HM Prison Barlinnie

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HMP Barlinnie[1] in Glasgow

HM Prison Barlinnie is a prison located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the north-east of Glasgow, Scotland. It was mainly used for short term prisoners or those awaiting trial in Glasgow courts, but also long term prisoners awaiting transfer to prisons such as Saughton or Peterhead. It also housed the Libyan diplomat held responsible for the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie plane disaster but who has now been transferred to HM Prison Greenock. Barlinnie prison consists of 5 halls - A, B, C, D, and E. The prison is colloquially known as "Bar-L" in some parts of Scotland. The bucket-as-toilet routine known as slopping out was still in practice there as late as 2003. Since 2001 refurbishment has taken place after critical reports by the Scottish Chief Inspector of Prisons [2].

A total of 10 judicial executions by hanging took place at HMP Barlinnie between 1946 and 1960:

8 February 1946 - John Lyon
6 April 1946 - Patrick Carraher - aged 40 yrs
10 August 1946 - John Caldwell
30 October 1950 - Christopher Harris
16 December 1950 - James Robertson
12 April 1952 - James Smith
29 May 1952 - Patrick Gallagher Deveney
26 January 1953 - George Francis Shaw
11 July 1958 - Peter Manuel - aged 31 yrs
22 December 1960 - Anthony Miller - aged 19 yrs

Each of the condemned men had been convicted of murder. As was the custom, the remains of all executed prisoners were buried in unmarked graves within the walls of the prison. During the prison renovations of 1997, the prison gallows (built into a cell-block) were demolished and the remains of all the executed prisoners were exhumed for reburial elsewhere.

Footballer Duncan Ferguson was imprisoned in HMP Barlinnie for 44 days in 1995.