Everything about The Clink totally explained
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 (see also the
Liberty of the Clink). 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 religious non-conformists (both
Protestant and
Catholic, as English religious winds changed). At one point the Clink was reserved for
priests who refused 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 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.
The Clink Prison was the first prison in which women were regularly confined.
Notable prisoners
English Catholics
Father George Blackwell
Matthew Wilson, aka Edward Knott, Jesuit author.
English Protestants
John Lathrop
Anne Askew Further Information
Get more info on 'The Clink'.
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