A Report from the Committee Appointed to Enquire into the State.

Prisons; Great Britain; House of Commons

Publication Date: 1729

About this Item

Report of the Landmark 1729 Investigation of Britain's Prisons by a Committee Chaired by the Founder of Georgia [Prisons]. [Great Britain]. [House of Commons]. [Oglethorpe, James (1695-1785), Committee Chair]. A Report from the Committee Appointed to Enquire Into the State of the Goals of this Kingdom: Relating to the Marshalsea Prison; And Farther Relating to the Fleet Prison. With the Resolution of the House of Commons Thereupon. London: Printed for Robert Knaplock, Jacob Tonson, John Pemberton, And Richard Williamson, 1729. [ii], 29, [1] pp. Folio (13-1/4" x 8-3/4"; 33.7 x 22.2 cm). Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet, edges rouged, bottom edge untrimmed. Moderate toning, very light foxing, faint spotting and a few tiny stains to title page, a few folded corners, leaves starting to separate at ends but secure. $450. * Only edition. James Oglethorpe, then a member of the House of Commons, became aware of the horrible nature of England's prisons after one of his friends, a debtor, died in one of them. This experience led him to demand an investigation of the prison system, which resulted in the establishment of the Gaols Committee in 1729. Chaired by Oglethorpe, the committee managed to conduct investigations of the Fleet, Marshalsea and Southwark prisons before it was shut down by political opposition. The work of the committee was important. It established a set of ideas about prison reform that would eventually result in the Penitentiary Act of 1779. This experience with Britain's prison system, especially its treatment of debtors, inspired Oglethorpe to establish the colony of Georgia in 1732. English Short-Title Catalogue T44668.

Seller Inventory # 78491

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Report from the Committee Appointed to Enquire into the State.
• Publication Date: 1729
• Seller catalogs:
  • Antiquarian & Scholarly