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It is a Category C gaol and a number of its inmates are serving life sentences. England. The jury retired to consider its verdict. In response, the Royalists dispatched an army to retake Lancaster. 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. Henry granted it to Stephen of Blois, his nephew and later king. Alexander asked her whether her husband slept soundly when he got liquor, although why he should want to know this puzzled her. Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and former prison in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. The Castle Courtyard opened to the public seven days a week in May 2013 and now has a cafe, NICE @ The Castle and regular events now take place every month. In 1166 the first assizes court was recorded and in 1196 there was the first written reference to a gaol. It seems that things had begun to go wrong for the McKeans prior to the murder and they were described at their trial as being much reduced in circumstances at the time it took place. The family originated from Dumfries, where both men had been born, and where one of their two older brothers, William, still lived. Women and men would spend 10 hour days working them in teams of four. They were sentenced to five days hard labour or a fine of 7s 6d. Though the region was generally peaceful, the Scots invaded in 1322 and 1389, reaching Lancaster and damaging the castle. 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. George and Elizabeth Youngson were Lancaster's youngest convict transportees to Australia, for the crime of theft. The first one was installed in 1822. To see most of the interior of the buildings you need to take a guided tour, but it is free to enter the courtyard. They weredreadfully dejected, and hung down their heads in the deepest despondency, while their pale and haggard looks told a horrible tale of what passed within.. Get all the latest updates from Lancaster Castle. 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. After execution their bodies would be given to the surgeons for dissection. The Lancaster Martyrs: During this period of history fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. There is no trace of a motte, so it may have been a ringwork[6] a circular defended enclosure. They returned just two minutes later and pronounced that they had found all four men guilty. This would have been significant, as there was a belief at the time that a corpse would bleed anew at the touch of its killer. However, the uncertain construction date of the keep means that the King of Scotland could have been responsible for building it. 5. [28], In the south-west corner of the castle is a cylindrical tower named Adrian's Tower from the popular legend that it was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Lancaster Castle is one of England's best-preserved castles. The most famous trial and detention in the castles history is that of the Pendle Witches. RF CP6TGD - Lancaster Castle main entrance. 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. When the Anarchy erupted in 1139 a civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda for the English throne the area was in turmoil. Throughout its life as a prison, Lancaster Castle has often been viewed as an extremely well-run and humane establishment. Also missing were items of clothing and some plate. Knowing that Michael was not far behind, Faraday left Alexander in the charge of the two workmen then went back outside. This consists of a metal holdfast designed to immobilise the wrist and fingers, whilst a red-hot branding iron embossed with the letter M was applied to the brawn of the thumb. [34], The Crown Court continues to sit at the castle. It spells out very clearly that there could be little real doubt that a murder was committed, or that Alexander McKean had committed it. Lancaster was once again designated for use as a prison from 1954 onwards when the council leased the castle to the Home Office. A manhunt began, with posters bearing very accurate descriptions of both men being despatched to all corners of the county. It seems that at no time did any of them try to hide, or disguise who they were. Self-procalimed 'King of the Robbers' George Lyon was not quite the romantic figure that local legend would have us believe. Thomas Holden sentenced to 7 years Transportation to Australia for 'Administering An Illegal Oath' to Isaac Crompton. 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. In 1166 the first assizes courtwas recorded and in 1196 therewas the first written reference to a gaol. Thomas Holden sentenced to 7 years Transportation to Australia for 'Administering An Illegal Oath' to Isaac Crompton. The men arrested for the crimes seemed to have little defence. Lancaster Gaol housed one of the largest Debtor's prisons in The next person to catch sight of anyone was a friend of Hannahs, Harriet Trowel, who called at the house around 4pm. Lancaster has a reputation as the court that sentenced more people to death than any other in England. Betty had plainly put up a fight, but died as a result of the wound to her throat. [10], For the next 150years, there is no record of building work, although accounts are incomplete. Nowells investigation led him into a series of claims and counterclaims of witchcraft between three local families. A small Parliamentarian force captured the castle in February 1643, established a garrison and set about building earthworks around the approaches to the town. She was arrested in 1684 after leaving a Quaker meeting and brought to the castle prison. For over 50 years, the Prison Chaplain was Parson Rowley who is said to have attended 170 criminals to their execution. Mr and Mrs Littlewood, as was their custom, left early for their shop in Manchester, leaving the two servants alone in the house. Why bother going upstairs where there was a potential witness in the shape of William Higgins? Ely Dyson saw James Ashcroft jnr and his uncle leaving the house at around 4 oclock, carrying small bundles. The prison reformer John Howard visited Lancaster Castle in 1776. 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. The Lancaster Martyrs: During this period of history fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. The law as it stood in 1826 was very clear on the first of these two points: if the brothers intention had been to murder Elizabeth Bate it did not matter that Michael was not present in the time it was committed. About 1260 Dominican friars came to Lancaster and founded a friary east of the town roughly where Dalton Square is today. [49] Two semi-octagonal towers flank a passageway protected by a portcullis. RM EPHG7C - Inside a cell at Lancaster Prison, part of the Castle in the city of Lancaster, England. Why attack her while leaving Joseph, albeit asleep, in the bar? 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. What if Elizabeth Bate had been the intended victim all along? He thought it a little strange that they appeared so tired at such an early hour but, thinking that they had simply been travelling through the night, he gave it no more thought. 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 Norman . A recent extension of the Home Office lease means that the use of the castle as . The Shire Hall is currently not accessible for tours while work is undertaken to upgrade the Fire Alarm. 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. Mr Williams called a good number of witnesses, mostly to testify to the character of the men accused, or to place them well away from the scene of the crime, but a great many of the people called had criminal records themselves, and their evidence counted for very little. This is the story of a tradesman incarcerated for insolvency. By nine oclock Joseph Bleares was soundly asleep on the sofa. 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. In fact several other houses over-looked it, and some of the most damning testimony was to come from people who had witnessed events from these dwellings. You can enter the extensive courtyard for free, but the tours of the castle are charged. A famous moniker used for Lancaster Castle was 'the hanging town' as it was considered to sentence more prisoners to death than at any other court in England. Two tread wheels were used as punishment for prisoners sentenced to hard labour in mid 1800s. Simon Williamson, a farmhand, had found a bloody handkerchief that belonged to Michael in the field behind the Jolly Carter on the morning after the murder. 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. A prison cell in Lancaster Castle. A debtors market was held in the Castle Yard where meat, bread, butter, groceries, vegetables, fish and fruit could be purchased. Lancaster Castle was one of the first gaols in England to segregate its inmates by age and gender. Until 2011 it was a fully functioning HM Prison and was also Europe's longest-serving prison. The castle also served as a debtors' prison. 213 people Between 1800 and 1865, a total of 213 people were executed at Lancaster Castle Six men were hanged in private between 1875 and 1910. Who was the last person to hang in England? However, Alexander managed to get free of his captors and tried to make a run for it. 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. 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. The turnkey (prison officer) in charge of the wheelhouse was in full control and shouted out his orders each time the wheelhouse clock chimed the five-minute interval. The Lancaster Martyrs: During this period of history fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. [27] In 1802 the castle received more funding and Joseph Gandy was commissioned to complete the interiors of the Shire Hall and Crown Court. 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. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. Hunted men now, their details posted for miles around and with a price on their heads, the McKeans were on the run. 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. George and Elizabeth Youngson were Lancaster's youngest convict transportees to Australia, for the crime of theft. This maximised the amount of surveillance that could be done by the prison staff, whose own numbers could be reduced from the norm. In the aftermath of the Civil War the castle was never made fully defendable again, and its curtain walls were either demolished or left unrepaired. They had refused, telling him that they preferred to walk home when it was cool rather than in the heat of the day. Owned by the serving monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II, through the Duchy of Lancaster, Lancaster Castle is a wealth of English history. Lancaster Castle has long been associated with both the trial of criminals and their detention. Lancaster Gaol housed one of the largest Debtor's prisons in Part of the prison is used as a major drugs rehabilitation unit. [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. The phenomenon was much remarked upon, and people came from Manchester and the surrounding area to view it, and marvel. This is the story of a tradesman incarcerated for insolvency. The spot chosen became known as Hanging Corner. [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. This, coupled withtheir refusal to swear loyalty to King Charles II, meant that they were seen as disturbers of the peace of the nation and gaoled. 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. Firstly, how culpable was Michael in the crime, and secondly, what was the true motive behind the slaying of Elizabeth Bate? Improvements were also made to sanitation; in the 18thcentury more people died from gaol fever than by hanging. However, the Judge hit upon an interesting point at this stage in his summing-up: it appeared, he said, that the brothers showed no express malice against this unfortunate woman and this is one of the most striking things about the whole case. Despite her protests he prevailed upon her to allow them both to spend the night. It deals with trials of the more serious criminal offences, the sentencing of offenders committed for sentence by magistrates courts and appeals from lower courts. [10] One of the functions castles served was as a prison;[11] the first record of the castle being used in this way was in 1196, although the role became much more important after the English Civil War. Six years later much of the pomp had been lost - the High Sheriff arrived by train. Alexander was very anxious to speak to the landlord. [48], During the Roman era in the 4th century,[50] the fort was surrounded by the "Wery Wall" which is believed to translate as the 'green wall'. Stephen secured his northern frontier by allowing DavidI of Scotland to occupy the Honour in 1141. Of those 200 executions, 131 are reputed to have been carried out by one hangman Old Ned Barlow. Lancaster Castle housed two treadwheels one to drive 23 calico looms and one to draw water from the well. 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. In 2016 Historic England commissioned a tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. The earliest standing fabric of the Castle is found in the Norman Keep, built in about 1150. The case centred on accusations and counter-accusations . Lancaster Castle was used as the main gaol in the city. In the bedroom they found more blood but also a black leather stock which was later identified as belonging to Alexander McKean.