During the first half of the century, Christmas was not as widely celebrated, with many not even recognising the day as a national holiday. This changed, however, in the 1840s when Queen Victoria married her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Bringing many German Christmas traditions to Britain with him, most notably the Christmas tree, Prince Albert’s festivity inspired the popularisation and commercialisation of Christmas across the entire nation.

But what did Christmas Day look like in a Victorian prison? While one would perhaps presume that nineteenth-century prisons did not partake in Christmas celebrations, in fact, special provisions were put in place within prisons that allowed inmates to get involved with the holiday festivities.

Firstly, inmates were permitted a rare day of relaxation, as no hard labour was allowed to take place on Christmas day within prisons. But how did they spend their day off? While the average Victorian would start their Christmas Day celebrations by attending their local Church, where they would enjoy scripture readings and carol singing, prisoners were also granted the opportunity to worship, as an appointed prison Chaplain would provide both morning and evening Christmas services for inmates.

In addition to this, the inmates’ ordinary diets, which usually consisted of water, milk, bread, potatoes, and gruel, were temporarily abandoned on Christmas day. Instead, most prisoners enjoyed helpings of roast beef, vegetables, and even plum pudding, a Victorian Christmas staple, enjoyed by both the rich and poor.

The leniency of prison officials was further demonstrated through their toleration of carol singing. Several reports from Victorian prisons reveal that prisoners often sang songs in their cells all through Christmas night. While punishments were enforced for any singing that was deemed disruptive, as it is reported that prisoners’ singing often turned into the shouting of obscenities and displays of defiance, authorities for the most part allowed the singing to continue, providing it remained appropriate.

Therefore, Victorian prisons did, to some extent, allow their inmates to celebrate Christmas day. Through providing special provisions, and disregarding typical rules and regulations, inmates were able partake in some Christmas traditions. While inmates would not have experienced a Christmas day that was entirely typical of the Victorian period, the privileges and treats granted to them would have certainly been a positive change to their usual treatment.