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  1. #1
    lizone
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    Default Newgate Prison for Debt

    I’ve been researching a Philip Chapman, who held the position of Receiver General of Huntingdonshire in the 1740s. Before this, he held the position of Bailiff of Godmanchester on several occasions. Last time I was at The National Archives, I was fascinated to find what looked on the outset to be dusty financial records actually related to his imprisonment at Newgate Prison in 1747 for debt relating to his collecting the county’s land and window taxes whilst not officially appointed to do so for that year.

    The frustration is that I can find no other records of what happened to him after this date; whether he was tried, where he died, etc. Chapman himself stated in 1747 was that he was infirm (he had a broken leg) and was 60 years old. The documentation seems to suggest that the some of the money was recovered from Chapman, with about £670 outstanding (about £52,000 today). In 1752, a subsequent statement given by one of Chapman’s sureties (who owed Chapman money themselves) shows in what a sorry state they were left, with demands from the Treasury, bailiff and solicitor’s fees, etc, all building each year to an even more substantial debt. The matter was also raised in the House of Commons on several occasions and an Act of Parliament for ‘Squire’s Debt to the Crown’ (the first named debtor was Thomas Squire) was raised to recover the money in 1754. Apart from what I have found at The National Archives and House of Commons papers, the only documents I can find at the Huntingdonshire Records Office show that Chapman was involved in several land/property transactions, but this may well have been in connection with his role as Bailiff.

    Could the Newgate Prison records help, or is there anywhere else I could try?

    Thanks
    Liz

  2. #2
    Name well known on Brit-Gen
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    North London
    Posts
    5,147

    Default

    Presumably you've already seen these three items?

    I don't think there are any Newgate prison registers for this date. If he was imprisoned for debt, rather than for a criminal offence such as embezzlement(?), he might have been moved to one of the debtors' prisons. You could perhaps try the Fleet or King's Bench (PRIS 1, 4 and 10), but there is a lot to search through and not much indexing.

  3. #3
    lizone
    Guest

    Default

    Thanks for looking Kerrywood.

    Yes, those are the documents I looked through at TNA. Probably the clue is that he does seem to have been imprisoned for debt only - the House of Commons records for 1750 describe Chapman as 'a Prisoner for Debt in his Majesty's Goal of Newgate' (Proquest: House of Commons Parliamentary Papers: Journals of the House of Commons), there's no mention of any other misdemeanor ...

    Liz

  4. #4
    pippycat
    Guest

    Default

    Im unsure if this will be of any use, from Cambridgeshire County Council website if you search for Philip Chapman in the archives catalogue under 'Search CALM' you get results such as the following:

    Huntingdon Breweries mortgage £100 27 July 1741
    (with receipt endorsed 1751) 1. Edward Gray 2. Philip Chapman

    Lawrence Estate records 9 sept 1707
    about an assignment of mortgage of 12 acres in Little Grandsen to Philip Chapman.

    I have no idea if this is your Philip Chapman, there are various other dates so it might be worth a quick look.

    Rebecca

  5. #5
    lizone
    Guest

    Default

    Thanks Pippycat

    I'm pretty sure these are the rather scratchy documents I saw at Huntingdon Archives. There are some other financial/legal documents at the Norris Museum in St Ives (which I haven't yet visited), but I think they all pre-date 1747. There seems to be some family connection with both brewing and excise collection, which I understand was not unusual for that time.

    Liz

  6. #6
    lizone
    Guest

    Default

    It's quite an upsetting experience to say the least researching around this subject ...

    It looks like I need to start at the London Metropolitian Archives and then possibly move to The National Archives, as suggested by Kerrywood.

    I would be interested if anyone would know how the family of a debtor would be affected at that time, for instance, would the jobs the immediate family could do be restricted, and what would happen to Chapman's wife? Also I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that Chapman was still alive by the last time his name is mentioned in Parliament in 1754, my assumption being that he is never referred to as the 'late Philip Chapman'. If that is the case, goodness knows how he managed to survive for seven years ...

    Liz

  7. #7
    Coromandel
    Guest

    Default

    There's a National Archives podcast of a talk by David Thomas on 'The real Little Dorrit: Charles Dickens and the debtors' prison'.

  8. #8
    lizone
    Guest

    Default

    Thanks Coromandel - that sounds most useful.

    Liz

  9. #9
    Mutley
    Guest

    Default

    I do wish I could help, seeing as you were so helpful to me it would be good to return the favour but sadly, I am out of my depth.
    I found several references to your Philip on 'British History On Line' but these were all before 1747 so I suspect you have seen them.

    I did find a Word Doc on line
    www.attorneygeneral.ie/slru/Private_British.doc
    There are 244 pages and I could not find what page he is on.

    The title of the site from Google is
    Private Statutes - Office of the Attorney General. I don't know how to give you the link but if you have not found it already, it may be worth trying to track. It says 'sureties for Philip Chapman for a debt due to the Crown'. I am still trying to figure his dates. The studies are 1707 to 1800.

  10. #10
    Mutley
    Guest

    Default

    Having just bought a new PC, I am trying to learn to use Windows 7 and Word 7. Yet again, a whole new ball game!
    I think I have found him in the word.doc.

    1754 (27 Geo. 2) c. 12P
    Enabling the Treasury to compound with Thomas Squire, Robert Lucas and Robert Stevenson, sureties for Philip Chapman for a debt due to the Crown
    So, seeing as you mentioned that date, I doubt I have been much help.

    Sorry!

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