Monday, August 3, 2015

Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire.United Kingdom. Historical events dating back to 79 AD where there was a Roman fort built at Lancaster on a hill commanding a crossing over the River Lune. It is generally thought that Lancaster Castle was founded in the 1090s on the site of the Roman fort in a strategic location. The castle is the oldest standing building in Lancaster and one of the most important. The history of the structure is uncertain yet the events throughout its history is remarkable , from invasions, anarchy, civil wars , the known hangings and the gaol , yet, in the 18th century more people died from gaol fever than by hanging the castle remained a working prison until the spring of 2011. This was the place that held the notorious Pendle witches in 1612 . Of the eleven who went to trial – nine women and two men – ten were found guilty and executed by hanging; one was found not guilty. The ten other Pendle witches found guilty within the walls of Lancaster castle were hanged high on the moors nearby as a vast public affair. After 1800, the site of execution in Lancaster moved to the castle itself and people were hung publicly from the wall of the drop room to crowds sometimes exceeding 5,000. Public hanging remained in force until 1865, after which the death sentence was carried out within the hanging yard of the castle which still remains. info wiki and lancaster castle