The Marshalsea (1373–1842) was a notorious prison in Southwark, just south of the River Thames. Although it housed a variety of prisoners—including men accused of crimes at sea and political figures charged with sedition —it became known, in particular, for its incarceration of the poorest of London's debtors. [ 1 ]

The Marshalsea Prison was a debtors' prison which is mentioned frequently in the works of Charles Dickens. The Marshalsea prison was located on the south bank of the River Thames in the London borough of Southwark, near London Bridge.

Charles Dickens’ novel ‘Little Dorrit’ is set within the Marshalsea Prison, where his own father was incarcerated and a place he knew well. This notorious, 500 year old prison was home to debtors, pirates, smugglers and other undesirables… For centuries, there was no …

Nov 22, 2023 · From the 14th to the 19th century, the Marshalsea was one of England’s most infamous prisons. Located in Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames, it housed mainly debtors arrested under cruel laws that allowed indefinite imprisonment for even small debts.

Marshalsea, a prison formerly existing in Southwark, London, on the south bank of the Thames and attached to the court of that name held by the steward and marshal of the English (later British) king. It existed as early as the reign of Edward III.

Jun 6, 2017 · There is a comprehensive analysis of the ruthless ways in which everyone from simple turnkeys, charged with the day to day running of the prison, to notorious deputy marshals, such as William Acton, ‘skinned the flint’ in order to exploit the inmates for profit.

Jul 8, 2024 · For several hundred years, a prison in London held all manner of miscreants, but in its later years, it became the place where debtors were incarcerated. Learn what life was like for those inside Marshalsea Prison.

The Marshalsea dates from medieval times and closed in 1842, being demolished soon afterwards. All that is left to be seen of this once notorious debtors' prison is this length of the wall in Angel Court.

Mar 23, 2022 · Marshalsea Prison. The Marshalsea Prison was established in 1373 further down the road roughly where 161 Borough High Street now stands, before moving to this site in 1811.

Mar 18, 2025 · Few locations capture the Dickensian spirit more than the remnants of Marshalsea—the debtor’s prison where Charles Dickens ’ own father was incarcerated, an experience that profoundly...