King William's Town jail 1870s

[Geordie daughter]

Does anyone have any information about the jail and its whereabouts in KWT? Michael Henry Daly was under-jailer here when he married in 1879, and I think, but can't yet prove for sure, that his father Michael was the head jailer around the same time. I'd be grateful for any details anyone can give me.

[Nookie]

Michael, the father, died in 1890 in the Orange Free State and was a retired goaler so it looks like your suspicions are possibly correct.

[Geordie daughter]

Thanks, Nookie. One of the versions of Michael senior's death notices says he was employed in that capacity by the "Colonial Government," by which I presume they mean that of the Cape Colony. I've haven't yet been able to unearth anything in NAAIRs with regard to his pension, but it would be nice if I could get some possible dates on his period of employment, etc. When Michael senior married in Cape Town, he was a "messenger at the Port Office," but the family appear to have moved to Malmesbury very shortly after as most, if not all, of the children were born there as far as I can tell. Just as a matter of interest, the eldest son, Daniel, was also employed as a jailer (but in Pretoria, this time) at the time of his death in 1902, and Dan's wife Bridget seems to have served as that prison's matron.

[pampoen]

Contact the KWT museum and ask them. Here is a link https://www.museum.za.net

[Geordie daughter]

Thank you Pampoen, I will do, as they can maybe fill in some details about the prison, etc. Nookie's come up trumps and sent me a link to an old Cape and Districts directory dated 1886, which lists what Michael and his wife Hendrica were earning in 1884, as jailer and jail matron, respectively, and also reveals that their eldest son was the Chief Constable in KWT.