History Extra podcast Debtors’ prisons: Dickensian horrors or economic successes?
Nov 30, 2022
Dr. Alexander Wakelam, a historian from Cambridge University specializing in economic history, delves into the intriguing mechanics of Georgian debtors' prisons. He reveals how these institutions evolved from medieval laws and explores their prevalence across England. The contrast between squalid conditions in regional jails and the relatively comfortable quarters for wealthier prisoners is striking. Wakelam also discusses the complex dynamics of family life inside prisons and how they functioned as contract enforcement tools in an era of credit culture.
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Seven Centuries Of Use
- Debtors' prisons were a persistent, seven-century institution in England and Wales used widely from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
- They functioned as a regular, visible part of urban and rural life rather than a marginal relic.
Foote's Prison Letter
- Samuel Foote opened a letter in prison to learn his mother was also jailed and replied, "dear mother, so am I.".
- The story illustrates how imprisonment cut across families and social classes.
Credit Was Reputation-Based
- 18th-century credit relied on reputation and informal, often oral agreements rather than institutional lending.
- People were commonly illiquid: wealthy on paper but unable to pay immediate claims in cash.
