"Her Riches and his Industry brought him both great Wealth and Honour, being afterwards no less than Sir _Stephen Foster_, Lord Mayor of the Honourable City of London: Yet whilst he lived in this great Honour and Dignity, he forgat not the Place of his Captivity, but, mindful of the sad and irksome Place wherein poor Men were imprisoned, bethought himself of enlarging it, to make it a little more delightful and pleasant for those who in after Times should be imprisoned and shut up therein. And, in order thereunto, acquainted his Lady with this his pious Purpose and Intention; in whom likewise he found so affable and willing a Mind to do Good to the Poor, that she promised to expend as much as he should do for the carrying on of the Work."
And they did spend their money on it right royally, building, amongst many other conveniences, a Chapel for the inmates, A.D. 1454, which they endowed, so as to maintain a "preacher" or chaplain. Sir Stephen Foster likewise provided that the place "should be free for all Freemen, and that they, providing their own Bedding, should pay nothing at their Departure for Lodging, or Chamber rent (as now they call it), which to many poor Men becomes oftentimes as burdensome as their Debts, and are by the Keeper detained in Prison as for Debt, only for their Fees, though discharged and acquitted of what they were committed for."
Nor did his charitable goodness end here, for he gave a supply of water _gratis_ to the prisoners, as was recorded on a brass in the Chapel, very pithily--
"Devout Souls that pass this way For STEPHEN FOSTER, late _Maior_, heartily pray, And Dame AGNES, his Spouse, to God consecrate, That of Pity this House made for Londoners in LUDGATE. So that for Lodging and Water, Prisoners have nought to pay, As their Keepers shall all answer at dreadful Doomsday."
Dame Agnes survived her husband, but was ultimately buried by his side in the Church of St. Botolph, Billingsgate.
For a Prison, Ludgate compared more than favourably with every other in London. As we have seen, the prisoners were select; they were helped, in the matter of food, by the king of the City, the Lord Mayor: their fees were infinitesimal as compared with other debtors' prisons. Strype (ed. 1720, book ii. p. 179) says:--