MRP: The Poultry counter

The Poultry counter

Editorial history

14/12/11, CSG: Created page

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Suggested links

See Places

See 19th March 1662/63, Letter from Humphrey Gyffard, Poultry Counter
See 25th March 1663, Letter from Humfry Gyffard to Sir GO, London
See April 1667, Letter from Humphry Gyffard to Sir GO

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To do

(1) Look into the family background of Humphrey Gyffard

- See a footnote to The complete poems and translations in prose of Humfrey Gifford (London, 1875), which describes Humphrey Gyffard, descendant of the
poet addressed in the book, as "Humfrey Gifford of the Poultry, London, an industrious gentleman and of judgement as a collector or rarities and antiquities"

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Humphrey Giffard, keeper of the Poultry Counter

Humphrey Giffard was a former merchant, who had been in the East Indies. By March 1662/63 he was the keeper of the Poultry Counter. This was one of two debtors prisons in the City of London, and was situated in Poultry. It was destroyed in the fire, as were Giffard’s home and possessions.

In 1670 Giffard published a pamplet A Second Accompt of what Progress Hath Been Hitherto Made with Such Other Particulars as are Conceived Necessary for the Advancement and Prefecting of a Publick Design for the Accommodation, Relief, and Benefit of the Prisoners of the Compter in the Poultry, Upon the Intending Re-building Thereof.

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Humphrey Giffard's description of the pre-1666 fire Poultry Compter

The prison of the Compter in the Poultry (as it was before the late dreadful fire) contained in breadth but two and twenty foot ground, by reason whereof the said compter was so minute, inconvenient, and insufficient, that there was not, nor could not be, a Chappel, or room, for the minister and prisoners to assemble, pray, preach, and hear in, the pulpit standing in the open yard; which in summer suns and heats, and winter rains and colds, was most inconvenient, and exceedingly prejudicial to the health and well-being both of minister and prisoners. The Hole-ward also of the said compter was not, nor could not be, twenty foot square, for sometimes forty, or, othertimes fifty prisoners, to be and lie constantly in, dress and eat their meat in, and for all other necessary occasions and office; which caused the great annoyances, contagions, and yearly mortality among them. Neither was, nor could there be, a particular separate apartment or ward for women to be, and lodge in, but was necessitated to be and lie in the men's ward, promiscouously together; and so temptations and debaucheries were impossible to be avoided and prevented. And there was not, nor could be, a room, free of rent, for the most ancient, decrepit, and sick prisoners to lodge in; who though gentlemen and citizens born, bred, and had lived well and in good fashion, yet by misfortunes, casualties, and losses, grown poor and not able to pay rent, were thereby necessitated to lie in the said Holewards on the boards, and there languish, dye, and perish.

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Notes

John Smith - Farmer of the Excise on Tobacco Pipes

"He was almost certainly the gentleman commemorated in a monument on the north side of the chancel of the parish church of St. Giles who died of consumption on 6th May 1655 in Mitcham, Surrey, aged only 32, 'beloved of all men for his affable Deportment, admired for his more than ordinary guifts of Nature'. He was about to take over his father’s position of 'Secondary to the Poultry Compter' when he died, this being a legal position of some standing within the sheriff’s prison in Cheapside and worth £700 per year."

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The Poultry in John Strype's London

"The Poultry, a good large and broad Street, and a very great Thoroughfare for Coaches, Carts, and Foot Passengers, being seated in the Heart of the City, and leading to and from the Royal Exchange; and from thence to Fleet street, the Strand, Westminster, and the Western Parts: And therefore so well inhabited by great Tradesmen. It begins on the West, by the Old Jury, where Cheapside ends, and reaches to the Stocks Market, by Cornhill. On the North side is Scalding Alley; a large Place, containing two or three Alleys, and a square Court with good Buildings, and well inhabited; but the greatest part is in Breadstreet Ward, where it is mentioned.

St. Mildreds Poultry; this Church is neatly built of Free stone, with a graceful Dial hanging over into the Street. The Church was destroyed in the great Fire of London, and rebuilt as now it is, and to this is united the Parish of St. Mary Colechurch.

Somewhat West to this Church is the Poultry Counter, being the Prison belonging to one of the Sheriffs of London, for all such as are Arrested within the City and Liberties thereof. And besides this Prison, there is another of the same nature in Woodstreet, for the other Sheriff; both being of the same nature, and have the like Officers for the execution of the Concerns belonging thereunto, as shall be here taken Notice of. So that what is said here for the Poultry Counter, belongs also to Woodstreet Counter.

The Charge of those Prisons is committed to the Sheriffs, who always enter into their Office, on the 28th of September, which is the Eve of St. Michael the Archangel; and are accordingly sworn to the Charge of the said Office.

Under the Sheriffs there are divers other Officers belonging alike to both Counters; who give Security to the Sheriffs, for their true and faithful execution of their several Offices.

1. The first and principal Officer, next to the Sheriff, is the Secondary. Whose Office is to return Writs, mark Warrants, impanel Juries for the Courts both above and below, and also for the Sessions.

2. The Clerk of the Papers. Whose Office is to impannel Juries for the Sheriff's Court; he enters up Judgment, and makes out all Processes for the Sheriff's Courts.

3. Four Clerk Sitters. Who enter Actions, take Bails, receive Verdicts after Trials, &c.

4. Eighteen Serjeants at Mace; and every Serjeant hath his Yeoman. Their Office is to Arrest, execute all Processes, serve Writs and Executions upon Actions; and summons from above, as well as from the Courts below. And each of these Serjeants gives 400l. Security to the Sheriff, for the due Execution of their Office. They wear blue coloured Cloth Gowns, which are allowed them by the Sheriffs yearly, which they always wear upon their waiting Days. Four of these Serjeants, and as many Yeomen out of each Counter, wait upon their respective Sheriff daily; and during the time of Sessions, double the number. At which time, in the Morings they bring the Prisoners down from Newgate to the Sessions-House, and put them in the Dock; and wait there all Day, and return the Prisoners back to the Goal at Night: And upon the Execution Days, see the condemned Prisoners Executed.

Unto each Counter also belongs a Master Keeper; and under him, two Turn-keys, and other Servitors.

The poorer sort of Prisoners, as well in this Counter, as in that at Woodstreet, receive daily Relief from the Sheriff's Table, of all the broken Meat and Bread. And there are divers Gifts given by several well disposed People, towards their Subsistance: Of which, such as I could procure, (besides those taken Notice of in several Parts of this Book) I have here inserted. And besides which, there are other Benevolences frequently sent to all the Prisons in London, by charitable Persons; many of which do coneal their Names, doing it only for charity sake. And there are other Gifts, some for the Releasement of such as lie in only for Prison Fees; and for others, for the Release of such, whose Debts amount not to above such or such a Sum."

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Samuel Pepys and the Poultry Counter

"[Tuesday 15 December 1663] At dinner comes a messenger from the Counter with an execution against me for the 30l. 10s., given the last verdict to Field. The man’s name is Thomas, of the Poultry Counter. I sent Griffin with him to the Dolphin, where Sir W. Batten was at dinner, and he being satisfied that I should pay the money, I did cause the money to be paid him, and Griffin to tell it out to him in the office. He offered to go along with me to Sir R. Ford, but I thought it not necessary, but let him go with it, he also telling me that there is never any receipt for it given, but I have good witness of the payment of it."

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Area close to the Poultry counter

"Dunton, the eccentric bookseller of William III.'s reign, resided in the Poultry in the year 1688. "The humour of rambling," he says in his autobiography, "was now pretty well off with me, and my thoughts began to fix rather upon business. The shop I took, with the sign of the Black Raven, stood opposite to the Poultry Counter, where I traded ten years, as all other men must expect, with a variety of successes and disappointments. My shop was opened just upon the Revolution, and, as I remember, the same day the Prince of Orange came to London."

"The Security of English-Men's Lives, Or the Trust, Power and Duty of the Grand Jurys of England. Explained according to the Fundamentals of the English Government, and the Declarations of the same made in Parliament by many Statutes; Somers, Lord John; London, Printed for Benj. Alsop at the Sign of the Angel and Bible over against the Poultry Counter. 1682. 16mo, 168pp, full leather. Contemporary bindings in poor condition, corners rubbed and bumped, leather rubbed at board margins and spine, chips at bottom board edges and spine ends. Inner hinges split and boards holding by cords front and rear endpapers and prelims missing (book opens onto title page). Internally, some browning to margins of front and rear pages, otherwise reasonably clean. Small worm hole through book at lower margin, well away from text area. Text block intact with no loose pages, only pulling at gutters at a few places. This influential book, first printed in 1681, defined a hearing before a grand jury of peers as a fundamental English right. An assertion of the priority of the law over the English crown, it was written to support the right of a grand jury to reject the bill of indictment against Anthony Ashley-Cooper, First Earl of Shaftesbury, issued by Charles II. Somers, a barrister of the Middle Temple and an important Whig statesman, was Lord Chancellor of England during the reigns of William and Mary and Queen Anne. He presided over the framing of the Bill of Rights (1689). This is the second of the two 17th century editions. A very important work and extremely rare in this early edition, only several copies are known still to be in circulation

Ref 100407: £500.00"

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Possible primary sources

TNA

C 3/309/19 Short title: Gifford v Hackett. Plaintiffs: Philip Gifford and another. Defendants: Cuthbert Hackett and others. Subject: manor and hospital of St Giles in the Fields, Middlesex; and property in St Brides, St Andrew Holborn and St Mildred Poultry, London. 1620

E 215/1005 Poultry Compter Certificate by Nicholas Smyth of the rates of fees now taken by the Keeper Del. 4 Mar. 1628
E 215/1006 Poultry Compter Printed orders by the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen for the government and charitable usage of prisoners in either of the Compters 25 Sept. 1621

SP 46/171/14,15 Impositions on proceedings at law; tax accounts miscellaneous (ff 14 - 101): Account of John Normansill, clerk sitter of the Poultry Counter, London, for receipts of taxes received under the act for laying impositions on proceedings at law, Jan 1671 - Apr 1672 1672
- And a number of similar documents for 1671 & 1672

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London Metropolitan Archives

Corporation of London Records Office: Poultry Compter: Administration CLA/030/03 [n.d.]:
- Order of Count for reinstatement of William Harrison (as Minister of Poultry Compter) so long as he shall well and truely officiate and discharge the same in his own person. CLA/030/03/006 1669
- Orders for payment out of the Coal Money of bills for work and material, including laying in water, in the rebuilding of Poultry Compter CLA/030/03/008 1670-1
- Rebuilding and repair of Poultry Compter: Orders and bills for payment for work done. CLA/030/03/009 1671-2, 1677-81, 1686-8, 1722

Corporation of London Records Office: Corporation of London [COL/AC - COL/BR]: ARCHIVES COL/AC [n.d.]: NEGATIVES BF COL/AC/19 [n.d.]:
- Plans 30. A. G.: plan of Poultry Compter, 1798: photocopy of Surveyor's Justice Plan No. 1348 COL/AC/19/056 n.d.

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Possible secondary sources

Dobb, Clifford, "London’s Prisons." Shakespeare Survey: Volume 17: Shakespeare in his Own Age. Ed. Allardyce Nicoll. Cambridge University Press, 1964. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 24 December 2011 DOI:10.1017/CCOL0521064309.008

Anonymous, The Humble petition of the poore distressed prisoners in the hole of the poultry compter being about threescore and ten persons in number : against this time of the birth of our saviour Iesus Christ, Wing H3572, Thomason Coll. v. 1, pt. 1, p. 352, Early English books, 1641-1700 -- 232:E.21, no. 32 (London, 1644),