Part of the agreement was that the King of Scotland would relinquish the Honour of Lancaster, which would be held by William, Stephen's son. Lancaster Castle and Northern English History - FutureLearn He heard her scream and the next thing William saw was blood gushing from a wound in Bettys neck before she was flung to the floor. 10,144 enrolled on this course. Five places in Lancaster that are haunted by witches, prisoners, an He intimated that, had the victim been Joseph Bleares it might have made some kind of sense. In a time of civilunrest, what we would now recognise as political prisoners were held at the castle. 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. [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. 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. 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.. 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 maid was the ill-fated Elizabeth Betty Bate. Any discovered in Lancashire were taken to Lancaster Castle for trial. [30] The prison closed in 1916 due to a national decrease in the number of prisoners, although for part of the First World War it held German civilians and military prisoners of war. The large internal courtyard is now accessible to the public, for the first time in decades. According to Faraday Michael turned like death as he saw what was happening and as his brother was overpowered he rushed at Faraday with an oak stick. Lancaster Castle opens fully to the public - BBC News 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. In 1612, local magistrate Roger Nowell of Read Hall had accusations of witchcraft brought before him. Four prisoners were allocated to every three spaces on the wheel, thereby allowing one to rest for five minutes while the rest of the team continued to turn the wheel. As many as eight or nine condemned prisoners and their coffins would be carried in the bottom of a cart. The World's Most Notorious Historic Prisons | Historical Landmarks The castle has a long judicial history. The castle is still being used as the administrative offices . On March 25th 1865 Stephen Burke was hanged for the murder of his wife, this was the last public execution at the Castle. [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. However, work on royal castles was often documented in Pipe Rolls, which began in 1155. [43][44][45], The keep is the oldest part of the castle. 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. 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. David made a dramatic plea to the court that the evidence against them had been falsified, that witnesses had lied and that he and the others were innocent. A survey in 1578 led to repairs to the keep costing 235. 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. [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'. Its latest incarnation was as HMP Lancaster, a Category C prison which was operational on this site right up until March 2011. On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. And Joseph Bleares found himself, at last, the master of what was undoubtedly a going concern.. . BBC - Lancashire - Tours and trials at Lancaster Castle Faraday was able to avoid the attack, and with help from one of the men was able to finally subdue Michael as well, but not before Michael had bitten him in the hand and fought and kicked like a maniac in his efforts to escape. Lancaster Castles other function as a defendable stronghold is discussed on our page here. Lancaster prison hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Other infamous inmates included serial killer Frederick Bailey Deeming - suspected by some to be Jack the Ripper - and vicious gangster Squizzy Taylor. A week to the day after the murder at Winton, at five oclock on the morning of May 29th on the lonely road between Kirkby Stephen and Appleby, Alexander and Michael McKean were seen by William Taylor, a butcher from Kirkby Stephen. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. Castles & Fortified Towers, Georgian Lancashire, Medieval Lancashire, Victorian Lancashire. Alexander and Michael were well known in Manchester and must have realised that it was impossible for them to remain in the area. They enjoyed considerably more freedom than the felons, being able to use the courtyard in good weather or stay in their rooms if they so chose. The money was all gone from the bedroom, where they also found a bloodstained cleaver from the kitchen. With 1000 years of records, this is one of the world's oldest prison and longest-serving criminal court. Bonnie Prince Charlie is reported to have stayed in Lancaster during the Jacobite uprising in 1745. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. [41][42] This phase created a new teaching centre, as well as more than 5,000 sq ft of space, in which the Duchy has leased a section of the old kitchen to local coffee roasters and tea merchants, J. Atkinson & Co. (established 1837) to run a caf. 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. He was known to all at the Jolly Carter simply as Alec. The brothers were taken south to Lancaster, vilified en route by the small crowds who lined the route as it wound through Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale. Read more. By the time the defendants in the Pendleton case reached court the assize had been sitting for over a week. After the war the castle was used to train police cadets, up until 1931 when the new college was opened in Preston. The castle is still a working court and prison and famous trials include the Lancashire . The claims centred initially around Alizon Device, who was accused of causing a stroke to a pedlar when he refused to give her pins. Battlements project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. The last Assizes were held at Lancaster in 1972. For over 50 years, the Prison Chaplain was Parson Rowley who is said to have attended 170 criminals to their execution. The buildings were surveyed and repair work estimated at 1,957. A glimpse into the history of Lancaster Castle and its use as a place of punishment offers a revealing insight into the nations changing attitudes towards crime and punishment, as well as religious and cultural beliefs through the centuries. It seems, however, that the constable was less than keen to set off in pursuit, afraid that the McKeans might be armed. On Monday August 21st 1826 two brothers, Alexander and Michael McKean went to the gallows in Lancaster for the murder of Elizabeth Bate. Whilst in prison they could continue to work to earn money, in the hope they would be able to pay their debt off. Lancaster Gaol housed one of the largest Debtor's prisons in Mouth, nose and eyes could all be made out, as could the hair, and streaming from a slash across the throat, copious amounts of blood. The first one was installed in 1822. [10] Building in stone was expensive and time-consuming. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. On Monday 28th April the prisoners were taken to the scene of the crime and forced to look at the corpses. The phenomenon was much remarked upon, and people came from Manchester and the surrounding area to view it, and marvel. Their rooms were searched, and cash was found, but although Nadin searched for any bloodied clothing, and pressed the men to disclose where such garments might be, none was ever found beyond a handkerchief with some blood on it, lying beneath David Ashcrofts bed. 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. The monarchy was restored in 1660, and CharlesII visited Lancaster on 12 August and released all the prisoners held in the castle. [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. 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.