Coldbath Fields Prison

Coldbath Fields Prison (also known as the Middlesex House of Correction and Clerkenwell Gaol) was a prison in the Mount Pleasant area of Clerkenwell, London. Founded during the reign of James I (1603–1625), the prison was completely rebuilt in 1794 and extended in 1850. It was used to house prisoners on short sentences of up to two years. There were separate blocks for felons, misdemeanants and vagrants. Coldbath Fields Prison was originally the Middlesex House of Correction: a prison run by local magistrates and where most prisoners served short sentences. Coldbath Fields also served as a debtor's prison. It took its later name from Cold Bath Spring, a medicinal spring discovered in 1697. The prison housed men, women and children until...