King's Bench Prison

The King's Bench Prison was a prison in Southwark, south London, from medieval times until it closed in 1880. It took its name from the King's Bench court of law in which cases of defamation, bankruptcy and other misdemeanours were heard; as such, the prison was often used as a debtor's prison until the practice was abolished in the 1860s. In 1842, it was renamed the Queen's Prison, and later became the Southwark Convict Prison.

Read more about King's Bench Prison:  Origins, New Building, Literary Connections, Notable Inmates

Famous quotes containing the words king and/or prison:

    I see that Time’s the king of men;
    He’s both their parent, and he is their grave,
    And gives them what he will, not what they crave.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    No remorse, huh? No pity. Just an animal.
    Guy Trosper, U.S. screenwriter, and John Frankenheimer. Shoemaker, the prison warden (Karl Malden)