A debtors' prison is a prison for those who are unable to pay a debt. Prior to the mid 19th century debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Debtors Act of 1869 abolished imprisonment for debt, although debtors who had the means to pay their debt but did not do so, could still be incarcerated for up to six weeks. 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Debtors' prisons varied in the amount of freedom they allowed the debtor. With a little money, a debtor could pay for some freedoms; some allowed inmates to conduct business and receive visitors; others (for example, the Fleet and King's Bench Prisons) even allowed inmates to live a short distance outside the prison - a practice known as the 'Liberty of the Rules' - and the Fleet even allowed clandestine 'Fleet Marriages'. For other uses, see Money (disambiguation). ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ... Pray remember ye poor debtors: inmates of the Fleet Prison beg passers by for alms. ... The Kings Bench Prison was a prison situated in the Southwark area of central London, England from medieval times until its final closure in 1880. ... Caricature of a Fleet Street Marriage A Fleet Marriage is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England before the Marriage Act 1753 came into force on March 25th, 1754. ...

The father of English author Charles Dickens was sent to one of these prisons (Marshalsea Prison), which were often described in Dickens' novels. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... The Marshalsea For the hamlet in Dorset see Marshalsea, Dorset The Marshalsea was one of the five prisons in Southwark, London. ...

Notable UK debtors' prisons

• Coldbath Fields Prison, London
• Fleet Prison, London
• Giltspur Street Compter, London
• King's Bench Prison, London
• Marshalsea Prison, London
• Poultry Compter, London
• Wood Street Counter, London

Coldbath Fields Prison (later also known as Clerkenwell Gaol) was a prison in the Clerkenwell areas of the City of London, originally built during the reign of King James I. It took its name from its historic location in fields near an important well or medicinal spring. ... Pray remember ye poor debtors: inmates of the Fleet Prison beg passers by for alms. ... The Giltspur Street Compter was a small Compter or prison, mainly used to hold debtors. ... The Kings Bench Prison was a prison situated in the Southwark area of central London, England from medieval times until its final closure in 1880. ... The Marshalsea For the hamlet in Dorset see Marshalsea, Dorset The Marshalsea was one of the five prisons in Southwark, London. ... The Poultry Compter (also sometimes known as Poultry Counter) was a small compter or prison run by a Sheriff in the City of London from medieval times until 1815. ... The Wood Street Counter (or Compter) was a small prison in the City of London, England, destroyed in 1666. ...

United States

In 1833 the United States reduced the practice of imprisonment for debts at the federal level. Most states followed suit. It is still possible, however, to be incarcerated for debt: debts of fraud, child-support, alimony, or release fines can land a citizen in jail or prison, or prevent one’s release.

Prominent Americans who spent time in debtors' prison include inventor Charles Goodyear, and Robert Morris, a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence. Charles Goodyear, as illustrated in an 1891 Scientific American article Charles Spencer Goodyear (December 29, 1800 - July 1, 1860) was the first American to vulcanize rubber, a process which he discovered in 1839 and patented on June 15, 1844. ... Robert Morris Robert Morris, Jr. ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of Great Britain. ...

See also

• Debt bondage
• Poor Law
• Poorhouse
• Sponging-house
• Bankruptcy
• The Province of Georgia in the colonial United States, was originally intended to be settled by debtors.

Debt bondage or bonded labor is a means of paying off a familys loans via the labor of family members or heirs. ... Former workhouse at Nantwich, dating from 1780 The Poor Law was the system for the provision of social security in operation in England and the rest of the United Kingdom from the 16th century until the establishment of the Welfare State in the 20th century. ... A poorhouse is a publicly maintained facility for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality. ... A sponging-house was a one-time place of temporary confinement for debtors in the United Kingdom. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... Savannah, Georgia colony, Early 1700s The Province of Georgia (also Georgia Colony) was one of the Southern colonies in British North America. ...

External links

• http://www.apva.org/debtorsprison/
• http://www.lancastercastle.com/debtors.htm