8. There were some methods of avoiding debtor’s prison available to the insolvent in Britain
Once a debtor appeared before a judge or magistrate for debt, he or she had little chance of walking out of the door. Still, the authorities were able to offer some options which allowed the miscreant to avoid the horrors and humiliation of prison in the 18th century. Military service, in either the Army or His Majesty’s Navy, presented a sort of freedom, though service in either bore striking similarities to incarceration. Transportation to the colonies, usually as an indentured servant, presented another alternative. Military service was offered prior to appearance before the court. If accepted, the court was powerless. Under the law members of the military could not be jailed for debt.
Many simply fled to the colonies ahead of their creditors, by whatever means available to them, including working their passage. Once in America, they were relatively safe from their creditors, since pursuit was costly. Travel to the colonies often included a change of name and profession, entering the New World with an entirely new identity. As the colonies grew, commerce between them centered on credit, since hard currency in America remained relatively scarce throughout the colonial period. Produce from America arrived in British ports and were exchanged for letters of credit, used to purchase material goods for return to the colonies. The system of credit soon led to the development of debtor’s prisons in America, decades before the American Revolution.