Marshalsea prison

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Marshalsea prison, Southwark (London). It was established in the 13th cent. to act as a state prison serving the Marshalsea Court, which dealt with cases involving the royal household. It came under attack from Wat Tyler's rebels in 1381 and Jack Cade's men in 1450. After the Restoration, Marshalsea became a debtors' prison and as such featured prominently in Dickens's novel Little Dorrit. It was closed in 1849.

Richard A. Smith

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