Southwark Borough Compter, Southwark, London

This prison, in Tooley-street, for the borough of Southwark, which contains four parishes and a part of a fifth, had in 1779, for master's-side debtors — seven rooms. — for common-side debtors, a room on the ground-floor, in which felons &c. were with them night and day; a long room up stairs, the Rookery; and a room over it, useless, because not secure.—The women were in the Stone kitchen, then divided into two rooms. Three of the common-side rooms had barrack-beds. Most of the debtors are poor creatures from the court of conscience, who lie there till their debts are paid.—There was a small court-yard; and a chapel, but no chaplain is appointed.

The whole prison was much out of repair, and ruinous. No infirmary. No bedding or straw. The keeper, on officer, pays Window-tax £2:15:0 and Land-tax £2:10:0. he is put in by the High Bailiff, whose office is in the disposal of the court of aldermen.—An inscription over the gate, dated 1716, calls it the Borough Court: but the courts are now held at St. Margaret's Hill.

The court only 14½ feet by 11. A day-room below (17 feet by 12), stone-floor. The men's lodging-room (16 feet by 14) on the second floor, in which at my last visit there were 17, and sometimes there have been two or three and twenty. The women lodge in the common day-room. No bedding. Here are three or four rooms for those that pay. Debtors have 65 penny loaves once in eight weeks, from a legacy of Eleanor Gwinn. No memorial hung up, no table of fees, nor clauses against spirituous liquors. Debtors here, (as in the county gaol, King's Bench, the Fleet and Marshalsea) have a gift every Christmas of 20s. from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Borough Compter, vulgarly called. "The Clink," is under the Jurisdiction of the Bailiff of Southwark, controllable, however, by the City of London; and extends its influence over five Parishes. But, in August, 1806, the powers of the Court were still farther extended to Norwood, about seven miles distant; the number of commitments thereby increased in more than a triple degree. For the six years preceding, the annual average had been 152; but no sooner was the Jurisdiction enlarged, than the number of the committed in the first year increased to 549. The following is an exact List of Commitments hither, from 1801 to 1806, inclusive: In 1801,—180. In 1802,—160. In 1803,—170. In 1804,—125. In 1805,—131. And in 1806,—147.

Debtors have here one small court-yard, about 19 feet square. On the ground floor, on the right-hand, is the Women's day and sleeping-room, of 24 feet by 9 feet 6 inches. On the left hand is another, intended for Men, 41 feet by 10 : But the floor of this room being only of earth, or mud, and unfit to sleep on, no use has been made of it for many years; so that the Men and Women associate promiscuously together in the Women's apartments, during the day-time.

Above stairs are two rooms, of the same size as the former, and in pretty good repair. All these rooms have fire-places; but no coals are allowed; no kettles or saucepans to cook provisions; no mops, brooms or pails to keep the Gaol clean; no bedsteads, bedding, nor even straw to lie upon! Hence, the Debtors are obliged every night to sleep in their clothes upon the boards, than which the very streets can hardly be more filthily dirty.

All who are arrested by process issuing out of the Borough Court, are sent to this miserable Prison; and in the house there are rooms, of about 8 feet square, for such as can pay sixpence per night for a bed.