HMP Shepton Mallet, or Cornhill as it was once called, stands as one of Somerset’s most infamous former prisons. Opened in 1625 as a house of correction, it operated for nearly 400 years, incarcerating some of Britain’s most notorious criminals—including killers, rapists, and child murderers—until its closure in 2013.
The prison’s grim legacy is steeped in darkness, with executions carried out there primarily by hanging, the principal method of capital punishment in Britain from Anglo-Saxon times until the late 19th century. Public hangings were a macabre spectacle, drawing crowds fascinated by the morbid and theatrical nature of the events.
Shepton Mallet was Somerset’s execution center from 1889, replacing Taunton Prison, and records show at least seven judicial executions took place there between 1889 and 1926. During World War II, the facility also witnessed the execution of 18 military personnel involved in serious crimes like murder and rape.
READ MORE: 12 Unexpected Foods You Can Freeze, Including Wine and Eggs
READ MORE: Bath Rugby Player Ratings From Northampton Saints Defeat: ‘Had a Nightmare’
The prison’s walls have witnessed countless tragic and brutal deaths. Historical archives reveal harrowing details of inmates like Samuel Reyland, executed in 1889 for the brutal murder of 10-year-old Emma Jane Davies, and Henry Dainton, hanged in 1891 for drowning his wife after a drunken altercation.
Another chilling story is that of Charles Squires, who was executed in 1893 after killing his two-year-old stepson. His violent behavior and threats toward the child culminated in this tragic crime, illustrating the dark realities of life inside the prison.
In 1914, Henry Quarterly was executed for the cold-blooded shooting of his neighbor, Henry Pugsley. Quartly displayed no remorse, famously stating, “I don’t care a ——- that I killed him.” Similarly grim tales include those of Verney Asser, an Australian soldier executed in 1918 for killing a comrade during WWI, and Robert Baxter, who hanged William Bignall in 1925 for murdering his girlfriend.
The last civilian to be executed at Shepton Mallet was John Lincoln in 1926, convicted for the murder of Edward Richards. Lincoln’s notorious family background and criminal acts added another dark chapter to the prison’s grim history.
Many of these executed prisoners were buried in unmarked graves within the prison grounds, a somber reminder of lives ended behind bars.
Today, Shepton Mallet has been repurposed as a tourist attraction, drawing visitors intrigued by its dark past and reputed paranormal activity. Guests and ghost hunters frequently report unexplained phenomena—from disembodied voices to mysterious lights reacting to equipment—making it a hotspot for supernatural experiences.
Notably, stories persist of a ghostly woman in wedding attire, believed to be a 17th-century inmate who killed her husband. Staff have also reported sightings of an American serviceman’s spirit, linked to the prison’s use by US forces during World War II.
Whether driven by history or the supernatural, Shepton Mallet Prison remains an eye-opening site that reveals a stark, haunting glimpse into Britain’s penal past.