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Southwark was home to many of the most important prisons in the country until recent times. Many people, both the famous and long since forgotten, were imprisoned in the locality in conditions ranging from the very comfortable to the very uncomfortable. Probably the most famous prison is The Clink. It started out as a prison controlled by The Bishop of Winchester, built within his palace on land given to him by Henry I in 1127. A prison was open on the site by 1161. The prison contained a multitude of offenders, religious prisoners, debtors and those who over indulged in Bankside. It was a popular place to protest, both the Wat Tyler's Peasants Revolt of 1381 and the Jack Cade Rebellion of 1450 saw the rebels free all prisoners. After being kept busy by religious offenders in the 16th Century The Clink began to decline in importance and was burnt down in the Gordon Riots of 1780.
The other prisons were less important, being for local criminals and debtors and not for important prisoners. The White Lyon was the smallest and least secure, being a converted inn. The Borough Compter was also a small prison and held the poorest debtors. The most famous of the local prisons is Horsemonger Lane Gaol. Built to replace the White Lyon the gatehouse had gallows on the roof. It was here that Charles Dickens witnessed a double hanging in 1849. This led to him writing to The Times condemning public execution and helped lead to its abolition in this country. The jail itself closed in 1878. |
Despite the Clink being so famous Marshalsea was the most important prison in Southwark. It was a national prison, second in importance only to the Tower of London. It was destroyed by both the 1381 and 1450 rebels. In 1504 poor conditions led to a riot and mass escape, many of those recaptured were executed. As the years passed the prison became less important, being home mainly to debtors, and in 1811 the initial building was abandoned and the prison moved home. In 1842 it was closed down. The third important prison was The King's Bench. Like Marshalsea it was named after the court it served. Initially it travelled with the King's Household but it moved to a permanent home, like the two aforementioned, near Borough High Road. It was also attacked in both 1381 and 1450. In 1770 it was home to radical MP John Wilkes and was attacked by a mob aiming to free him. Soldiers shot into the crowd, the St George's Field Massacre. A decade later it was burnt down in the Gordon Riots though it was soon re
built. The new building was famous for the good conditions enjoyed by rich prisoners and the awful conditions endured by the poor ones. It later became a military prison before being closed in 1880.