One of a series of caches near Wiltshire blind houses.
Blind houses are miniature lockups employed for the short term detention of miscreants. Although most could barely accommodate one person, often several detainees were locked up, possibly with a guard. There are over a hundred in England and have several names including round house, lockup or clink. They provided a place for the local constable to put drunks, vagrants, brawlers and disreputable women as well as those more serious offenders in transit to the county assizes. Windows are always absent, hence the name, with light and ventilation coming only from tiny grilles. Most were free-standing, constructed of stone with heavy wooden nailed doors. Most Wiltshire blind houses date from the 18th century although there are a couple somewhat older. More information can be found in Mary Delorme's excellent book, Curious Wiltshire.
