The Fleet prison is noteworthy for being one of the oldest of the English prisons, and one mentioned frequently in literature. This text explores the actual workings of the privately-owned debtors' prison, examining its earliest history from medieval times including: the celebrated inquiry into the administration of the prison during the 1610's; the misuse of authority by the warders in the 1680's onward; the infamous Parliamentary inquiry in 1729, based on the parliamentary reports and trial papers; and the closing of the hospital by parliamentary legislation in 1842.
