Fleet Prison-London

By Katherine Pym

Fleet Prison was around since the time of William the Conqueror. The term Fleet comes from Saxon times which loosely means ‘a large enough stream to navigate’. Records show it could handle a dozen ships loaded with merchandise, and barges of considerable size and weight. The tide flowed as high as Holborn Bridge. At low tide, the water was still at least five feet deep. 

Fleet Ditch

Throughout the years, the Fleet river became fouled with all manner of excrement and garbage. In 1606, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen demanded it be cleaned. Eventually, it disappeared with an open thoroughfare over it, called Farringdon Street.

From the Doomsday survey, the Fleet Prison was held in conjunction with the See of Canterbury and the English Crown. Between the kings and archbishops, the wardenship of the prison passed down from one knight to another beginning with the family of Leveland in County of Kent. For over one hundred years, this family held custody of the king’s palace in Westminster and Fleet Prison, and any monies these garnered.

Custody of the Fleet could be bought for high prices. In 1594, it was held by Sir Robert Tyrrel, Knight, who sold it to Sir Henry Lello for the considerable amount of £11,000.

From the 15^th through mid 17^th centuries, the Fleet was called the prison of the Star Chamber, or Court of the Privy Council wherein the inhabitants were of the upper crust--political and religious dissidents. After being judged by those of the Star Chamber they were thrust in the Fleet. Sir Walter Raleigh, charged with treason, resided there for a time. The Star Chamber had supreme jurisdiction of the Crown. It stood by itself. No other courts could challenge the Star Chamber. The Privy Counselors sent the higher people of the land to the Fleet without appeal. There were no juries and no witnesses. They could inflict heavier punishments than any other court.

This was abolished by an act of parliament in July 1641. After this, the Fleet became a debtor’s prison. It was also a paying prison. There were no freebies there. The prisoner paid for everything. He’d pay for his food and lodgings, pay for the guard to turn the key to his cell. He’d pay for putting on and removal of his shackles. The warden and his officers received monies for all things in Fleet Prison. A debtor could leave the prison for a day or so, only if the family paid the guard a day’s wages to compensate for loss of monies garnered through fees.

The warden received 20d per day from every man in the prison. Some wardens abused their power. During the reign of Charles II, a warden named Mr. John Huggins allowed several persons to escape from the Fleet. One fellow, who owed more than £10,000 was allowed to travel to France to conduct his affairs. The warden extorted money from folk as they fled the prison. His superiors declared him guilty of ‘notorious breaches of trust’.

The amount of monies depended on who the prisoner was. For instance, during the reign of Elizabeth I while still the prison of the Star Chamber, an Archbishop, Duke or Duchess were to pay £21, 10s, and zero pence for a week’s worth of food. They also paid for anything beyond normal, such as wine: £3, 6s, 8d. A yeoman paid for his weekly fare £1, 14s, 4d. If he wanted wine, it was another 5s. A poor man had no food. If he could pay for weekly fare, it would cost him 7s, 4d.

The poor devil who couldn’t pay was allowed a moment at grilled door that looked out on the street. There he begged for a coin or two. This beggar would not be allowed in the upper floors with the more well-to-do, but in the cellar, or Bartholomew Fair. These people generally died quickly from ‘Gaol Fever’.

Mid 17^th and into the 18^th century the Fleet became notorious for its Fleet marriages. Fifty to sixty couples were married per week in the Fleet ‘Chapel’ by ministers in prison for debt. The marriage shop in Fleet became big business, and for a fee, with no questions asked, couples were married. These weren’t children marrying, either. The average age for men and women marrying during the 17^th century were in the mid to late twenties.

Marriage paperwork was almost nonexistent. Clergy in prison for debt hid behind the walls to keep from being fined for these marriages. If caught, they would be fined £100. If not caught, these clergy could amass piles of money in this business.

Around 1710-1753, these marriages expanded to a sanctuary area outside the prison, where clergy imprisoned for debt could make a living. This gave the clergy freedom to marry customers day or night. The certificates issued looked official, mostly stamped paper. For a fee, false entries of marriages were entered in registers. If the bride was pregnant, the entries could be backdated. Witnesses afterward were not easy to find.

This all ended with the Marriage Act of 1753.

For more information on the chaos of marriage during the 17^th century, please see Viola, A Woeful Tale of Marriage, set in London 1660. http://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Pym/e/B004GILIAS

For the information in this blog, I am grateful for the following resources:

• Uncertain Unions, Marriage in England 1660-1753, by Lawrence Stone

• The Fleet, A brief Account of the ANCIENT PRISON CALLED “THE FLEET”, IN THE CITY OF LONDON, Abolished by Act of Parliament, 1842 etc.

• London, The Biography, by Peter Ackroyd

British Colonies Circa 1885

British Colonies Circa 1885According to Alden's Atlas of the World

Australasia

AUSTRALASIA.Aws-tral-ā´she-a.

Under this bead are grouped all the Australian colonies belonging to Great Britain. They are seven in number, and geographically are comprised in the continent of Australia and the islands of Tasmania and New Zealand and part of New Guinea. Total area, 3,075,135 square miles. Population, 1883, 3,091,897.

Each colony has a Governor, appointed by the Crown, in whom is vested the executive power. The legislative power of each is vested in a Parliament of two houses.

Minerals abound in all the colonies. The most extensive coal mines are those of New South Wales, the product of which in 1884 was 2,521,457 tons; value, $6,009,705. Gold product of the colony, 1883, 122,256 ounces; value, $1,705,620. Coal product of New Zealand, 1883, 421,764 tons. Gold discovered 1857. Value of total exports to March, 1884, $203,535,370. In Queensland, tin, copper, lead and coal are mined. Value of tin raised, 1883, $2,940,060. Gold discovered 1858. Product, 1882, 230,090 oz.; value, $4,148,275. The chief mineral of South Australia is copper, but valuable iron ores also exist. Value of copper and copper ore, 1883, $1,876,625. Tasmania is rich in iron, tin and coal. Value of tin exported, 1883, $1,882,230. Amount of gold produced, 46,577 oz.; value, $882,210. In 1851 gold was discovered in Victoria. Total product to 1883, 52,214,150 oz.; value, $1,044,283,000. Principal minerals of Western Australia are copper, lead and coal.

Principal agricultural products of the colonies: Wheat product of New South Wales, 1884, 4,345,437 bushels; corn, 4,538,604 bushels; sugar, 35,220,640 lbs.; wine, 589,604 gallons. New Zealand—Wheat, 9,827,136 bushels; oats, 9,231,339 bushels. Leading grain crop of Queensland, corn. Yield of sugar, 1883, 73,534,000 lbs.; cotton, 70,020 lbs. South Australia—Wheat, 14,649,230 bushels; wine, 430,520 gallons. Principal products of Tasmania, grain, hops and fruit; value of green and preserved fruits exported 1883, $881,120. Wheat product of Victoria, 1884, 15,570,245 bushels; oats, 4,717,624 bushels; barley, 1,069,803 bushels; potatoes, 161,088 tons; hay, 433,143 tons.

The following table shows the number of farm animals in the colonies in 1884:

Colonies.	Sheep.	Cattle.	Horses.	Pigs.
New South Wales	34,000,000	1,646,753	326,964	189,050
New Zealand	14,056,266	698,637	161,736	200,083
Queensland	9,308,911	4,266,172	253,116	51,796
South Australia	6,677,067	319,620	184,360
Tasmania	1,831,069	130,525	26,840	55,774
Victoria	10,739,021	1,297,546	286,779	233,525
Western Australia	1,547,061	71,102	37,111

Value of total exports and imports of the colonies, 1883: New South Wales—Exports, $99,430,090; imports, $104,800,785. New Zealand—Exports, $35,479,995; imports, $39,870,190. Queensland—Exports, $26,383,040; imports, $31,166,755. South Australia—Exports, $24,417,305; imports, $31,550,275. Tasmania—Exports, $8,657,995; imports, $9,163,185. Victoria—Exports, $81,994,315; imports, $88,719,230. Western Australia—Exports, $2,235,050; imports, $2,584,230.

In 1883, New South Wales had 1,320 miles of railway, and 597 under construction; New Zealand, 1,486 miles; Queensland, 1,038 miles, and 454 under construction; South Australia, 990.75 miles, and 225 under construction; Tasmania, 167 miles, and 207 under construction; Victoria, 1,562 miles, and 130 under construction; Western Australia, 55 miles, and 68 under construction.

BRITISH HONDURAS.Hon-doo´ras.

A British Colony in Central America. Area, 7,562 square miles. Population, 27,452. Coast low and swampy; land gradually rises; on the inland boundary are hills of from 800 to 1,000 feet high; mountains 4,000 feet high. Sixteen rivers descend from elevated lands. Climate hot and damp; temperature, 1878-79, 75°; rainfall 105.49 inches, unusually heavy.

Government in the hands of Lieutenant Governor, an executive and a Legislative Council. Capital, Belize; pop., 5,767. Soil fertile. Sugar cane is grown; fruits flourish; the staple products, however, are the natural woods of the colony. Annual export of mahogany, 3,000,000 feet; logwood, 15,000 tons; estimated value of fruit exports, $100,000. Total imports, 1883, $1,344,865; exports, $1,514,345. Large trade with neighboring republics.

 JAMAICA.Ja-mā´ka.

An island of the West Indies; formally ceded to Great Britain, in 1670, by the treaty of Madrid; most valuable possession of the British Crown in the West Indies. Area, including the Turks and Caicos Islands, annexed in 1873, 4,362 square miles. Population, 585,536. Surface mountainous. There is a great variety of climate. Temperature in lowlands, 95° at night, 85° in the day; in highlands, 40° to 50°. Produces most of the tropical staples; the rosewood, mahogany and ebony of the island are well known.

Latest reports give 121,457 acres under crops; 120,264 in guinea grass, and 318,549 in pasture. Principal exports: coffee, 9,572,714 lbs.; ginger, 908,603 lbs.; pimento, 6,195,109 lbs.; 29,000 hhds. of sugar; 18,115 puncheons of rum, and 35,157 tons of logwood. Value of fruit exported in same year, $197,255. Total value of imports, 1889, $6,609,810; exports, $7,745,290.

Governor is assisted by a Privy Council and Legislative Council. Kingston, the chief city and port, is the capital; pop., 38,566.

Miles of railway, 25; 60 miles in process of construction. Telegraph stations and post offices in every town and village.

BRITISH GUIANA.Ghe-a´na.

A territory in northeast part of South America. First settled by the Dutch, 1580. Acquired by the British in 1803; formally ceded in 1814. Estimated area, 76,000 square miles. Population, 248,110. Crossed by two great mountain systems. Contains many rivers; largest, Essequibo, 600 miles long, noted for magnificent cataracts. Thermometer rises to 90° in warm weather; falls to 75° in winter season; mean annual average at Georgetown, 81°. Rainfall per year, about 72 inches.

Vegetation is luxuriant. Large sections are covered with valuable forests, which furnish exhaustless supplies of timber, largely used for shipbuilding. Number sugar plantations, 120; coffee estates, 12. Sugar forms 92 per cent. of exports; latest reports give 111,156 hhds. Rum exported, 32,531 puncheons; rum issued for home consumption, 330,392 gals. Export of molasses, 17,084 casks; timber export, 464,436 cubic feet. Total imports, 1882, $10,498,160; exports, $16,043,155.

Government administered by a Governor appointed by British Crown, and a Court of Policy.
Georgetown the capital; pop., 36,562. Number of schools sanctioned by Board of Education, 177; Church of England, 81.

NATAL.Na-tal´.

Previous to 1856, Natal formed part of Cape Colony; in that year it was erected into a separate colony under Great Britain. The government is administered by a Governor, an Executive Council, and a Legislative Council. Estimated area, 21,150 square miles. Pop., 1881, 416,210; white, 28,463; native, 329,253; coolies, 20,196. Principal town, Durban; pop., 16,630. Capital, Pietermaritzburg; pop., 14,231.

Natal

Value of imports, 1883, $8,755,535; exports, $4,158,735. Principal exports: hides, $255,040; ostrich feathers, $72,530; unrefined sugar, $610,420; wool, $2,595,805. Principal imports are manufactured goods and flour. In 1883, 328 vessels, of 232,097 tons, entered, and 326, of 231,892 tons, cleared, the ports. There are 105 miles of railway built, and 120 under construction.

CAPE COLONY.

A colony in South Africa, originally founded by the Dutch, in 1652. Since 1806 controlled by Great Britain. Climate generally dry and salubrious. At Cape of Good Hope, mean annual temperature is placed at about 62°. Average rainfall per year, 24 inches. Total area of Cape Colony, 229,815 square miles. Estimated population, 1,027,168. Capital, Cape Town; pop., 33,239.

The government is administered by a Governor, an Executive and a Legislative Council and House of Assembly. Colonists are employed in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Ostrich breeding is successfully carried on. Sheep farms often comprise from 8,000 to 15,000 acres and upward. Total cultivated area in 1875, 580,000 acres. Vines occupied 18,000 acres, yielding 4,484,665 gallons of wine. The colony had, in 1875, 1,111,713 head of cattle, 10,976,663 sheep, and 3,065,202 goats. The principal exports from the colony in 1883 were: wool, valued at $8,015,700; ostrich feathers, $4,656,900; grease wool, $1,948,025; hides and skins, $2,180,250; copper ore, $2,270,565; Angora hair, $1,359,020; diamonds, $13,712,350. Total exports in 1883 valued at $22,044,490; total imports, $32,351,955.

Vast majority of the population members of Dutch Reformed church, the Episcopalian ranking next in number. Cape Colony has 1 university and 5 colleges; education not compulsory; 71 per cent. of children who have attained school age are in school.

Army in 1883 consisted of 1,614 officers and men. By a law of 1878, every able-bodied colonist between 18 and 50 years is liable to military service beyond, as well as within, colonial limits. In 1884 the total length of government railway was 1,213 miles; telegraph, 4,031 miles.

INDIA.In´de-a.

An empire of Asia, divided into British territory and feudatory states, acknowledging sovereignty of Great Britain. Richest and most populous dependency of the English Crown. Area, 1,383,504 square miles. Population, 253,906,449.

Government is entrusted to Secretary of State for India; he is aided by a Council of 15 members. Executive authority vested in Governor General, appointed by the British Crown, and a Council of 7 members. Salary of Governor General, $125,000 per year.

Population dense. The density varies from 441 per square mile to 43; the average for all India being 184. Agriculture backward. Means of transportation poor but improving. Eight famines have visited India, and decimated the population of various Provinces. Soil is productive; rice, corn, millet, barley and wheat are grown; cotton, indigo, opium and sugar cane are largely exported.

Large quantities of bullion are imported for the manufacture of ornaments. In 1884, imports of gold, $27,347,280; silver, $37,042,530. Leading imports, 1883-84: cotton manufactures, $125,584,245; metals, $25,909,250; machinery, $8,955,740. Chief exports: raw cotton, $71,806,605; opium, $56,472,300; seeds, $50,450,990; wheat, $44,399,155; rice, $41,816,400. Total imports, 1884, $318,007,480; exports, $445,006,975.

Capital, Calcutta; population, 871,504; 60 towns of over 50,000 inhabitants. Over 19 dialects and languages spoken in the empire.

Number vessels entered Indian ports, 1884, 5,812; cleared, 5,850; number steamships entered by Suez Canal, 1,091; number vessels engaged in interportal trade, 103,503. Miles of railway, 1854, 21; in 1885 there were 10,832; unfinished, 1,823. Miles of telegraph, 21,740; messages, 1,799,179.
Education progressing. Schools, 109,212; scholars, 2,790,783; universities, 3; governmental schools, 15,845; commission of investigation appointed in 1883.

European and native army, 190,476 men. Native states have an army of 349,835 men; 4,237 guns.
 

HONG KONG.

A colony of Great Britain, formerly a part of China. It consists of the Island of Hong Kong, ceded to Great Britain in 1841, and the opposite peninsula of Kow-loon, ceded to Great Britain, 1861. The government is administered by a Governor, aided by an Executive Council. There is also a Legislative Council. The chief city is Victoria. In 1883 the government sustained 87 schools, with 5,597 pupils. The total population of Hong Kong is 160,420, of whom but 7,990 are white persons.

Hong Kong forms the centre of trade for many different kinds of goods. Its commerce is virtually a part of that of China, and is chiefly carried on with Great Britain, the United States and Germany. Of the exports and imports only mercantile estimates are known; these place the former at about $10,000,000, and the latter at $20,000,000. The tea and silk trade of China is largely in the hands of Hong Kong firms. In 1882, 28,668 vessels, of 4,976,233 tons, entered the ports of Hong Kong.

BURMA.Bur´mah.

As a result of the late war with Great Britain, Burma was on Jan. 1, 1886, declared a part of the British Empire. The government is now administered by the Governor General of India, though the country is not yet incorporated with the Indian Empire. The late government was a despotism, dependent on the will of the King. The area is 190,500 square miles. Population estimated to be about 3,000,000. Capital, Mandalay; population, 70,000. Bhamo, on the Chinese frontier, is an important town. Education is in the hands of the priests, but is very general. Buddhism is the prevailing religion.

The country is not so fertile as British Burma; but wheat, corn, rice, pulse, indigo, cotton, tobacco, and a large variety of fruits are grown. The forests produce valuable timber trees in great variety. Minerals abound, but are not generally worked. Petroleum, however, is quite largely produced. Burma possessing no seacoast, the foreign trade is inconsiderable.

 Compiled From Sources In The Public Domain.

Great Britain Circa 1885

British Isles

Great Britain According to Alden's 1885 Atlas of the World

The largest island of Europe, and forming, with Ireland and the adjacent islands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union of England and Ireland was effected January 1, 1800.

Area of the kingdom, 120,832 square miles. Pop., 35,241,482. The divisions are: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Capital, London; pop., 4,766,661. Thirty-five cities have over 75,000 population. Climate is variable but healthful. Average temperature, 50°. Rainfall, London, 25 inches; Glasgow, 21; and Dublin, 29.

Middle-class education is entirely unorganized; no complete, trustworthy statistics are to be had. There were, in 1884, 69 universities and colleges, with 23,823 students. In 1881, there were 1,855 schools of science, with 66,000 students. Number of public libraries, 202. The library of the British Museum has 32 miles of shelves, filled with books. Number of daily papers, 169.

England

Productive area in England is 80 per cent.; in Ireland, 74 per cent.; Scotland, 28.8 per cent.; Wales, 60 per cent. Leading crops in Great Britain, wheat, barley and oats. Acreage, 1884: wheat, 2,676,477; barley, 2,159,485; oats, 2,892,576. In Ireland, oats and potatoes are most important; acreage of former, 1,347,395; of latter, 798,942. Number of acres of flax, 89,197. Orchards of Great Britain cover 180,000 acres, and produce 85,000 tons of apples.

The most important minerals are coal and iron. In 1883, coal product was 163,737,327 tons; value, $230,270,715. Iron ore, 17,383,046 tons; value, $25,611,905. In 1883, 1,724,251 tons of pig iron were used in the manufacture of Bessemer steel, 1,097,174 tons of it being made into steel rails. Over 800 tons of steel are annually consumed in the manufacture of pens, Birmingham alone using 500 tons; the average yearly production is 800,000,000.

Scotland

The annual value of the fisheries is $50,000,000. Herring fishery alone $10,000,000; salmon, $4,000,000; oysters and shell-fish, $10,000,000. Value of the Scotch fisheries alone in 1884 was $16,431,210, the herring fishery alone being $10,267,755. Total value of imports, 1884, $1,948,872,745; exports of home produce, $1,164,537,875; foreign and colonial produce, $312,218,575. Value of corn and flour imported 1882, $338,111,835. Value of cotton manufactures exported was $382,228,785.

There are 2,674 cotton factories, employing 482,903 persons. Total number of all factories, 7,105; number of persons employed, 975,546, of whom 110,585 are children under 13 years of age. Men employed, 38 per cent.; women, 62 per cent. Amount of cotton imported, 1883, 1,734,333,552 lbs.; wool, 495,946,779 lbs.

Standing army in time of peace unlawful without the consent of Parliament; annual appropriation of Commons for support of troops, based on "estimates" made by the Cabinet. For 1884 and 1885, home and colonial effectives and reserves, 644,753.

Ireland

Previous to 1815 there was but little emigration from the United Kingdom; in that year the number was 2,081; in 1830-34, 381,956; 1875, 173,809; 1882, 413,288; and in 1884, 304,074, of whom 203,539 came to the United States.

First railway opened in 1825. In 1883, there were 18,681 miles of railway; 13,215 belonging to England and Wales, 2,964 to Scotland, and 2,502 to Ireland. Number of postoffices, 1884, 15,951; and, in addition, 15,749 road and pillar boxes. There are 27,604 miles of telegraph lines, and 140,498 miles of wire.

The colonies and dependencies of Great Britain have an estimated area of 8,000,000 square miles. Of this vast extent of territory, over 3,500,000 square miles are in America, over 250,000 in Africa, over 1,000,000 in Asia, and 3,000,000 in Australasia.

Compiled From Sources In The Public Domain.