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. This is the story of a tradesman incarcerated for insolvency. Alexander was a hawker for the business and he had first called on the Bleares a year before the events of May 1826. On Monday August 21st 1826 two brothers, Alexander and Michael McKean went to the gallows in Lancaster for the murder of Elizabeth Bate. Michael claimed that Bleares struck Alexander at the same time for no reason. They had refused, telling him that they preferred to walk home when it was cool rather than in the heat of the day. The most famous trial and detention in the castles history is that of the Pendle Witches. Given a chance to speak the men all pleaded innocence. However, Alexander managed to get free of his captors and tried to make a run for it. It was all to no avail. King James I Conspiracy and Witchcraft Accusations. 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. 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. In 1092, WilliamII established a permanent border with Scotland further to the north by capturing Carlisle. A History of Lancaster - Local Histories On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. Accompanied by others who had responded to Trowels alarm, he finally gained access via an upstairs window. Limited tours, lasting 30 minutes, take place throughout the day but only cover the external courtyards and one of the prison buildings. 6 reviews of Lancaster Castle "True tales of witchcraft, murder, madness and 'justice' await you within the wall of the UK's oldest working prison. This dual courts and prison function would continue right through the Medieval period up into the 21st century. The judge left this for the Jury to reflect upon, but then touched on the question of motive. As a result, the king confiscated the Honour of Lancaster, which included the castle. He was hung, drawn and quartered, and part of his body exposed on top of the John O Gaunt Gateway. When new gaoler John Higgin started in 1785 he received an annual salary of 200 guineas , in compensation for being no longer allowed to collect fees from debtors (as part of John Howards reforms). According to Faraday it was a little after ten oclock when the McKeans reached the public house. Lancaster Castle provides a unique snapshot of the history of the judiciary and prison reform in the UK. These ranged from encounters in the local public house and the butchers shop, to sightings to the men sitting talking, or walking in the vicinity of the Littlewood house. 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. [13] Lancaster was one such castle. Firstly, how culpable was Michael in the crime, and secondly, what was the true motive behind the slaying of Elizabeth Bate? 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. [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. Get all the latest updates from Lancaster Castle. In 1322 and 1389 the Scots invaded England, progressing as far as Lancaster and damaging the castle. [25] Architect Thomas Harrison was commissioned to complete the work. There is a macabre postscript to this story. [17] After ElizabethI was excommunicated in 1570, she retaliated by declaring Roman Catholic priests guilty of high treason. Get all the latest updates from Lancaster Castle. On Wednesday 26th April, the tours will consist of the courtyards only as A-Wing is being used for a private event. Just then the maid appeared and Mrs Bleares told her to fetch a candle and show the men where they were to sleep. Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. This was a particularly busy assize, with ninety-seven people up for trial. 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. Contents show 1 Who was the last person hanged at Lancaster Castle? Ten people convicted of witchcraft at the Summer Assize in Lancaster Castle went to the gallows on the moors above the town. 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. Prison | Lancaster Castle : Lancaster Castle 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. [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'. The last part of the journey was to be on foot, up the hill to the castle. Its latest incarnation was as HMP Lancaster, a Category C prison which was operational on this site right up until March 2011. The day was a warm one, the roads dusty, and the two men both exhausted. It was the practice of the gaoler to raise the convicted persons hand to show the judge that a fair mark had been made. 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. [10], For the next 150years, there is no record of building work, although accounts are incomplete. 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. On the 8th the area around Hanging Corner was thronged with people. Given this fact, Michaels crime was murder in the second degree, which carried the same penalty as Alexanders crime. Bonnie Prince Charlie is reported to have stayed in Lancaster during the Jacobite uprising in 1745. Women and men in poor health often never left at all since the County did not transport those thought unable to support the rigours of the voyage or unlikely to find employment at its destination. 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. Orders were given that "all the walls about [Lancaster Castle] should be thrown down". The last prisoners will leave the castle's jail by Saturday and the Duchy of Lancaster, landlord of the site, plus Lancashire county council which owns the actual buildings, will put on their . The Quakers believed that men and women should be treated as equals. RF DXFE9F - Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle located in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. In 2016 Historic England commissioned a tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. Alexander and Michael were well known in Manchester and must have realised that it was impossible for them to remain in the area. He became a regular visitor, selling tea, silks and cotton to the proprietor. After the Georgian remodelling of the castle, it was decided it would be more convenient to perform executions nearer the castle. In the last two decades of the century, around 30,000 was spent rebuilding Lancaster's county gaol. This shed remained until the mid-20th Century, allegedly still containing the Gallows. Over the course of the next hour Bleares appears to have been plied with drink, Alexander at one point pouring his own whiskey into Bleares glass when his back was turned. Lancaster Gaol housed one of the largest Debtor's prisons in Hear about the Castle's famous and infamous prisoners from highwayman, George Lyon to Peterloo speaker, Henry 'Orator' Hunt. Murder Trials | Lancaster Castle : Lancaster Castle If Alexander had gone further than he intended in killing Betty then Michael could not be held responsible for his actions, as he had not agreed to them. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196 although this aspect became more important during the English Civil War. The men arrested for the crimes seemed to have little defence. 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. Battlements project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. What happened next was described in chilling detail at the trial by the boy, William Higgins, who was asleep in the room upstairs. The gaol was re-opened by the Home Office in 1955. Mr Bleares later testified that the local Friendly and Orange Societies used this room for their meetings: in fact he had the funds from both groups on the premises, with that of the Friendly Society being in the region of 30. Separate prisons were built for men and women. March 25th 1865. Mr Cross and Mr Courtenay appeared for the Crown, with Mr D.F Jones defending. At the August assizes in Lancaster in 1835 just fourteen prisoners were tried and nine causes were entered in the civil court - the church bells rang a "muffled peal" (Lancaster Gazette, 15 August 1835). Other infamous inmates included serial killer Frederick Bailey Deeming - suspected by some to be Jack the Ripper - and vicious gangster Squizzy Taylor. Lancaster Gaol housed one of the largest Debtor's prisons in In the late 1190s certain local knights were appointed Keepers of the Peace by the king. The men were walking slowly in the direction of Appleby and he noted that they looked very weary. England. On Thursdays and Fridays the tours consist of the courtyards only. One of the four was allowed five minutes ofrecuperationwhile the others turned the wheel. The foiled scheme would mean that Nowell, a former High Sheriff of Lancashire, would have security very much on his mind. They seem to have walked first to Sutton, near Skipton, then to Addingham before heading up Wharfdale towards Hawes. Lancaster castle hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy . He watched as they stopped by a stream to drink and cool their feet. 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. 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. [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.