1851: Lyttleton Gaol
October 11, 2018
By AHNZ
One of my awakening moments of Anarchist History was this realisation that early New Zealanders so swiftly adopted the recourse to incarcerating those deemed criminal or insane. The speed and ostentation with which this was done is staggering and the priority outranks other public buildings you’d think would come first. (Michelle Foucout for the win, he called it.)
Samuel Butler, writing his novel Erewhon at the time, did not fail to satirise this. In his book, citizens were charged with criminality just for being medically ill!
Cantabrians, all the English, of course had recourse to dump their crooks and nuts (or just eccentric, out-group people) to the American Colonies. Then, to Australia. That meant little experience at reform.
What can the New Zealander wishing to use transportation on a convict do? They’re already at the other end of the rubbish shoot themselves! Initially, as we see, lots and lots of dungeons were built.
Lyttleton Gaol-Just a year after the first four ships arrived, it came apparent that Canterbury needed a gaol! What was to be a perfect new colony soon was tainted by the nature of man. So Lyttelton Gaol was opened in 1851- Ref. Disco
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