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)
"The said Bambridge having thus unlawfully extorted large sums of money
from him in a very short time, Castell grew weary of being made such a
wretched property, and, resolving not to injure further his family
or his creditors for the sake of so small a liberty, he refused to
submit to further exactions; upon which the said Bambridge ordered him
to be re-committed to Corbett's, where the smallpox then raged, though
Castell acquainted him with his not having had that distemper, and that
he dreaded it so much, that the putting him into a house where it was,
would occasion his death, which, if it happened before he could settle
his affairs, would be a great prejudice to his creditors, and would
expose his family to destitution; and therefore he earnestly desired
that he might either be sent to another house, or even into the gaol
itself, as a favor. The melancholy case of this poor gentleman moved
the very agents of the said Bambridge to compassion, so that they used
their utmost endeavours to dissuade him from sending this unhappy
prisoner to that infected house; but Bambridge forced him thither,
where he (as he feared he should) caught the smallpox, and, in a few
days, died thereof, justly charging the said Bambridge with his death;
and unhappily leaving all his affairs in the greatest confusion, and a
numerous family of small children in the utmost distress."
He squeezed everybody, made what rules he liked, and introduced new
and pernicious customs, for, says the Report, "It appeared to the
Committee, that the letting out of the Fleet tenements to Victuallers,
for the reception of Prisoners, hath been but of late practised, and
that the first of them let for this purpose was to Mary Whitwood, who
still continues tenant of the same, and that her rent has, from 32 l.
per. ann. been increased to 60 l. and a certain number of prisoners
stipulated to be made a prey of, to enable her to pay so great a
rent; and that she, to procure the benefit of having such a number of
prisoners sent to her house, hath, over and above the increased rent,
been obliged to make a present to the said Bambridge of forty guineas,
as also of a toy (as it is called), being the model of a Chinese ship,
made of amber, set in silver, for which fourscore broad pieces had been
offered her....
"And, notwithstanding the payment of such large fees, in order to
extort further sums from the unfortunate prisoners, the said Bambridge
unjustly pretends he has a right, as warden, to exercise an unlimited
power of changing prisoners from room to room; of turning them into
the common side, though they have paid the master's side fee; and
inflicting arbitrary punishments by locking them down in unwholesome
dungeons, and loading them with torturing irons."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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