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man and a woman to live in it.- Ald Cliff said that certain things had transpired that morning at the Watch Committee which made it desirable to call a public meeting of the whole Council, and he would move that it be that day-week -At the special meeting on May 23rd, the report of the committee on the gaol was adopted, the recommendation being that as the building ceased to be a gaol on the 18th of April 18th(sic), it was necessary to retain it as a lock-up, with a keeper and matron residing therein; and that it was now wholly vested in the Council and not in the Magistrates, it should be placed under the police establishment; also that a married policeman should be appointed, who would be paid 20s. per week with house-rent, fire and candles, and that the appointment be given to Sergt. Brazier. Then followed the rules and regulations to be observed, to all which Sergt. Brazier consented, and was then and there appointed.
New Policemen - The Watch Committee elected Wm. Parker, Wm. Brazier, jun. Jas. Drury and Wm. Vidler, out of 20 applicants, to serve in the place of Sergt. Brazier (now keeper of the Lock-up), P.C. Hawkins (who had entered the County police) and P.C.'s Phillips and Brooker (who had been discharged).
Why a Lock-up instead of a Prison. The murder of a Hastings gaoler - described on page 63 gave rise to a letter from Sir George Grey, which represented the gaol as being in a discreditable condition, and recommended the Council to at once provide such a prison as was contemplated by the Gaol Acts or make a contract with the County for the maintenance of all prisoners, and immediately abandon the existing gaol. The Clerk said he had written to the Secretary of State, and pointed out that the Council were acting under an old contract between the late Mayor and jurats of Hastings and the Justices of East Sussex, dated 1827, which was sufficient for all purposes except that it might not meet the requirements of 5 and 6 Vic., because although adopted by the Council since 1836, the contract was not made by them. To this letter no answer was received. The contract price for the maintenance of prisoners at Lewes was 1/6 per day. Resolutions were passed to send all prisoners to Lewes after the next Quarter-Sessions, and to appoint a committee of five to dispose of the gaol. The recommendation of that committee to convert it into a lock-up and the adoption of this has been already shown.
Cemetery Affairs - At the meeting on June 6th, it was proposed to borrow £3,000 in addition to the £1,000 already spent on the Cemetery works, but to this, Mr. Williams objected, seeing, as he said, that they had in hand £4,000, of which only £2,500 would be wanted for drainage purposes that year, and £1,800 for the Cemetery during the same period. Let them, he said, take from one fund for the other. He contended that they were practically paying 8 per cent. for borrowed money, and only getting 3 per cent. for it. No motion was made on it then, but at the meeting on August 1st it was proposed to borrow not the £3,000 as before, but £4,000 on the Burial Board a/c. the-