Marshalsea
Americannoun
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the court of the marshal of the royal household.
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a debtors' prison in London, abolished in 1842.
noun
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(formerly in England) a court held before the knight marshal: abolished 1849
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a prison for debtors and others, situated in Southwark, London: abolished in 1842
Etymology
Origin of Marshalsea
1350–1400; Middle English marchalsye, variant of marschalcie. See marshal, -cy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
We take our first look at the Marshalsea debtors’ prison, which is to be the core of Little Dorrit.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 20, 2019
Left: took his selfie while filming at the wall of Marshalsea debtors' prison.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2014
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
The Nonconformist confessors were divided up among the Southwark prisons, and the Marshalsea received its share of them.
From In Jail with Charles Dickens by Alfred Trumble
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
