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Lancaster Castle

Posted by Tanos on Mon 21 Jul 08, 10:08 PM

Tags: prisons

popi and I visited Lancaster Castle on Saturday. The building is still a working court house and prison, despite parts of it dating back to the 11th century. Access is by guided tour only, but our guide ("Graham") turned out to be excellent: animated, engaging, pitching it equally at amateur historians like me and ten year olds from Peru (I'm not kidding ;) ).

As you can see on the castle's website, it has some excellently Tanosian features I'd like to mention ;) First, these Old Cells in a row, dating back at least to the 18th century and only rediscovered towards the end of the 20th. Our guide offered to let people into one of the cells and turn the lights out to show how dark it was (couldn't see the hand in front of your face). Wearing her rather visible Eternity Collar and aware of seeming to be totally depraved, she managed to hold back until one other person had gone in before dashing in herself with her "me! me! lock me in!" expression on ;)

Next the holdfast and branding iron fastened to the back of the dock in the Crown Court - this court is still in use today, but branding of an "M" for "malefactor" on the left palm after conviction stopped at the start of the 19th century. There's a key that turns just below the wrist to allow the wrist strap to swing out to get the hand in place, and then be fastened to prevent it being withdrawn as the brand approaches.

Finally, another scold's bridle and a replica shown in use on a dummy head. This was in popi's favourite room of the whole tour, the Hadrian Tower: her eyes were popping out at the 18th century darby cuffs, leg-irons and neck chains hung all around the circular wall in the way some castles have rows and rows of pikes and muskets. In glass cases, as well as the scold's bridle there are a selection of birches, whips, more darbies and other paraphernalia of punishment and control. The room also has two high-sided chairs for restraining lunatics, complete with iron bars to attach leather straps which could make interesting BDSM furniture.

I don't normally like guided tours (as you might expect) but this really was an exception.

We also paid a quick visit to the small but well presented Ribchester Roman Museum.

Edited Fri 17 Oct 08, 12:02 AM by Tanos

 
 
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