Comments on: In The Debtors’ Cell

By: Ian Harris

Ian Harris — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 09:41:41 +0000

If I had lived then, I too would have been in the debtors prison.
Debt is a terrible burden and although being bankrupt does not
carry the stigma of the past , it still leaves it’s mark.
I found this piece strangely cathartic, thank you.

By: Phil Maxwell

Phil Maxwell — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 16:45:11 +0000

Magical.

By: John Levin

John Levin — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:55:22 +0000

@ The Gentle Author: A lovely piece. I have more hope than you that we can find out about the lives of the prisoners – I’m writing a PhD on the subject. But having done some cursory searching, I cannot find any of the people you name.

@ Peter Holford: your 2xGreat Uncle’s memoir sounds like it is a very valuable piece of social history. It’s very difficult to find the individual life stories of imprisoned debtors. Have you published it, or given a copy to an archive?

By: Jill

Jill — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 14:56:20 +0000

Thank you for this post. Those poor devils. I discovered through searching on the internet only last night that one of my forebears was imprisoned for debts in 1823. His son went on to become an accountant and fathered 16 children, so his finances must have been stretched too.

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 21:03:11 +0000

My 2xgreat uncle, Jesse Pound, left a memoir which included his time in a debtors’ prison in November 1818. He seems to have fallen foul of poor economic circumstances when he wasn’t able to find enough work as a tailor. He moved from Bethnal Green to Sheerness looking for work. That was a mistake:

“One of my creditors was named Smith, to whom I owed £14 or £17. I gave him a note for the amount which, when it became due, I was not able to pay. After a short time he arrested me. I was taken to Maidstone Gaol, twenty miles distant. We had at the time but a few shillings in the world, which of course I left with my wife.”

He continues to describe his life inside and how he managed to secure his release through his tailoring skills. But he said that many others languished for years if they were unable to raise the money to pay off their creditors and if the creditors were hard-hearted enough to allow them to rot in jail. A rotten system!

By: The Idle 'Prentice

The Idle 'Prentice — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:29:04 +0000

If the gentle Author will allow me to link to another website, Tower Hamlets History Online, there is a piece there written about the history of Wellclose square and the prison mentioned in this post and the legend of how it also came to be known as “the sly house”.

An interesting corner of the East End, for sure. Not that there is much left there to hint at the rich history associated with the place for all was swept away in post war “slum” clearance.

http://www.mernick.org.uk/thhol/wellclose1.html

By: History Underfoot

History Underfoot — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:14:45 +0000

What a great opportunity this is to see the life of regular people from the past – I appreciate your thoughtful approach. The writing on these walls deserve to be shared.

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:43:46 +0000

The photos pulled me in, and I couldn’t wait to know more. These images reminded me of so many other touchstones — weather-worn gravestones, the visual language of hobos written in chalk, tribal totems and inscriptions, pen-knife carvings of hearts and initials on trees, even the current-day artwork of Wosene Kosroff, etc. I am so glad that these marks abide, along with their stories. (known and unknown)
A wonderful post. Most appreciated.

By: Linda Granfield

Linda Granfield — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 10:43:13 +0000

A touching reminder that our Troubles of today didn’t begin Today.
Thanks for putting us in touch with our emotions and their lives.

By: Tessa Harris

Tessa Harris — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 09:39:53 +0000

What a poignant tribute. If I remember rightly, the Museum of London also has the doors to Newgate Prison from the 18th century, too. Beneath the Viaduct Tavern in Newgate Street some of the wretched cells still exist and, if you ask nicely, the staff will show you for free. Apparently it’s popular with ghost hunters.