Under lock and key

Choosing an 18th-century jail for the last programme in the 2003 series took Time Team into new territory. Series producer Tim Taylor says the site fitted well with the overall selection of locations for the series – and was of special interest precisely because Time Team had never excavated a prison before.

One of the most interesting aspects of the programme turned out to be the reconstruction cameo of what life would have been like for the prison's inmates. Regular Time Team digger Jim Mower was approached to see if he would like to be locked up in a cell for the night. 'Sounds interesting,' he replied – but this would be no ordinary cell. Stripped of modern appliances, like a toilet and bed, and given a frugal covering of straw and a wooden plinth for sleeping on, the atmosphere of the reconstructed cell became quite ominous.

Jim was not to be left alone in his experience. Real-life Appleby police sergeant, Grant Warwick, was to watch over him – dressed in the full original uniform of the period, including steel toe-capped boots, slash peaked hat and truncheon.

Daily life
Life in the prison in the late 1700s would have been ruled by strict discipline and routine. Prisoners were not allowed to talk or even look at each other. Not a single action could be made without the direct instruction of the guard. A prisoner could not speak, sing, stand, sit or move without permission. Serious repercussions would result from any infractions – such as speaking before being told to do so, or making prolonged eye contact with a jailer or another inmate.

The whole prison experience was based upon breaking the prisoners' independent will. Regimented timetables organised the day into sessions of hard manual labour and monotonous pointless exercises, interspersed with prayers and low-calorie, poor-quality sustenance.

The Time Team experiment
How far can a re-enactment go towards reconstructing the past?

Of course, 'prisoner' Jim could wear an inmate's rags, carry out the same mind-numbing tasks and sleep on the same bristly straw; and 'turnkey' or 'jailer' Grant can put on an old-fashioned prison uniform and dispatch the old-fashioned prison discipline. But can going through the motions really recreate the experience?

One thing that nobody on this programme was prepared for was the profound psychological effect that the experiment had on both of the characters taking part. In a remarkably short time, the reconstruction cameo changed from simple play-acting to what was, at times, a genuine battle, raising real emotions, in both the 'prisoner' and his 'jailer'. Throwing Jim and Grant back 200 years into an archaic prison system affected them both more than either had expected.

Jim's story
'I knew before I started that it was going to involve some hard manual labour,' says Jim. 'We work hard on Time Team anyway so I wasn't scared of that. I'd seen the cell and the clothes, and met Grant, so I thought it was going to be okay. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the psychological side of it.'

Jim's tasks included hours of breaking rocks and winding a ratchet machine (which counts the number of revolutions of a handle but serves no other purpose). He was also permanently shackled and fed only basic bread and gruel.

'I started out okay and just got into the part,' Jim continues. 'I thought I would narrate to the diary camera as things moved on. Then some food was brought in to me and I said, "Well that doesn't look too nice", and all of a sudden Grant came in and said, "Shut up. Don't talk. Eat." He had his hand on the truncheon at the time and I just thought, "Crikey, this is going to be serious."

'Grant is about 18 inches taller than me and he was very intimidating. I was pulled and pushed around, couldn't make eye contact with him, and found I was completely under his control in a very short time. At night, just when I was falling asleep, I would hear his boots coming down the corridor at regular intervals. He was an ever present force, which was very dominating. Even seeing him now, when the experiment is over, makes me feel uneasy. The experience has made me feel sympathy for those prisoners. I certainly wouldn't want to do it again.'

Jim Mower talks about being a Prisoner.

Grant's story
'I was given strict instructions by the crime and punishment expert, Simon Renton, about how I was supposed to behave,' says Grant. 'I could only issue commands and had to berate the prisoner for even the slightest mistake. At night, the film crew said that I could leave Jim in the cell, but I felt uneasy just leaving him there on his own, so I stayed the night at the station. Every now and then I would go down to the cells to check the poor guy was alright, but he didn't appear to sleep a wink.

'In the morning I went into the cell and told him to collect his slops bucket and follow me. He reached for his boots and froze. I realised then that I hadn't actually told him to put his boots on. Jim paused and then picked up the bucket and followed me outside in his bare feet. I guess then it really struck me how much control I had over this person.'

As a real-life police sergeant, Grant found the experience quite fascinating. 'It was amazing how little time it took for both of us to fall into our roles. I certainly would not have wanted to do that job 200 years ago. It was nothing like the police force we have today.

'I think if there was one thing I could take away from all this it would be the fact that at the time the wardens would have had complete control over their prisoners and could have made them do anything they wanted. They could have completely broken them. The whole experience brings home man's inhumanity to man. I really hope Jim doesn't go away thinking he'll never come to Appleby again!'

Grant Warwick talks about being a Warden.

Life on the outside
After the 24-hour experiment, Jim and Grant were given bottles of scotch by the film crew for their outstanding performances, and later that evening they had a few beers with the Team at the end of shoot party. Though both carry away a strong impression of the re-enactment, Grant shouldn't feel too bad: Time Team digger Kerry Ely managed to sneak in a chocolate bar and hide it under Jim's bed while Grant was being distracted by digger Alice Roberts in the exercise yard.

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