The Gaol - or at least the one you see today - was built in 1775, though there has been a Gaol in Ruthin since 1404. The original Gaol was a half-timbered building which stood in St. Peters Square.

Towards the end of the 16th Century, prisons started to become a means of punishment for ‘crimes' such as for debt, non-payment of fines, minor misdemeanours and especially vagrancy.
Offenders and unconvicted people were squashed together in uncomfortable, unpleasant and unhygienic conditions. Small Gaols like that of Ruthin were unable to cope. To help this, in 1576 an act was passed to enable Houses of Correction to be built. Houses of Correction, or ‘Bridewells', were there to eliminate the growing problem of vagrancy, Able-bodied idlers and the unemployed were sentenced to the House of Correction instead of being sent to prison.

In 1654, the Judges at the Court of Great Sessions ordered Denbighshire Justices of the Peace to build the first County House of Correction at Ruthin. This was built at the bottom of Clwyd Street on the same site as the present Gaol buildings.

Conditions at the House of Correction deteriorated as it became to be used as a place of general detention. The county council then decided to build a completely new gaol. Joseph Turner of Chester, an architect, was appointed to design the new prison in 1775. The new building served the County Gaol until 1866.

So, who haunts Ruthin Gaol? It seems inevitable that with the history of the town and Gaol that something still resides inside the walls of the building to this day.

But who? And why?

Its certainly possible that John Jones, or'Coch Bach Y Bala' as he was known, still haunts the building. He succeeded in escaping from the Gaol twice, once on 30th November 1879 with three others while staff were having supper and secondly on 30th September 1913. This last escapade was to prove fatal. After living rough on the Nantclwyd Estate for 7 days, one of his persuers, Reginald Jones-Bateman, shot him in the leg. John Jones died from shock and blood loss.

And what of William Kerr? Probably the Gaol's most infamous Gaoler, renowned for treating the inmates so badly, he was feared. Despite his reputation with the inmates , he was a loyal servant to the Gaol and popular amongst the staff of the time. Serving in the Gaol from 1871 to 1892, he used to ban prisoners from food, excericse and beat them if he deemed that they had misbehaved.

He used to taunt them, bangning on doors and whipping them at all times of the day, and jangle the cell keys outside the cells, infuriating inmates.

His spirit still seems to linger, and he is commonly seen by staff and guests alike, and previous investigations have recorded the banging on cell doors, commonly associated with the infamous William Kerr. He left the Gaol age 57 one day, and vanished. Noone knows what happened to him. The Gaoler feared by many just seemed to 'vanish'.

Or how about William Hughes?

William Hughes was the last man to be hung in the Gaol for the murder of his wife (who was also his cousin). Jane Williams became housekeeper to Tom Maddocks, a collier at Rhosddu Colliery to make a living and sustain the family.

Hughes was serving a sentance for family desertion, on his release obtained a double barrel shotgun, and shot his wife at close range. It was at such close range that the shot set fire to her clothes, smouldering her.

A plea of insanity was set for Mr Hughes when facing trial, as a history of mental illness was prevalent in his family, but the jury disregarded this and took only 10 minutes to find him guilty. He calmly thanked the judge and left the courthouse.

The last thing William Hughes did before being hanged was to look at a picture of his family.

He was hanged at 8:00am on 17th February 1903 in front of an audience of 6 people.

But who else is haunted the dark corridors of Ruthin Gaol...?