Words and photos: Mark Stevenson
Leeds Borough Gaol was completed in 1847 and originally it housed both male and female prisoners.
Lilian Ida Lenton (1891 – 1972) was probably the most well-known female prisoner. She was an English Dancer, Suffragist and winner of a French Red Cross Medal for her service as an Orderly in World War I.
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Below are three census entries from 1881, 1891 and 1901 showing some of the prisoners from Leeds Borough Gaol.
1881
| Forename | Surname | Age | Year Born | Relation | Birth Place | Occupation |
| Ann | Murphy | 49 | 1832 | Prisoner | Galway, Ireland | Flan Spinner |
| Annie | Foster | 21 | 1860 | Prisoner | Beeston Leeds, Yorkshire | Cloth Weaver |
| Susannah | Whitehead | 29 | 1852 | Prisoner | Salford, Lancashire | Machinist |
| Rose Ann | Smith | 21 | 1860 | Prisoner | Welshpool, Wales | Domestic Servant |
| Mary Ann | Phillips | 52 | 1829 | Prisoner | Bradford, Yorkshire | Worsted Spinner |
| Catherine | Matthews | 32 | 1849 | Prisoner | Dublin, Ireland | Upholsterer |
| Annie | Humphrey | 35 | 1846 | Prisoner | Bristol, Somerset | Dress Maker |
| Eliza | Hardy | 29 | 1852 | Prisoner | Leeds, Yorkshire | Cloth Weaver |
1891
| Forename | Surname | Age | Year Born | Relation | Birth Place | Occupation |
| Elizabeth | Kelly | 34 | 1857 | Convicted Prisoner | Leeds, Yorkshire | Wool Weaver |
| Mary Ann | Joyce | 19 | 1872 | Convicted Prisoner | Bradford, Yorkshire | Worsted Spinner |
| Jane | Dumphy | 33 | 1858 | Convicted Prisoner | Leeds, Yorkshire | Flax Spinner |
| Mary Ann | Williams | 30 | 1861 | Convicted Prisoner | Leeds, Yorkshire | Jewellery Hawker |
| Mary Jane | Ratcliffe | 36 | 1855 | Convicted Prisoner | Bradford, Yorkshire | Cook (Domestic Servant) |
| Margeret Ann | Adams | 27 | 1864 | Convicted Prisoner | Batley, Yorkshire | Woollen Mill Machine Feeder |
| Mary Jane | Gilligan | 18 | 1873 | Convicted Prisoner | Bradford, Yorkshire | Cotton Spinner |
| Ellen | Grogan | 28 | 1863 | Convicted Prisoner | Oldham, Lancashire | Worsted Spinner |
| Margaret | Denham | 19 | 1872 | Convicted Prisoner | Middlesbrough, Yorkshire | Flax Spinner |
1901
| Forename | Surname | Age | Year Born | Relation | Birth Place | Occupation |
| Anartia | Crawley | 22 | 1879 | Prisoner | Ireland | Prostitute None |
| Ann | Carroll | 40 | 1861 | Prisoner | Liverpool, Lancashire | Prostitute None |
| Elizabeth | Connor | 35 | 1866 | Prisoner | Liverpool, Lancashire | Prostitute None |
| Mary | Coyle | 22 | 1879 | Prisoner | Liverpool, Yorkshire | Prostitute None |
| Ann | Cassidy | 31 | 1870 | Prisoner | Liverpool, Lancashire | None |
| Mary | Chester | 30 | 1871 | Prisoner | Skipton, Yorkshire | Cotton Worsted Millhand |
| Lena | Flannery | 25 | 1876 | Prisoner | India | Prostitute None |
| Clara | Fellows | 25 | 1876 | Prisoner | Sheffield, Yorkshire | None |
| Margaret | Flynn | 30 | 1871 | Prisoner | Liverpool, Lancashire | None |
| Nelly | Fraser | 29 | 1872 | Prisoner | Scotland | Prostitute None |
| Elizabeth | Findley | 41 | 1860 | Prisoner | Ireland | Prostitute None |