What debtors' prison held Charles Dickens's father?

What debtors' prison held Charles Dickens's father? Marshalsea. John Dickens was sent to the Marshalsea debtors' prison in Southwark, London, on 20 February 1824 after falling into debt.

Charles Dickens was 12 at the time. His mother, Elizabeth, and three younger children later joined John inside the prison, while Charles worked at a blacking factory to help support the family. He visited the Marshalsea regularly, an experience that left a lasting mark on his writing and his views of poverty and imprisonment.

The Marshalsea operated from 1373 to 1842, occupying two Southwark sites. Conditions varied according to what prisoners could afford: wealthier debtors could pay fees for better facilities, while poorer inmates endured overcrowding and hunger. John Dickens even served on the prisoners' debtors' committee.

Readers sometimes confuse the Marshalsea with the Fleet or King's Bench, other London prisons associated with debt. Dickens drew on the Marshalsea most directly in Little Dorrit, whose character William Dorrit is imprisoned there.