Fleet Prison, a historic London jail, took its name from its location near the River Fleet. As early as the 1100’s, it was the king’s prison. In the 1500’s and 1600’s, it housed Puritans and victims of the Court of the Star Chamber. Later, it was a debtor’s prison. In the 1700’s, it became noted for cruelty. From the early 1600’s until 1753, members of the clergy performed secret marriages in the prison. These ceremonies were called “Fleet marriages.” The prison was abandoned in 1842, and it was later torn down.
