The Clink
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The Clink was a notorious prison in Southwark, England which functioned from the 12th century until 1780 either deriving its name from, or bestowing it on, the local manor, the Clink Liberty. The manor and prison were owned by the Bishop of Winchester and situated next to his residence at Winchester Palace.
It was originally used for the detention of heretics (both Protestants and Catholics, as religious favours changed). At one point the Clink was reserved for priests who took the Oath of Allegiance. but came to be used for people who broke the peace on Bankside or in Southwark's numerous brothels. The prison probably fell into disuse after the English Civil War, though it was described in 1761 as being "a very dismal hole where debtors are sometimes confined, but little used". The Clink was burned down during the Gordon Riots of 1780 and never rebuilt.
The name of the Clink is the origin of the phrase "in the clink" (meaning "in prison"). The origins of the name are uncertain, but it may have been an example of onomatopoeia, referring to the sound made either by the prison's metal doors as they closed, or the the chains the prisoners wore.
The Clink Prison Museum is currently located on the original site in Clink Street, in the basement of a former warehouse.
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[edit] Notable prisoners
[edit] English Catholics
- Father John Gerard, S.J.
- Father Thomas Strange, S.J.
- Father George Blackwell
[edit] English Protestants
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[edit] References
Bernard Basset, S.J., The English Jesuits: From Campion to Martindale (Great Britain : Ditchling Press for Herder and Herder, 1967).
