Lancaster, Lancashire | History, Photos & Visiting Information Clearly visible, in profile, were the outline and features of a womans face. England. 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. Guided tours of the Castle include visits to its 18th century cells, Pentonville-style male penitentiary, dedicated debtors prison area and female penitentiary based on Benthams famous panopticon design. RM HH70K7 - Henry V (1386 - 1422) was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 36 in 1422. [8], On the death of HenryII, the Honour passed to his son, Richard the Lionheart, who gave it to his brother, Prince John, in the hope of securing his loyalty. His efforts to instigate reform led to prisoners in gaols throughout the country being separated by gender and category of their crime. During their history, lay magistrates have had responsibility for: Today their role is almost exclusively judicial, and JPs are appointed on behalf of the Sovereign by the Lord Chancellor. The gaol was re-opened by the Home Office in 1955. Between 1583 and 1646 eleven priests and four catholic laymen were sentenced andkilled at Lancaster, perhaps the most famous amongst them being Edward Arrowsmith. The female felons prison, the male felons prison, the female penitentiary, debtors prison andGaolers Houseare all very clearly intact. At that time, the saying of Mass was an offence punishable by death and Father Arrowsmith was arrested in 1628 and condemned to die as a traitor. 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. The oak timbers in the Keep's undercroft were shown to have been felled in AD 1380s, whilst those from the Great Hall were probably felled slightly later, towards the end of the fourteenth century or very early-fifteenth century. The Lancaster Martyrs: During this period of history fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. This dual courts and prison function would continue right through the Medieval period up into the 21st century. The Shire Hall is currently not accessible for tours while work is undertaken to upgrade the Fire Alarm. These could be used to provide power for calico weaving looms and to draw up water from the castle wells. [51] The wall, described as being a 3-metre-thick (9.8ft) 'indestructible mass' with a defensive ditch,[50][51] now only remains visible on the east slope of Castle Hill. The Judge was as puzzled as the modern reader may well be at why this awful crime came to be committed. He obtained help from a local publican and auctioneer, a Mr Richard Faraday- described as a spirited individual- and together they set off in pursuit of the McKeans. [18] The instruction was not followed, and in August 1648 the town withstood a siege from the Royalist Duke of Hamilton who led an army south from Scotland. By the time it was over thirty seven of those accused had been sentenced to death, although only eleven of those sentences were actually carried out. Alexander, we are told, was walking ahead of his brother and as he passed the pub Faraday called to him. During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, another targeted out group were Catholic priests. Get all the latest updates from Lancaster Castle. The final prosecution witness was the man James snr had shared a cell with, and to whom he supposedly confessed. On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. Improvements were also made to sanitation; in the 18thcentury more people died from gaol fever than by hanging. Such trials must have been full of tension and drama. Are there prisoners at Lancaster Castle? Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. Throughout its life as a prison, Lancaster Castle has often been viewed as an extremely well-run and humane establishment. Lancaster Castle was one of the first gaols in England to segregate its inmates by age and gender. The Honour changed hands several times. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. This role morphed into that ofJustices of the Peace who would work at the castlepresiding over the trying of minor crimes, in four sessions a year. The foiled scheme would mean that Nowell, a former High Sheriff of Lancashire, would have security very much on his mind. [10], For the next 150years, there is no record of building work, although accounts are incomplete. Finally, just before the trap fell they began to sing a hymn : Ill Praise My Maker While Ive Breath and when, some four minutes later all four men were dead, there was said to be scarcely a tearless eye among the crowd, while many of the women wept aloud, A passing reference in Cross-Fleurys Time-Honoured Lancaster tells of a death-bed confession by the real killer some twenty-six later, although it must be stressed that there is no corroboration for this, and that the book, while an immensely interesting and valuable source, is often reduced to anecdote and gossip for its content. Convicted felons awaiting transportation were, in law, entitled to the Kings Allowance of 2s/6d a week, but few ever received it. Famous for the trials and imprisonment of the Lancashire Witches, you can see the well tower where the witches were held captive. On hearing her voice William Higgins chased after her and together they roused the neighbourhood. As a result, the king confiscated the Honour of Lancaster, which included the castle. The outer defences fell in March; a siege of the castle lasted just two days as Parliamentarian reinforcements were heading to Lancaster from Preston. The Royalists unsuccessfully tried to recapture Lancaster in April and again in June; the town and castle remained under Parliament's control until the end of the war. Includes the Shire Hall and courtrooms. Quakerism was founded by George Fox who first visited Lancashire in 1652 and subsequently made Swarthmoor Hall (the home of Judge Fell), near Ulverston, the headquarters of the Religious Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers. 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. An example of a typical case would be that of two boys aged 11 and 13 who in 1899 were convicted of causing wilful damage to a door by throwing mortar at it. It was agreed that after Stephen died, he would be succeeded by Henry Plantagenet (later King HenryII), Matilda's son. 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. One of the four was allowed five minutes ofrecuperationwhile the others turned the wheel. In the event of an assault, the keep formed the last line of defence. [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. Top 12 Interesting Lancaster Castle Facts Harrison had to divide his time between Lancaster and designing and building Chester Castle's Shire Hall and Courts; work at Lancaster slowed, partly because of dwindling funds due to war with France, and Harrison was released from the work as the Justices of the Peace felt it was taking too long. It is a Category C gaol and a number of its inmates are serving life sentences. He was a draper by trade and lived with his mother in Manchester. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. Guided tours of the Castle include visits to its 18th century cells, Pentonville-style male penitentiary, dedicated debtors' prison area and female penitentiary based on Bentham's famous panopticon design. 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. Michael described how, a little later, Bleares had drunkenly attacked some other customers when they refused to pay for their ale, shouting that he could take on three such men and still beat then all. The tower was, however, built in the early 13th century, probably during the reign of King John. Battlements project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. RM EPHG7C - Inside a cell at Lancaster Prison, part of the Castle in the city of Lancaster, England. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest at the age of 27, Father Edmund Arrowsmith ministered and said Mass in the Brindle area between Blackburn and Preston. Nowells investigation led him into a series of claims and counterclaims of witchcraft between three local families. 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. The Pendle Witches. Lancashire's High Sheriff and Justices of the Peace petitioned the king to repair the castle. It was all to no avail. David and James jnr were taken at James house in St Georges Road in Manchester, James snr at his home in Silk Street, and Holden at his lodgings. The last execution (of Thomas Rawcliffe, murderer) at Lancaster took place in 1910. Read more. There is a macabre postscript to this story. 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. From 1196 Lancaster castle was used as a prison. Knowing that Michael was not far behind, Faraday left Alexander in the charge of the two workmen then went back outside. England. Its early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11thcentury on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. Today the Castle has entered a new phase of lifeafter theclosure of the prison. He denied having a knife, and stated that he had no prior knowledge of Alexanders intentions, but had merely been accompanying him in order to collect debts from several different places that day prior to ending up in Winton. [13] The Rolls show that John spent over 630 on digging a ditch outside Lancaster's south and west walls, and for the construction of "the King's lodgings". 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. 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. Between 60 and 73AD, a Roman fort was built at Lancaster on a hill commanding a crossing over the River Lune. What happened next was described in chilling detail at the trial by the boy, William Higgins, who was asleep in the room upstairs. Thomas Holden sentenced to 7 years Transportation to Australia for 'Administering An Illegal Oath' to Isaac Crompton. Research Report 35/2016", "Atkinsons make a move into Lancaster Castle - North West FDMB", "Lancaster Castle Restored and Re-Opened! Hunted men now, their details posted for miles around and with a price on their heads, the McKeans were on the run. The case had excited enormous public interest with its hints of sexual liaisons, the accusations of corruption against the deeply unpopular Nadin, and the continued refusal of the condemned to admit their guilt. A survey in 1578 led to repairs to the keep costing 235. The men arrested for the crimes seemed to have little defence. Thomas Holden sentenced to 7 years Transportation to Australia for 'Administering An Illegal Oath' to Isaac Crompton. [22] After the slighting of the castle, including the demolition of the Well Tower, it was militarily redundant. Two tread wheels were used as punishment for prisoners sentenced to hard labour in mid 1800s. [4], As there are no contemporary documents recording the foundation of the castle, it is uncertain when and by whom it was started, but it is supposed that Roger de Poitou, the Norman lord in control of the Honour of Lancaster, was responsible. Their days were spent playing games in the courtyard, and any musicians who were imprisoned would often play at concerts or dances to amuse their fellow debtors. The men were arrested the next day, Sunday, by Joseph Nadin, the Deputy Constable of Manchester. The blow glanced over her throat, whereupon Michael threw her to the floor and struck her again, the second time driving his knife deep into her face before rushing out of the pub. 5. England. In a time of civilunrest, what we would now recognise as political prisoners were held at the castle. He told them of his future plans and invited them both to stay the night.