A compter, sometimes referred to as a counter, was a type of small English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 prison

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 controlled by a sheriff. The inmates were usually civil prisoners, for example dissenter

Dissenter

The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...

s and debtors. Examples of compters include London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's Wood Street Counter

Wood Street Counter

The Wood Street Counter, or Wood Street Compter, was a small prison within the City of London in England. It was primarily a debtors prison, and also held people accused of such misdemeanors as public drunkness, although some wealthier prisoners were able to obtain alcohol through bribery...

, Poultry Compter

Poultry Compter

The Poultry Compter was a small compter or prison run by a Sheriff in the City of London from medieval times until 1815...

, Giltspur Street Compter

Giltspur Street Compter

The Giltspur Street Compter was a small Compter or prison, mainly used to hold debtors. It was situated in Giltspur Street, Smithfield, close to Newgate, in the City of London, between 1791 and 1853....

 and Borough Compter

Borough Compter

The Borough Compter was a small compter or prison initially located in Southwark High Street but moved to nearby Tooley Street in the 17th century, where it stood until demolished until 1855. It took its name from 'The Borough', a historic name for the Southwark area of London on the south side of...

 and the lock-up over the Abbey Gateway, next to St Laurence's church, in Reading, Berkshire

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 (this was the Compter Gate and the lock-up was known as the Compter).

The Compter’s Commonwealth (1617), by William Fennor

William Fennor

William Fennor , also known as Wilhelmus Vener , was an English biligual English/Dutch poet and rogue of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. He was the author of The Compter’s Commonwealth . This work was written from his experience of imprisonment at London's Wood Street compter. -External...

, was a work written from the author's experience of imprisonment at London's Wood Street compter

Wood Street Counter

The Wood Street Counter, or Wood Street Compter, was a small prison within the City of London in England. It was primarily a debtors prison, and also held people accused of such misdemeanors as public drunkness, although some wealthier prisoners were able to obtain alcohol through bribery...

, and is regarded by many historians as one of the principal primary sources for assessment of English 16th century prison conditions.