Marshalsea, Historic prison in Southwark, England
The Marshalsea was a prison located along Borough High Street that primarily held people unable to pay their debts. A distinctive section of the original boundary wall remains visible next to St George's Church, showing where the prison once extended.
The prison opened in 1373 and remained in operation for over 450 years before closing in 1842. When Charles Dickens's father was imprisoned here in 1824, the experience shaped the writer's lifelong concern with social injustice.
The name comes from the royal marshal who oversaw prisoners confined here. The remaining wall stands as a reminder of how debt trapped ordinary people in this place for centuries.
The remaining wall section and memorial plaque are located at the corner of Borough High Street and Tabard Street and can be visited freely. The site is easily accessible on foot and lies in a busy part of London, so visiting early helps you observe the location without too much foot traffic.
A parliamentary investigation in 1729 documented that about 300 prisoners died from starvation within three months, with up to ten deaths daily during warm months. These shocking conditions eventually sparked reforms in how prisons were run.
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