Episode 1548
The floating hell of prison hulks
Anna McKay delves into the development, use and abolition of floating prisons – and the horrible experiences of those incarcerated on board
HistoryExtra podcast · Immediate
January 5, 202338m 9s
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Show Notes
Decried by reformers as “wicked Noah’s arks” and “rotten leaky tubs”, prison hulks were a looming presence off the shores of 18th- and 19th-century Britain and its empire. Large former navy ships were docked on the Thames and elsewhere, housing convicts awaiting transportation, often in hideous conditions. Dr Anna McKay explains to David Musgrove why these floating prisons existed, what life was like on board, and why the system eventually fell out of use.
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