Marshalsea

American  

[mahr-shuhl-see] / ˈmɑr ʃəlˌsi /

noun

British History.

1. the court of the marshal of the royal household.

2. a debtors' prison in London, abolished in 1842.

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Marshalsea British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəlˌsiː /

noun

1. (formerly in England) a court held before the knight marshal: abolished 1849

2. a prison for debtors and others, situated in Southwark, London: abolished in 1842

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Etymology

Origin of Marshalsea

1350–1400; Middle English marchalsye, variant of marschalcie. See marshal, -cy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Marshalsea

His grandfather was a servant, and his father, John Dickens, was an impecunious minor civil servant ultimately sent to the notorious debtors’ prison, Marshalsea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2020

Left: took his selfie while filming at the wall of Marshalsea debtors' prison.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2014

John Dickens, the father of the novelist, was thrown into the Marshalsea for debt, an experience young Charles never forgot – and used to brilliant effect in Little Dorrit.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2013

But lurking beneath the words is the whole Internet, ready to be questioned — “Find other works that quoted this,” “Where was the Marshalsea prison?”

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2010

Marshalsea Gaol, in the Borough, for Pirates, &c.

From A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis Containing a Detail of the Various Crimes and Misdemeanors by which Public and Private Property and Security are, at Present, Injured and Endangered: and Suggesting Remedies for their Prevention by Patrick Colquhoun