South London . n in 1758,and the Debtors were removed to a larger and much morecommodious place on the other side of the street south ofLant Street—the site is now marked by a number of newand very ugly houses and mean streets. When it was builtit looked out at the back of St. Georges Fields and acrossLambeth Marsh, then an open space, and by this timedrained. But the good air without was fully balanced by thebad air within. THE DEBTORS PRISON 2/5 The place was surrounded by a very high wall, the areacovered was extensive, and the buildings were more com-modious than had ever before been attem
South London . n in 1758,and the Debtors were removed to a larger and much morecommodious place on the other side of the street south ofLant Street—the site is now marked by a number of newand very ugly houses and mean streets. When it was builtit looked out at the back of St. Georges Fields and acrossLambeth Marsh, then an open space, and by this timedrained. But the good air without was fully balanced by thebad air within. THE DEBTORS PRISON 2/5 The place was surrounded by a very high wall, the areacovered was extensive, and the buildings were more com-modious than had ever before been attempted in a they were not large enough. In the year 1776 theprisoners had to lie two in a bed, and even for those whocould pay there were not beds enough, and many slept onthe floor of the chapel. There were 395 prisoners: in addi-tion to the prisoners many of them had wives and childrenwith them. There were 279 wives and 725 children : a totalof 1)399 sleeping every night in the prison. There was a\. kings bench prison good water supply, but there was no infirmary, no residentsurgeon, and no bath. Imagine a place containing 1,399persons, and no bath and no infirmary ! Among these prisoners, about a hundred years ago, was acertain Colonel Hanger, who has left his memoirs behindhim for the edification of posterity. According to him, theprison rivalled the purlieus of Wapping, St. Giles, and in vice, debauchery, and drunkenness. The generalimmorality was so great that it was only possible, he says,to escape contagion by living separate or by consorting T2 276 SOUTH LONDON only with the few gentlemen of honour who might befound there : otherwise a man will quickly sink into dis-sipation : he will lose every sense of honour and dignity:every moral principle and virtuous disposition. Amongthe prisoners in Hangers time, there were seldom fiftywho had any regular means of sustenance. They werealways underfed. At that time a detaining creditor had tofind sixpence a
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbesantwa, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1912
