisdiet.html) was last modified on Tuesday 24/04/2012