Debt Could Get You in Prison

The sad reality was that if a man could not repay his debt, he could soon find himself in prison. In fact, in 1839, it is recorded that over 4,000 individuals were arrested for debt in London and dumped into prison. Nearly 400 of these unfortunate men remained in prison permanently. The contradiction from a 21^st century perspective is this: how does one pay one’s debt if you are stuck in prison?

The proceedings for administering debt were filled with bureaucracy and were costly. Until 1831, "the bankruptcy law in London was administered by commissioners" and were reviewed on a case by case basis. At this time, the procedure for handling debt cases was modified, but only for those living in the city. A Court of Review was created, which consisted of a "chief judge and two minor judges." In a small way, this modification assisted in the process.

A man in debt was given 42 days to respond to a commission. If he did not respond with an account of his estate, papers, and books, within the specified period, he was considered a felon.

Although experiencing debt in the 21^st century is a stressful challenge, the men and women of today do not have to be concerned about being thrown into prison and the key thrown away. There is something to be said for living in our time, isn’t there?