Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Whittington(’s) college n.

(UK Und.) Newgate prison.

1592		Greene Defence of Conny-Catching 65: Wil your worship therefore stand to your words, and set out the discouery of that, al wee of Whittington Colledge wil rest your beadmen.
1608		Dekker Belman of London H3: The Under-keepers of Newgate [...] haue a tricke to get a warrant, into which they put the names of nine or ten of the most notorious Foists and Nips that are free of their Gaole (which they call Whittington Colledge,) and those Nips or Foists doe the Jaylors nip.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 43: If that we be spied, O then begins our woe, / With the Harman beake out and alas / To Whittington we goe.
1663		Wandring-Whores Complaint title: A full discovery of the whole Trade of Pads, Pimps, Cheats, Shop-lifts [...] and all other Artists, who are, and have been, students of Whittington Colledge.
1703		Hell Upon Earth or or The most Pleasant and Delectable History of Whittington’s Colledge [title].
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 201: Go when he would to Whittington’s College, the Janizaries of that Nursery for Hell, knew him well enough.
1722		‘Whipping-Tom’ Extravagancy of a Lady’s Toilet II 50: It is better for him to have her ill Will than her Love, which latter perhaps might soon bring him to peep thro’ the Iron Gates of old King Lud’s Fabrick, or Whittington’s College in Newgate Street.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1839		(con. 1724) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 220: Ned Ward [...] informs us in the ‘Delectable History of Whittington’s College.’.