King's Bench Prison - Literary Connections

Literary Connections

English dramatist Thomas Dekker was imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison because of a debt of ₤40 to the father of John Webster, from 1612 to 1619. In prison he continued to write.

In Charles Dickens' David Copperfield Mr Micawber is imprisoned for debt in the King's Bench Prison. Madeline Bray and her father lived within the Rules of the King's Bench in Nicholas Nickleby, while the prison is also discussed by Mr. Rugg and Arthur Clennam in Little Dorrit.

In Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor, King's Bench is referenced when Melville describes John Claggart as being possibly arraigned at King's Bench.

In James William Newham's "The Diary of a Prison Governor", Newham (1825–1890) makes reference to the period that his step-father, a Mr Henry Benthall, spent in The Queens Bench Prison c.1839 for bankruptcy, after running up debts to the tune of £15,000 following the failure of his business as a wine merchant in The Strand. James Newham (at this time aged 14) recalls "staying over on occasions" with his mother, in Mr Benthall's rooms at the prison, where such proceedings were winked at "for a consideration". On his release from The Queens Bench, Mr Benthall was to live within "the rules of the prison" i.e. the immediate neighbourhood. It could be said that Mr Benthall's eventful and troubled monetary situation, and there consequences on his life style and social standing, along with some of his rather dubious business partners, are reflected in the writings and characters of Charles Dickens. James Newham notes in his diary that he lived and worked for Benthall for a period at Cecil Street, The Strand. Coincidently, Dickens also lived in Cecil Street at that time. It was 12 years later that the diarist, through connections of his step-father Mr Benthall, secured a position as clerk at Maidstone Gaol, which in turn led to his (Newham) becoming Assistant Governor of Maidstone and later Governor of St Augustine's Prison Canterbury in 1878. Between 1857 and 1876, James Newham oversaw the hanging of 24 inmates (all of them murderers) including that of Frances Kidder in 1868. Kidder (25)was found guilty of drowning her 12 year old step daughter, Louisa Staples, in 12 inches of ditch water. Following a change in attitudes and the law, she became the last woman to be publicly executed in England. Less severe punishments included lashings (usually up to 20 lashes applied) and solitary confinement, as well as the daily routine of a 6 hour shift spent on the treadmill for those prisoners set to hard labour.