Prisons

Prisons

Eight enumerated by Strype: "The Gate House" (q.v.), "The Fleet," "Compters of the Poultry and Wood Street," "Ludgate," "The Marshalsea," "King's Bench," "White Lion" (I. 269).

"The Marshalsea" was in Southwark. See "Francheprison."

Many of the City Gates were also used as prisons.

Southwark Prisons. The Parish of St. Georges ... is of chief Note for the Kings Bench Prison, the White Lyon, the Marshalsea Prison, and the Mint, the ancient Retreats of ill principled Persons, that there sheltered themselves from the Payment of their just Debts, before the late Act of Parliament that took away that pretended Privilege. But before I enter upon my Description of this Parish I shall give the Reader a short Account of the Prisons on this side the Water.

There was formerly in Southwark but one Prison, particularly, serving for the whole County of Surrey, and that called the White Lyon, which was for the Custody of Murtherers, Felons, and other notorious Malefactors; It was situate at the South end of St. Margarets Hill near unto St. Georges Church; but that being an old decayed House within less than twenty Years past, the County Goal is removed to the Marshalsea Prison more towards the Bridge: which is a large and strong Building, being also a Prison for Debt. And here the Court of Marshalseas is holden every Fryday, for Tryals of such Person within the Verge of the Court of Whitehall, which is twelve Miles round, that are arrested by a Process taken out of this Court; but within this Verge London is excepted, which is a Liberty of it self.

The Kings Bench Prison, seated near St. Georges Church, generally thronged with Debtors; a Prison wherein great Abuses are committed by the Marshall or Keeper and his Underlings, and much complained of in Parliament. But I find no Redress likely to be had, by constraining the Marshall to keep the Prisoners within the Prison; he suffering them for Gratuities to go at Pleasure where they please, insomuch, that when any one asketh the Rules, or Limits of this Prison, Answer is made, At Constantinople; and indeed any where. And this makes them not regard the Payment of their just Debts, which a strict Confinement would oblige them unto for their own Advantage; no Man naturally loving a Confinement, were it in a Princes Court, much less a noysome Prison.

The Counter is within part of the Marshalseas House, and is a Prison only for Debt.

The Clink seated near the Thames, and in the Clink Liberty already mentioned, being a Prison for Trespasses in those Parts; but of late Years of little or no Account.

Southwark Prisons

In the 17th and 18th centuries there were four prisons in the small space between Newcomen Street and St. George's Church on the east side of Borough High Street, the King's Bench and the Marshalsea, both dating back to the 14th century and perhaps earlier, the County Gaol, dating from the beginning of the 16th century, and the House of Correction. Their relative positions are shown on the plan on the next page. In addition there were two other prisons in the immediate neighbourhood, the Borough Compter, kept first on the island site in Borough High Street, where the old parish church of St. Margaret had stood, and subsequently moved to Tooley Street, and the Clink Prison belonging to the Bishop of Winchester.

The evil and cruelty revealed in 18th century descriptions of these prisons are appalling, and there is little reason to think from the records that have come down to us that conditions at earlier periods were any better, though probably there was less congestion.ⁿ¹ In terms of sheer human misery it is doubtful if even the horrors of the concentration camps of recent years were worse than the long, slow agony of close confinement, starvation, sickness, and torture which went on for centuries in the Marshalsea and King's Bench prisons.

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ⁿ¹ The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in Roman London suggests that the level of high tide must have been "upwards of 13 ft. (probably at least 15 ft.) below its present level in relation to the existing land surface."