The oak timbers in the Gatehouse were probably felled in, or around, AD 1404. It was instigated by King Henry IV, although legend attributes the work to John of Gaunt,[48] Duke of Lancaster from 1362 to his death in 1399. During the summer, male and female prisoners sentenced to hard labour on the treadwheel had to work 10 hours per day at a rate of 96 steps per minute. Murder trials in particular excited enormous public interest, with newspapers always keen to highlight cases that involved brutality, or ones which had sexual undertones. Despite her protests he prevailed upon her to allow them both to spend the night. On March 25th 1865 Stephen Burke was hanged for the murder of his wife, this was the last public execution at the Castle. In the 18thcentury it became more common for county gaols to hold longer-term prisoners; as a result they began to suffer from overcrowding. The gaol was re-opened by the Home Office in 1955. Famous prisoners included Father Edmund Arrowsmith who was a Roman Catholic priest who said Mass in the Brindle area between Blackburn and Preston. Over two hundred different crimes could lead to the death penalty, many for crimes against property and theft of items of relatively low value. If the debtor still had access to money, life was quite different. William was woken by a noise and, by the light of the candle Betty had placed in the window between the two beds, he saw Alexander with his left arm around Betty, who was struggling with him. The Friars took oaths of poverty and chastity like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out and preached. The Reverend Joseph Rowley, prison chaplain for fifty four years, attended 168 executions. The Shire Hall is currently not accessible for tours while work is undertaken to upgrade the Fire Alarm. Between 60 and 73AD, a Roman fort was built at Lancaster on a hill commanding a crossing over the River Lune. It seems that at no time did any of them try to hide, or disguise who they were. Battlements project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. An inquest was held at the Jolly Carter at four oclock the next afternoon and a verdict of Wilful Murder was returned. This dual courts and prison function would continue right through the Medieval period up into the 21st century. One witness, Adam Halwell, had taken William Collins to gaol after his arrest and happened to see him on the day he was released. This shed remained until the mid-20th Century, allegedly still containing the Gallows. However, all four of the men accused vociferously pleaded their innocence from the moment of their arrest, during their trial, and even onto the scaffold itself. What was claimed to be a verbatim account by Farady of the capture of the McKeans was published in the Stockport Advertiser some ten days prior to the executions and, interestingly, a week before they even stood trial. . On the ground-floor of the tower is the Drop Room which contains relics of the many executions, and can be visited today on the guided tour. The judge left this for the Jury to reflect upon, but then touched on the question of motive. 2 Is Lancaster Castle still a court? A survey in 1578 led to repairs to the keep costing 235. This is the story of a tradesman incarcerated for insolvency. Between 1583 and 1646 eleven priests and four catholic laymen were sentenced andkilled at Lancaster, perhaps the most famous amongst them being Edward Arrowsmith. What followed was a succession of witnesses, who testified to having seen some or all of the men in Pendleton on the day in question. The monarchy was restored in 1660, and CharlesII visited Lancaster on 12 August and released all the prisoners held in the castle. Although the exterior was refaced in the 18thcentury, medieval stonework is visible in the interior. Get all the latest updates from Lancaster Castle. It became the rule that before a prisoner was tried he was required to raise his hand so that it could be seen whether he bore the brand mark and was therefore a previous offender. Owned by the serving monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II, through the Duchy of Lancaster, Lancaster Castle is a wealth of English history. After 1800 the executions at Lancaster Castle took place at Hanging Corner, in an angle between the tower and the wall on the east side of the terrace steps. The Quakers believed that men and women should be treated as equals. Not one witness recalled seeing blood on any of their clothing, which was described in often minute detail, right down to the colour of their handkerchiefs and their boot tops. It is 20 metres (66 feet) high with four storeys; each floor divided into two rooms. However, Alexander managed to get free of his captors and tried to make a run for it. Throughout its life as a prison, Lancaster Castle has often been viewed as an extremely well-run and humane establishment. The only question here was what the intent had been on his part: did he know that his brother intended murder? Read more. He noted that spinning and knitting were being carried out by those detained. In 1195, Richard I commissioned certain knights to preserve the peace in unruly areas they were known as Keepers of the Peace. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He intimated that, had the victim been Joseph Bleares it might have made some kind of sense. He was asked if this was known to either of the two defendants, and he replied that it was not. At the beginning of its life it started out as a medieval fortress of the North, it turned over time into one of Britain's most brutal prisons. Another renovated building adjoining the caf is leased to Lancaster University as a campus in the city with small conference facilities. The high level of poverty prevalent at the time often meant that hard labour was the only option available even to children. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. The events at the house that spring Saturday were gradually pieced together by other evidence. A manhunt began, with posters bearing very accurate descriptions of both men being despatched to all corners of the county. George Fox was summoned to the Lancaster Assizes on a number of occasions, the most famous of which was in September 1664 when he refused to take the oath and was remanded in custody until the next Assizes. Accompanying the proclamation was the promise of a reward of fifty guineas, raised by the inhabitants of Winton, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of what was fast becoming a notorious crime.But what of the brothers? The men would die in two days time, on Monday 8th September. However, the uncertain construction date of the keep means that the King of Scotland could have been responsible for building it. Betty had managed to crawl across the landing to the club room where she died. Hundreds of people died under this roof . It is well worth walking around the exterior (at any time) and also the interior courtyard (during opening times) to see the various remaining Medieval buildings and Georgian and Victorian prisons. Its early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. James jnr and William Holden were seen later in the day in Hanover Street in Manchester betting large amounts (5 shillings a throw) on the toss of a coin. When prisoners finished their 15-minute stint, they would climb down to sit on a stool, whilst the prisoner who had been resting took his place. This is partly because until 1835 Lancaster Castle was the only Assize Court in the entire county and covered rapidly growing industrial centres including Manchester and Liverpool. The fee included fire, candle, use of culinary utensils, and the services of a room-man who did the cooking, cleaning, and waiting-on. [12], In 1554, the martyr George Marsh was held at the castle before standing trial at Chester Cathedral. [7], Roger de Poitou fled England in 1102 after participating in a failed rebellion against the new king, HenryI. Since the 12thcentury, the monarch appointed a sheriff to maintain the peace in Lancashire, a role usually filled by the duke and based at the castle. This probably referred to what is now known as Adrian's Tower. The castle role as a prison was becoming increasingly important, with the Gatehouse rooms being occupied by debtors. Based on a semi-circle, five tiers of cells could be surveyed from a central control room. [1][2] Little is known about Lancaster between the end of the Roman occupation of England in the early 5thcentury and the Norman Conquest in the late 11th century. From 1833 to 1862 Captain James Hansbrow was Governor of the Castle, and he frequently received letters addressed to debtors, c/o Hansbrows Hotel- giving us a clue about the conditions that existed with the building, for some of the inmates at least. On the 8th the area around Hanging Corner was thronged with people. It had been a busy assize, one which resulted in a higher than usual number of executions. During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, another targeted out group were Catholic priests. A recent extension of the Home Office lease means that the use of the castle as . And the Jolly Carter became prosperous. There was a plethora of eye-witness testimony that placed them firmly at the scene of the crime, and they were in possession of an unusually large amount of cash when they were apprehended. And yet the perpetrators of the crime would certainly have been stained quite severely, given the very nature of the murders. The female felons prison, the male felons prison, the female penitentiary, debtors prison andGaolers Houseare all very clearly intact. There is no trace of a motte, so it may have been a ringwork[6] a circular defended enclosure. An interesting relic of this age is the branding iron in the dock. Mr Cross and Mr Courtenay appeared for the Crown, with Mr D.F Jones defending. Lancaster Castle provides a unique snapshot of the history of the judiciary and prison reform in the UK. It has been a place of justice and incarceration for centuries and still houses one of the oldest working crown courts in the country. The Lancaster Martyrs: During this period of history fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. For more serious crimes the assizes courtswere held twice a year and defendants would bekept in prison for months, awaiting the time when the next assize came around. Minus her cap and bleeding heavily, the knife still embedded in her face, she ran from the house and staggered the sixty yards to the home of Mary Andrews, her niece. He ran the business with his brother Michael, who was five years his junior. Mrs Bleares had spent the evening mostly in the kitchen, but when the other customers finally left the pub Michael approached her and asked for a bed for the night, saying that it was too late to return to Manchester especially as he had a deal of money on him. [3] After the Norman Conquest in the second half of the 11thcentury, Lancaster was part of the Earldom of Northumbria; it was claimed by the kings of England and Scotland. The business was not prosperous, and Blears regretted taking having taken it on. They had, it was said, the ordinary appearance of decent journeymen tradesmen Both men pleaded not guilty to the charge. He had little to add except by way of identification, but cross-examined by Mr Jones, Bleares was asked where he kept the strongboxes containing the money from the two clubs that met at the Jolly Carter. Forensic science did not exist, and in many cases eye-witness testimony or the most circumstantial of evidence was enough to secure a conviction. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. [47] The medieval hall stood south-west of the keep and was dismantled in 1796 during the remodelling of the castle. RM EPHG7C - Inside a cell at Lancaster Prison, part of the Castle in the city of Lancaster, England. Lancasters Custom House and Maritime Museum, Lancaster Castle: A Brief History, John Champness (1993), Lancashire County Books, Life In Georgian Lancaster, Andrew White (2004) Carnegie Publishing, Lancaster Castle: 1000 Years of Royal Heritage, Justice, Felony and Incarceration, leaflet (undated circa 2016) available from Lancashire Tourist Information office, printed by Lancaster Castle, http://www.lancastercastle.com/history-heritage/a-dark-history/crime-punishment/, http://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/12/George-Fox, If you would like to know each time a new piece is published, just enter your email below and click 'Follow', Lancaster Castle : The Prisons andCourts, Lancaster Castle : The Fortress Lancashire Past, Lancasters Lost Roman Fort Lancashire Past, Lancaster Roman Baths and Wery Wall Lancashire Past, The Customs House : Lancaster Maritime Museum Lancashire Past, Upholland Priory, a Benedictine Monastery, near Wigan Lancashire Past, The Strange Tale of Edward Kelley at Walton-le-Dale Lancashire Past, Greenhalgh Castle, Garstang Lancashire Past, The Ruskin Library and Museum, Lancaster Lancashire Past, Galgate Silk Mill, Galgate near Lancaster Lancashire Past, A History of the Ashton Memorial, Lancaster Lancashire Past. [27] In 1802 the castle received more funding and Joseph Gandy was commissioned to complete the interiors of the Shire Hall and Crown Court. Lancaster Castle housed two treadwheels one to drive 23 calico looms and one to draw water from the well. Alexander, who was 30, was already known at the Jolly Carter. On hearing her voice William Higgins chased after her and together they roused the neighbourhood. RM C12F7B - Lancaster Castle Prison. The last Assizes were held at Lancaster in 1972. The most famous case to be tried at Lancaster Castle was that of the Pendle Witches, 10 poor men and women from Pendle who were accused of witchcraft and executed in 1612 (an 11th accused witch was found not guilty and released). This identified the convicted person as a malefactor or evil-doer.. He added that they had been talking in a friendly manner with the landlord, and that it was at this point that Joseph Bleares began to bemoan the cost of turning the pub into a going concern. A new Crown Court and Shire Hall were also added in the same decade. It seems, however, that the constable was less than keen to set off in pursuit, afraid that the McKeans might be armed. Shortly after the murder it was noticed that the bloodstains on the clubroom floor, where Betty Bate had crawled to die, had dried into a distinct shape. Joseph Gandy, whohad provided the interior decoration for the court and hall, returned in 1821 to construct something much more grim: a panoptican prison for women. Lancaster Castle has served as a prison since the 12th century. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. [52] In his book The Historic Lands of England, Sir Bernard Burke suggests the wall may have been visible in more places 100 years prior to his writing in 1849. Until 1835 the only Assize for the county, Lancaster Castle saw a vast number of accused people pass through its doors, many of whom would have been on trial for their life. It has been involved in conflict - it was attacked by Robert Bruce and besieged by Royalists in the English Civil War on more than one occasion. Lancasters use of the treadwheels was almost unique as most prisons did not harness the energy in any useful way. A rule of total silence was strictly enforced and the spaces on the wheel were partitioned to frustrate communication between the prisoners. The McKeans On Monday August 21st 1826 two brothers, Alexander and Michael McKean went to the gallows in Lancaster for the murder of Elizabeth Bate. You can enter the extensive courtyard for free, but the tours of the castle are charged. He had instigated widespread changes to allgaols which included segregating prisoners on the basis of their crime and gender. The tower was, however, built in the early 13th century, probably during the reign of King John. [10] His successor, HenryIII also spent large sums on Lancaster: 200 in 1243 and 250 in 1254 for work on the gatehouse and creating a stone curtain wall. No doubt they all purchased refreshment from the good landlord after they had done so. On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. Before the Jury retired to consider the verdict Mr Justice Park summed up. He was known to all at the Jolly Carter simply as Alec. [10] Building in stone was expensive and time-consuming. 4 What is When Was The Last Execution At Lancaster Castle? One, a Mr Norrys, raised his stick, while another cried out to the crowd: What would you have? At no time did their demeanour suggest that they had recently, and savagely, murdered anyone. Orders were given that "all the walls about [Lancaster Castle] should be thrown down". On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. Records indicate that one prisoner was sentenced to transportation for maliciously destroying cotton goods in a process of manufacture.. He seems to have given a cogent and simple account of what must have been a terrifying ordeal. The outer defences fell in March; a siege of the castle lasted just two days as Parliamentarian reinforcements were heading to Lancaster from Preston. Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and former prison in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. And why risk so much for such a relatively small sum of money as 30?So, what if the motive had not been robbery? On the evening of Monday May 22nd 1826, between five and six oclock, a stranger entered the Jolly Carter and asked for a glass of beer. The poker was still there, but bent and very bloody. Often they were mixed in with other categories of prisoners and overcrowding began to be a real problem. The guided tours cost 8 adults, 6.50 concessions, 20 family ticket (the Explorer ticket - valid for 12 months is excellent value and includes entry to 11 other museums in Lancashire.) [36] In the meantime, while access to the keep, towers, battlements and dungeons is currently denied to visitors, the castle operates limited guided tours seven days a week. When he reached the public house at Coupland Beck, three miles from Appleby, he found that there were no men present in the pub and so he alerted two stone-breakers who were working on the road nearby to assist him. Alexander and Michael were both dressed in blue coats and black cravats, and Alexander wore a black waistcoat, while Michaels was brown and white striped. Their founder George Fox (who famously had a vision of his religious missionon Pendle Hill) was imprisoned at the castle. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. Mel Dod has been working at Lancaster Castle for 25 years Visitors - which have included Prince Charles, Princess Alexandra, Tom Conti and Leslie Crowther - are always fascinated by the. England. Counsel for the Crown, Mr Cross, opened proceedings by informing the jury that the evidence in this case would be largely circumstantial, but argued that it was no less compelling for that. Large amounts of money are being spent in improving the fabric of the whole building with a view to open more of it up to tourists. During the 18th and 19th centuries, until the Bankruptcy Act of 1866, Lancaster Castle housed between 300 and 400 people in the debtors prison at any one time. By the time the defendants in the Pendleton case reached court the assize had been sitting for over a week. The castle has been the scene of notable trials, hundreds of executions and has housed prisoners of various categories until as recently as 2011. The money was all gone from the bedroom, where they also found a bloodstained cleaver from the kitchen. It was not to see military action again until the English Civil War. Unknown to them, however, she observed them from the kitchen whispering together, which she thought strange. One of the most famous and dramatic events to take place in Lancashire occurred over 400 years ago in 1612, and has since formed the basis of novels, and radio and television programmes. In the end, after threats were made to report him to the magistrates if he didnt carry out his duty, the constable gave in. Todays title of Justice of the Peace dates back to 1361, to the reign of Edward III, and JPs still retain and use some of the powers conferred on them at that time to bind over unruly persons to be of good behaviour. Amid sobbing and screaming from wives and family members all four men loudly protested their innocence, so much so that the judge reprimanded them and the bailiffs and to struggle to regain order. A more serious class of convict started to be housed at Lancaster in Georgian times felons. McKean realised that the boy had seen it all and attempted to smother him but Betty had somehow found the strength to get to her feet and she distracted McKean long enough to allow William to escape. . Six years later much of the pomp had been lost - the High Sheriff arrived by train. Its latest incarnation was as HMP Lancaster, a Category C prison which was operational on this site right up until March 2011. Lancaster Castle is one of England's best-preserved castles. Michael asked her if her husband went to bed when he was drunk, and if not whether she stayed up with him as well. Like most Norman keeps, Lancaster's would have been entered at first floor level. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. 1787. This maximised the amount of surveillance that could be done by the prison staff, whose own numbers could be reduced from the norm. It seems that both had their employers trust, for a considerable sum of money, some 160 was left in the house, in an unlocked drawer in an upstairs bedroom. Its latest incarnation was as HMP Lancaster, a Category C prison which was operational on this site right up until March 2011. Of those 200 executions, 131 are reputed to have been carried out by one hangman - Old Ned Barlow Self-procalimed 'King of the Robbers' George Lyon was not quite the romantic figure that local legend would have us believe.
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