The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and MarriagesAshton, John
History
The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages
Ashton, John
Fleet Prison (London, England); Fleet, River (England)
Huggins replied to all the petition, but his answer to No. 6 was "The
Warden saith, That so soon as the Fees were settled by this Honourable
Court, he caused a Copy thereof to be framed and hung up in the Common
Hall of the House, signed by Sir George Cook; also a Copy of the Rules
and Orders of the House, which said copies the Prisoners were pleased
to burn, tear to Pieces, and obliterate; and the Warden denies that
he has taken or receiv'd, or any for him, to his knowledge, more, or
greater, Fees than were contained in the said Copy of Fees hung up in
the said Prison."
And as to the Eleventh prayer of the Petitioners "The Warden saith,
that the Prisoners in general, are so very ungovernable, that they
have tore up the Trees around the Bowling Green, and cut down several
of the Trees in the back part of the Prison, set by the Warden some
years since, for the better Accommodation of the Prisoners; also broke
down the Stocks in the said Prison, and the Houses of Easement were
fitted up lately by the Warden, they have torn it almost to Pieces,
and committed other Outrages, and most of them, altho' two Years in
Arrears of Rent to the Warden, refuse to pay him any Part thereof, and
will by Force, and in defiance of the Warden and his Officers, keep
in Possession of the Rooms and Furnitures, Swearing to stand by each
other."
Petition after petition was sent from the Prisoners to the Lord Chief
Justice about the oppressions of Huggins and his myrmidons, and duly
answered in some shape by the Warden, but there was one, in which the
fourteenth Charge is as follows. "That the Warden, on the Death of any
Prisoner detains the Body from his Friends and Relations untill they
will pay him, what Chamber Rent was due from the Deceased; and in the
mean Time his cruel and unchristian like Practice, is to make the best
Bargain he can with the poor Family of the Deceased, for the Purchase
of the Dead Body, in order to give it Christian Burial, at their own
Expence, by which means he often extorts large Sums of Money, for
granting the Relations the Liberty of taking away and burying the Dead
Body; which tho' a very natural and reasonable Desire, is nevertheless
often frustrated by their Inability to purchase it at his Price, and,
rather than accept what may be in their Power to give him, he often
suffers the Dead Body to lye above Ground seven or eight Days, and
often Times eleven or twelve Days, to the great endangering of the
Health of the whole Prison, by the nauseous Stench, which being often
times the Case, is very offensive all over the House; and when he has
refused what he thought not worth his Acceptance, he buries them in the
common Burying place for Prisoners, when the Body is often taken up by
their Friends to be bury'd their own Way, and the Warden seizes to his
own Use the Cloaths, Furniture, and what ever else there is for Fees
and Chamber Rent, which he pretends to be due from the said deceased
Prisoner."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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