When I started to draw the second wing of the prison I noticed that the perspective of the central block was a bit off. The short ruler came in very handy for aligning the horizontal elements. Drawn with a Staedtler 0.3mm pencil in an A4 cartridge paper sketchbook.

Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.

 

It is evening at Cavendish Mews, and like many other evenings, Lettice has had , her old childhood chum, Gerald, join her for a quiet dinner, just the two of them. Whilst Gerald is also a member of the aristocracy who has tried to gain some independence from his family by designing gowns from a shop in Grosvenor Street, his underlying reasons differ greatly from Lettice’s. Their families’ properties may neighbour one another, but whereas the Chetwynds have weathered the storms of war, tax increases and the necessity to modernise that the Twentieth Century has dealt them, the Brutons, Gerald’s parents, have not been so fortunate. Gerald has a paltry allowance from his father, which has only dwindled since the family has been beset by more financial difficulties in the last few years, so the success of his fledgling couture house is imperative for his survival. Luckily, as well as being handsome, Gerald is charming, and has therefore been invited by friends to enjoy their largess and he often dines out at the cost of others. Lettice may be Gerald’s best friend, and her dinner invitation is always welcome, however the evening offers more than just a free meal for Gerald. By bringing some of his sewing, he can use Lettice’s electricity rather than his own, dealing him a small saving, and both of them may enjoy one another’s company as part of the arrangement.

 

Lettice usually sits and works at her Hepplewhite desk next to the fire in her drawing room, whilst Gerald sews a piece of one of his latest creations for a customer in the comfort of one of Lettice’s arm chairs, but tonight Lettice is enjoying a night of freedom and is sitting in her Art Deco tub arm chair contentedly reading a copy of the Daily Mail and watching Gerald sitting across from her, embroidering the collar of what will soon be a new outfit for her. Whilst they chat and drink one of Lettice’s fine French champagne, they both enjoy the gift of a shiny new brass wireless, a gift from Selwyn Spencely, the future Duke of Mumford, whom Lettice has been seeing socially for a little over a year now.

 

“I must say,” Gerald remarks as he takes a sip of champagne and settles back with Lettice’s collar into her comfortable tub chair. “Spencely’s gift really does make what was already a wonderful evening even better.” He glances at the shining brass wireless. “It really is ripping getting to listen to music without even leaving the comfort of home.”

 

“Or the comfort of someone else’s home.” Lettice adds with a cheeky smile, taking a sip of champagne from her own tall glass flute.

 

“Indeed.” Gerald murmurs, glancing down at the fine pale orange stitches he is adding to a floral motif on the collar as his face flushes. Even though Lettice is aware of Gerald’s financial situation, and she is happy to let Gerald do some work at her flat to help him save money, it is still a point of embarrassment for Gerald and he tries not to let Lettice see him blush. “Mind you,” he adds. “You’ll do well out of this bargain, my darling.” He holds up the collar so Lettice can admire the large petals in pink and orange that radiate around the large Peter Pan collar*.

 

“Oh, it’s lovely, Gerald!” Lettice enthuses as she reaches across the coffee table and touches the looped embroidery around the edge of the collar, worked in a fine golden apricot. “Elizabeth is going to love it!”

 

“I hope you are the one who is going to love it, Lettice darling.” Gerald remarks, placing the collar back in his lap. “After all you will be the one wearing it, not Elizabeth.”

 

Lettice sighs. “I don’t think anyone will care about what I’m wearing to Elizabeth’s wedding**.”

 

“And so they shouldn’t.” Gerald retorts with a snort. Seeing the hurt in his best friend’s eyes at his statement, he quickly elaborates, “Well, not care so much as focus more on her rather than you. After all she is the bride, and a royal one at that. I know of no bride in all of Christendom who would want to be outshone by any of her wedding guests,” He nods in Lettice’s direction. “However lovely they may be.”

 

“Thank you, Gerald darling.” Lettice blows her friend a kiss and takes another sip from her tall champagne flute. “There won’t be much chance of that,” Lettice says resignedly, tossing the copy of the Daily Express from her lap irritably onto the black japanned tabletop of the coffee table between them. There on its cover, another romantic photographic portrait of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon looking demure as she casts her gaze downwards, takes up more than a third of the tabloid’s cover. “Judging by every rag in the city. It’s ‘Elizabeth this’ and ‘Elizabeth that’.”

 

“I say! Are you just a teensy bit jealous of her, Lettuce Leaf?” Gerald asks teasingly using her abhorred childhood nickname.

 

“Don’t call me that Gerald!” Lettice warns her friend. “You know I don’t like it.”

 

“You didn’t mind it when we were four.”

 

“But I’m not four any more Gerald, and nor are you.” She gives him a doubtful look.

 

“You are, Lettuce Leaf! You’re jealous of Elizabeth because she has all the attention of the press in the society pages!”

 

“I wouldn’t say that I’m jealous, exactly, Gerald,” Lettice begins, but she retracts this statement as Gerald looks across at her doubtfully. “Well, maybe I am, just a little bit. I mean, I am very happy for her, and I’m delighted that the press love her and give her positively glowing publicity.” She pauses.

 

“But?” Gerald probes.

 

“But, it is getting a little bit tiresome, isn’t it? We’ve barely featured in the society pages since the wedding was announced.”

 

“We aren’t alone, Lettice darling,” Gerald commiserates. “Barely anyone has.”

 

“It’s like the whole country has gone Elizabeth mad!”

 

“I should get Hattie to invest in a wireless.” Gerald ruminates, changing the subject momentarily away from the marriage of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon to the Duke of York***. “If a few of us pooled some money: Hattie, Cyril, Charlie Boy, we might be able to afford one.”

 

“But what happens if one of Miss Milford’s lodgers decides to leave? What happens with the wireless then? You can’t cut it into sections. Would Cyril or Charles claim custody rights for a few weeks a year?”

 

The pair laugh at the idea.

 

“You know, you should come to Hattie’s tonight, Lettice darling.” Gerald says to Lettice as he now draws a pale pink thread through the collar on his lap. “It will be great fun, and far better than sitting here alone, even if you do have your wireless for company.”

 

“I’m not alone. I have Edith.” Lettice defends, referring to her maid.

 

“You know what I mean.” He gives her a withering look. “Don’t be tiresome, darling! Being a bottle party**** we’re guaranteed to have some interesting cocktails to drink. You’ve got plenty to choose from in your cocktail cabinet. I’ve got my new banjo***** in the Morris****** because one of Cyril’s orchestra friends who is coming tonight has promised to give me a few lessons on playing it. Come on! It will marvellous fun!”

 

“I haven’t exactly been invited, Gerald.” She gives him a doubtful look.

 

“Oh, Hattie won’t mind! The more the merrier, so long as you bring a bottle. In fact, that will make it even merrier, especially if it’s a bottle of gin.” He takes another sip of champagne and raises his flute in his half of a toast. “Being a bunch of theatricals, it might be, well, a bit…”

 

“Theatrical?”

 

“Theatrical, yes, but such marvellous fun! We’re quite a tight and fun group, you know,”

 

“I really don’t know, Gerald.”

 

Gerald sits up in his seat and puts the collar aside, laying it flat on the black japanned coffee table between them. “Why have you taken against Hattie so, Lettice?”

 

“I haven’t, Gerald!” she defends. “She’s making me a new hat!”

 

“Oh pooh to the hat she is making you! I’d say you have.” he counters as he looks at Lettice with a seriousness that he rarely does. “She told me when you visited her to commission her to make your hat for Elizabeth’s wedding, that you were a little bit pompous.”

 

“Did she?” Lettice’s eyes widen and her expertly plucked brows arch over them at the revelation. “Pompous? Me?”

 

“Yes, you.” he says pointedly as he picks up the collar again and draws the pink thread through with added concentration. “Certainly, from what she was telling me, and I hate to say this, but you did come across as pompous, darling.”

 

“That’s rich coming from the man who originally despised Mrs. Hatchett for her up-and-coming middle-class mediocrity.”

 

“Customers who are more exalted and refined than your second cousins?” Gerald paraphrases from the conversation between Lettice and Harriet as related to him by Harriet.

 

Lettice blushes.

 

“You may be friends with Elizabeth, darling, but even when she becomes the Duchess of York, you could hardly call her exalted.”

 

“She might be Queen one day, Gerald. After all, our King was Duke of York once.”

 

“But he was always first in line, and we all know that Bertie is not, and the Prince of Wales isn’t going anywhere. He enjoys the adulation of the people too much to not be King one day!”

 

“Yes, especially of other men’s wives.” Lettice acknowledges.

 

“And besides, Elizabeth has her own milliner. She’s hardly going to go to Hattie just because she makes you a fetching hat.” He looks reproachfully at Lettice. “Pulling the class card. Really darling! I would have expected better from you. What’s Hattie ever done to you?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Nothing, exactly! So ask again, why have you taken against her so?”

 

“She’s… she’s…” Lettice stammers as emotions she has kept controlled and to herself begin to build before finally bursting forth. “She’s just so, nice, so pretty, so sweet natured and good tempered.” She pauses. “It’s like she’s a saint! She calls you Gerry and… and she embraces you in such a familiar way when she sees you, and she invites you to bottle parties at her house!”

 

“Ahh,” Gerald sinks back in his seat. “Finally! The truth will out! You’re jealous of Hattie. You seem to think that she is usurping you in my affections. You think you’ll lose your best friend to her.”

 

Lettice doesn’t answer, but the guilty look she momentarily gives Gerald coyly before looking away in shame speaks loudly enough for her.

 

“I never took you for a silly, jealous type, Lettice darling, yet here you are, jealous of two women in one night.”

 

“I’m not,” Lettice replies guiltily. “Usually.”

 

“Well, you have nothing to fear from Hattie.” He looks at her earnestly. “It is true that I do love Hattie, and I enjoy her company immensely. She’s great fun and easy to get along with. However, she doesn’t have the shared experience of growing up together that you and I have, Lettice darling. She will never understand the little quirks and language that we share, and nor do I want her to. Hattie is just another friend: a very good friend I hope.” He reaches out his hand to Lettice’s as it dangles limply from her seat. “I can be myself with Hattie, just like I can with you, and you know how precious that is in this unforgiving world of ours,” He looks meaningfully at Lettice. “But you are my best friend, Lettice. You always will be.”

 

“Really?” Lettice asks meekly.

 

“Of course! Unless you keep on carrying on like some silly, jealous upper-class snob!”

 

Lettice feels suitably reprimanded as she sits uncomfortably in her own tub chair, emotionally exposed under the scruitinising gaze of her dearest friend.

 

“You were the levelling one of the two of us when you first introduced me to Mrs. Hatchett. You said to me that in spite of her upbringing and background, that she was a good and a worthy person and that I shouldn’t be such a snob.”

 

“I did.”

 

“Well, isn’t Hattie the same? Like Mrs. Hatchett, she is a bit gauche in that up-and-coming middle-class kind of way. Although to be fair to her, unlike Mrs. Hatchett, she hasn’t had that much of a life to know what is gauche and what is not. Her mother died many years ago, and from what I can gather, her father was a very strict, Victorian man, so Harriet was given little freedom to express her own ideas or experience the world. Now life is like a giant buffet for her, and she doesn’t know what to eat first, or know that she should eat her first course before her second, rather than the reverse way around. She could benefit from a few, more experienced pairs of hands guiding her.”

 

“Are you suggesting that Miss Milford and I should be friends, Gerald?”

 

“No,” Gerald admits. “I don’t think you are ever likely to be bosom friends*******, and I believe that you have intimated as much to her on a previous occasion.”

 

“Does she tell you everything, Gerald darling?” Lettice exclaims.

 

“Fairly much.” He smiles cheekily.

 

“I must remember whatever I say to her may not be sacrosanct.”

 

“Undoubtedly it won’t be, darling.” Gerald assures her without any remorse. “Anyway, even if you aren’t bosom friends, you might at least be a little kinder to Hattie, and certainly less of a prig. Even if you don’t do it for her, do it for me, because she is my friend and I care for her deeply, and you care for me deeply.”

 

“Well, I can hardly argue with that reasoning, can I?”

 

“You know, I’m surprised at your behaviour, Lettice.”

 

“Why? You get jealous too. Tell me that you weren’t even a little bit jealous of Arabella when she and Leslie announced their marriage?”

 

“Well of course I was jealous of her!” Gerald admits readily. “I have a horrible green monster that lies not too far beneath the surface of my shallow self, darling. I am jealous of Arabella because she snagged the Chetwynd with the looks whom I desired. I’m jealous of Roland, because as the eldest son, he seems to be completely beyond contempt for any of the scandals he creates, whereas Father punishes me for even the smallest misdemeanour. I’m jealous whenever I see another man look so much as sideways at Cyril across the crowded floor of a molly-house********. Hell, I’m even jealous of you sometimes, Lettice.”

 

“Of me?” Lettice gasps, raising a hand to her chest.

 

“Of course, of you, you silly thing.” Gerald replies, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world for Lettice to know.

 

“Why are you jealous of me? It surely can’t be because of my looks. You’re every bit as handsome as I am pretty. As a woman, I am bound by strictures imposed upon me by my family, my place in society and my very sex since birth about what I can or can’t do, where I go and with whom.”

 

“Look at our lives, darling!” Gerald exclaims in exasperation. “You have money in the bank, or indeed money to burn. I on the other hand rely on the largess of friends and live on a pittance, throwing every spare penny I can make back into my business. If your business were to falter, you’d be fine, perhaps suffering the gloating of the likes of Sadie who would goad you with ‘I told you sos’ and ‘I knew she couldn’t do it’, but you would survive. As for me, if my fashion house folds, I’m ruined. I have nothing whatever to fall back on, and I would have creditors going unpaid who would hunt me down, or hound me until I am dead. I could end up in debtors’ prison. And thinking of prison,” he goes on seriously. “Regardless of the societal restrictions you are faced with, at least you and Selwyn can be seen in public together as a couple. Cyril and I can’t. I’m not Ned Warren*********, so I have no fortune to keep the gossiping staff well below stairs.”

 

“Thinking of which, I had dinner with Selwyn a few weeks ago, and he asked me if you had a Gaiety Girl********** hidden away somewhere.”

 

“I hope you didn’t disabuse him of that idea.”

 

“I most certainly did!” Lettice defends. “I wasn’t going to lie to him.” It is only when the colour drains from Gerald’s face does she realise the mistake her words have led him to make and she quickly adds. “Oh, not about Cyril, darling! I didn’t tell him about Cyril! I’m not that brainless, even if I can be a snob.” She smiles as she sees the relief in his face. “No, he asked me why you hadn’t been to your club for a while, and thought it might be because you had a chorus girl to amuse you more so than he and the other club members might. I simply told him that you were engaged in business and that was what took up your time.”

 

“Well, that isn’t entirely untrue.”

 

“Listen Gerald,” Lettice says seriously, looking her friend directly in the eyes. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

 

“A deal?” Gerald’s eyebrows arch over his glittering eyes, a smirk causing the edges of his mouth to turn upwards at the end.

 

“I’m serious, Gerald.”

 

“Alight! Alright!” Gerald drops his needle and holds his hands up in defeat. “No frivolousness.”

 

“I will try and be nicer, and less jealous of Harriet. I’ll even try to help her.”

 

“Oh, thank you, Lettice darling.”

 

“But” Lettice wags her finger warningly at Gerald. “Only if you will promise me that you’ll be careful to be discreet with Cyril.”

 

“I’m always discreet, Lettice darling!” Gerald assures her.

 

“I know you are, Gerald darling,” Lettice replies. “But in my few brief meetings with him, it seems to me that Cyril sometimes is not, and I worry for both of you.”

 

Gerald observes the look of concern that clouds his best friend’s face.

 

“I promise I’ll be discreet enough for both of us.” He holds up his glass and Lettice and Gerald click champagne flutes in agreement to both the agreements they have made.

 

*A Peter Pan collar is a style of clothing collar, flat in design with rounded corners. It is named after the collar of Maude Adams's costume in her 1905 role as Peter Pan, although similar styles had been worn before this date. Peter Pan collars were particularly fashionable during the 1920s and 1930s.

 

**Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, as she was known at the beginning of 1923 when this story is set, went on to become Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. Whilst still Duke of York, Prince Albert initially proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she turned him down, being "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to". He proposed again in 1922 after Elizabeth was part of his sister, Mary the Princess Royal’s, wedding party, but she refused him again. On Saturday, January 13th, 1923, Prince Albert went for a walk with Elizabeth at the Bowes-Lyon home at St Paul’s, Walden Bury and proposed for a third and final time. This time she said yes. The wedding took place on April 26, 1923 at Westminster Abbey.

 

***Prince Albert, Duke of York, known by the diminutive “Bertie” to the family and close friends, was the second son of George V. He was never expected to become King, but came to the throne after his elder brother David, the Prince of Wales, abdicated in 1936 so that he could marry the love of his life American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Although not schooled in being a ruler, Bertie, who styled himself as George VI as a continuation of his father, became King of United Kingdom and the Dominions from 1936 to 1952, and saw Britain through some of its darkest days, becoming one of the most popular monarchs in British history.

 

****Bottle parties, a private party to which each guest brings their own liquor, came into vogue during the 1920s and 30s initially especially after prohibition in America and liquor licence restrictions in Britain.

 

*****Originating out of America during the 1920s the banjo quickly gained popularity in Britain too because it was reasonably cheap as an instrument, portable, easy to learn on and musical duelling matches were played like draughts or chess.

 

******Morris Motors Limited was a privately owned British motor vehicle manufacturing company established in 1919. With a reputation for producing high-quality cars and a policy of cutting prices, Morris's business continued to grow and increase its share of the British market. By 1926 its production represented forty-two per cent of British car manufacturing. Amongst their more popular range was the Morris Cowley which included a four-seat tourer which was first released in 1920.

 

*******The term bosom friend is recorded as far back as the late Sixteenth Century. In those days, the bosom referred to the chest as the seat of deep emotions, though now the word usually means a woman's “chest.” A bosom friend, then, is one you might share these deep feelings with or have deep feelings for.

 

********A molly-house was a term used in Eighteenth, Nineteenth and early Twentieth-century Britain for a meeting place for homosexual men. The meeting places were generally taverns, public houses, or coffeehouses known to be regular haunts of such men, or even private rooms. Molly-houses were places where men could either socialise or meet possible sexual partners. Although the gathering of homosexual men was not strictly illegal, the act of homosexual acts between men was, which made molly-houses dangerous for men should there be a police raid.

  

*********Edward Perry Warren, known as Ned Warren, was an American art collector and the author of works proposing an idealized view of homosexual relationships. He is now best known as the former owner of the Warren Cup in the British Museum.

 

**********Gaiety Girls were the chorus girls in Edwardian musical comedies, beginning in the 1890s at the Gaiety Theatre, London, in the shows produced by George Edwardes.

 

This 1920s upper-class drawing room is different to what you may think at first glance, for it is made up entirely of 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures from my miniatures collection.

 

Fun things to look for in this tableau include:

 

Gerald’s magnificent sewing box with its mirrored lid, silver and russet brocade padding and russet trimming, and ball feet is a 1:12 artisan miniature. It’s interior is full of sewing paraphernalia. Made by an unknown artisan, it came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop in the United Kingdom.

 

The embroidered collar for Lettice’s royal wedding outfit that Gerald has been working on is actually a piece of beautiful scalloped ribbon that was given to me at Christmas time by a very close friend of mine. The silver dressmaking scissors on top of it came from an online stockist of miniatures on E-Bay.

 

The newspaper sitting underneath the collar featuring an image of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the future Queen Elizabeth and one day Queen Mother, is a copy of a real Daily Mail newspaper from 1923 and was produced to high standards in 1:12 by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire.

 

The champagne flutes that are filled with glittering golden yellow champagne were made by Karen Ladybug Miniatures in the United Kingdom.

 

The brass wireless in the background, which is remarkably heavy for its size, comes from Melody Jane’s Doll House Supplies in the United Kingdom.

 

Lettice’s drawing room is furnished with beautiful J.B.M. miniatures. The Art Deco tub chairs are of black japanned wood and have removable cushions, just like their life sized examples. To the left of the fireplace is a Hepplewhite drop-drawer bureau and chair of black japanned wood which has been hand painted with chinoiserie designs, even down the legs and inside the bureau. The chair set has a rattan seat, which has also been hand woven. To the right of the fireplace is a Chippendale cabinet which has also been decorated with chinoiserie designs. It also features very ornate metalwork hinges and locks.

 

The fireplace is a 1:12 miniature resin Art Deco fireplace which is flanked by brass accessories including an ash brush with real bristles.

 

The carpet beneath the furniture is a copy of a popular 1920s style Chinese silk rug, and the geometric Art Deco wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend, which inspired the whole “Cavendish Mews – Lettice Chetwynd” series.

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw, he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln, he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom to control the country internally. Also, it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z3pjXmNq2g - Elenyi & Sarah Young

 

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise

 

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of God's redeeming love.

 

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

 

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

 

1. If you could hie to Kolob

In the twinkling of an eye,

And then continue onward

With that same speed to fly,

Do you think that you could ever,

Through all eternity,

Find out the generation

Where Gods began to be?

 

2. Or see the grand beginning,

Where space did not extend?

Or view the last creation,

Where Gods and matter end?

Methinks the Spirit whispers,

“No man has found ‘pure space,’

Nor seen the outside curtains,

Where nothing has a place.”

 

If you could hie to Kolob

In the twinkling of an eye,

And then continue onward

With that same speed to fly,

Do you think that you could ever,

Through all eternity,

Find out the generation

Where Gods began to be?

 

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let that grace now like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above

York Castle Museum is a museum located in York, North Yorkshire, England, on the site of York Castle, originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The museum itself was founded by John L. Kirk in 1938, and is housed in prison buildings which were built on the site of the castle in the 18th century, the debtors' prison and the female prison.

 

Kirkgate – a recreated Victorian Street, named after the museum's founder, was redeveloped and expanded in 2012.

Toy Stories – a history of children's toys.

Recreated period rooms including a Victorian parlour and a 17th-century dining room.

The Cells – a display about life in the prison – was opened in 2009 in the cells of the old Debtors Prison. The former Condemned Cell, possibly once occupied by Dick Turpin, can also be visited.

1914: When the World Changed Forever – opened in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

York Castle (or now known as Cliffords Tower) in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Normancastle is commonly referred to as Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of William I to dominate the former Viking city of York, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.

 

In 1190, 150 local Jews were killed in a pogrom in the castle keep. Henry III rebuilt the castle in stone in the middle of the 13th century, creating a keep with a unique quatrefoil design, supported by an outer bailey wall and a substantial gatehouse. During the Scottish wars between 1298 and 1338, York Castle was frequently used as the centre of royal administration across England, as well as an important military base of operations.

 

York Castle fell into disrepair by the 15th and 16th centuries, becoming used increasingly as a jail for both local felons and political prisoners. By the time of Elizabeth I the castle was estimated to have lost all of its military value but was maintained as a centre of royal authority in York. The outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 saw York Castle being repaired and refortified, playing a part in the Royalist defence of York in 1644 against Parliamentary forces. York Castle continued to be garrisoned until 1684, when an explosion destroyed the interior of Clifford's Tower. The castle bailey was redeveloped in aneoclassical style in the 18th century as a centre for county administration in Yorkshire, and was used as a jail and debtors' prison. Prison reform in the 19th century led to the creation of a new prison built in a Tudor Gothic style on the castle site in 1825; used first as a county and then as a military prison, this facility was demolished in 1935. By the 20th century the ruin of Clifford's Tower had become a well-known tourist destination and national monument; today the site is owned by English Heritage and open to the public.

 

At Galactic Handling and Logistics, we understand that customers may choose to take advantage of seasonal or bulk discounts and "supersize" their orders. Rest assured that we are consummate professionals, and your privacy is at the top of our list.

 

So when Pranac Durulac of the Tranvistelian system orders an extra large bottle of "Mrs. Butterworths Extra Strength Hemorrhoid Cream", we will do our utmost to handle the transportation as discreetly as possible. We won't judge you, Mr. Durulac.

 

Oh, Pranac...if you're reading this...we have the small matter of your overdue bill...please contact our Accounts Receivables department. Please be aware that your privacy is a legal consideration as long as you are deemed a customer, not a debtor.

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

 

Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz is the Catholic cathedral of the diocese of Metz, in the French department of Moselle in the Grand Est region.

 

If its construction spans three centuries, from 1220, the cathedral presents a certain homogeneity of style: the stylistic criteria were respected in each construction campaign.

 

Metz Cathedral is not only the cathedral in France with the largest glazed surface, nearly 6,500 m2, but also the one with the largest Gothic windows in Europe.

 

The cathedral has been classified as a historic monument since February 16, 1930. As one of the ten most visited cathedrals in France, it is a candidate for UNESCO classification.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Saint-%C3%89tienne_...

An wonderful array of English architecture can be seen from Lincoln Castle walls. From left to right:-

• The impressive Crown Court was built in 1826 and is still in use today.

• The Cathedral which dominates the landscape, dates from 1088 and was completed in several phases throughout the medieval period.

• The red brick Georgian Prison was built in 1787 for debtors and felons.

• The Castle's walls and second Motte built by William the Conqueror in the late 11th Century. The Observatory Tower was added to the Motte in 1820.

• The Victorian Prison was added in 1846.

 

Fort Frederica National Monument, on St. Simons Island, Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids.[4] About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort. A town of up to 500 colonial residents had grown up outside the fort; it was laid out following principles of the Oglethorpe Plan for towns in the Georgia Colony. The town was named Frederica, after Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King George II. The monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696[– 30 June 1785) was a British general, Member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia. As a social reformer, he hoped to resettle Britain's poor, especially those in debtors' prisons, in the New World

 

I went on an English Heritage members only visit round Kingston (Pompey) prison last week. It has closed and is being redeveloped as apartments. Built in the 1870s as a prison for about 100 men and 50 women. It even had a debtors section at one stage.

Clink Street and Clink Wharf in Southwark are steeped in a rich and often dark history, most notably as the site of the infamous Clink Prison. The name "Clink" itself has become a colloquial term for prison, a testament to the institution's long and brutal existence. Situated near the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester, the prison primarily housed those who violated the bishop's jurisdiction, including heretics, debtors, and prostitutes. Today, the area is a vibrant mix of historical relics and modern attractions, with the Clink Prison Museum offering a vivid and interactive glimpse into the past, complete with torture devices and grim tales of its former inmates.

 

The area around Clink Street and Clink Wharf has undergone significant transformation over the centuries. Once a bustling hub of medieval and Tudor London, it was a place of both commerce and vice. The wharves along the Thames were vital for trade, while the narrow streets were home to brothels, taverns, and the prison. The Great Fire of London in 1666 did not directly reach this part of Southwark, but the area's fortunes eventually declined. In the 20th century, a concerted effort was made to revitalize the South Bank, turning it into a cultural and tourist destination. The remains of the Winchester Palace, including its magnificent rose window, are now a protected ruin, standing as a silent witness to the area's storied past.

 

Today, Clink Street and Clink Wharf are an integral part of London's tourist landscape. Visitors can explore the Clink Prison Museum, walk along the Thames Path, and enjoy the stunning views of the city. The area is also home to a variety of restaurants, pubs, and shops, making it a popular destination for both locals and tourists. While the grim history of the Clink Prison is a powerful draw, the location's appeal is also rooted in its vibrant atmosphere and its role as a living link to London's rich and complex heritage. The juxtaposition of ancient ruins, modern architecture, and a lively social scene makes Clink Street a fascinating and unique part of London to explore.

Ischia Campania Italy© 2014 All rights reserved Michele Masiero

Fotosketcher lively

Nikon coolpix p 7100

 

Ischia

Ischia è un'isola dell'Italia appartenente all'arcipelago delle isole Flegree, in Campania.Posta all'estremità settentrionale del golfo di Napoli e a poca distanza dalle isole di Procida e Vivara, nel mar Tirreno, è la maggiore delle Flegree. Con i suoi 62.733 abitanti è la terza più popolosa isola italiana, dopo Sicilia e Sardegna. L'isola d'Ischia, detta Isola verde o della giovinezza, è famosa soprattutto per la ricchezza delle sue sorgenti termali e per la bellezza delle sue spiagge e boschi. La natura vulcanica della terra ischitana e il clima sempre mite, anche di inverno, rendono l'isola fertilissima. Ischia è caratterizzata da una estrema varietà di luoghi e panorami davvero suggestivi: dalle spiagge e le baie marine, alle colline coltivate a vite, alla montagna dell'Epomeo circondata da boschi di querce ed acacie.

Il Castello Aragonese. La costruzione del primo castello risale al 474 a.C. sotto il nome di Castrum Gironis, ovvero "castello di Girone", in onore del suo fondatore. In quell'anno, infatti, il greco Gerone I detto il tiranno di Siracusa prestò aiuto con la propria flotta ai Cumani nella guerra contro i Tirreni, contribuendo alla loro sconfitta al largo delle acque di Lacco Ameno. Debitori di tale intervento, i Cumani decisero allora di ricompensare l'alleato cedendogli l'intera isola. Nei secoli successivi la fortezza di Gerone fu radicalmente trasformata, in modo da fungere da rifugio sicuro per la popolazione contro i saccheggi di Visigoti, Vandali, Ostrogoti, Arabi, Normanni (1134-1194), Svevi (1194-1265) e Angioini (1265-1282). L'eruzione dell'Arso del 1301 fornì un notevole incentivo allo sviluppo dell'insediamento urbano: distrutta la città di Geronda, che sorgeva nella zona in cui attualmente vegeta la pineta, gli Ischitani si rifugiarono nel castello che garantiva maggiore tranquillità e sicurezza, dando vita ad una vero e proprio rifugio in cui vivere. Si deve agli Aragonesi la moderna fisionomia del castello: un solido a forma quadrangolare, con mura fornite di quattro torri. Partendo dal vecchio maschio di età angioina, nel 1441 Alfonso V d'Aragona diede vita ad una struttura che ricalcava quella del Maschio Angioino di Napoli.Il sovrano fece costruire un ponte di legno che congiungeva l'isolotto all'isola maggiore (che sarebbe stato successivamente sostituito da uno in pietra), mentre fino alla metà del XV secolo l'unico strumento di accesso al castello era costituito da una scala esterna di cui si può ancora intravedere qualche rudere dal mare, dal lato che dà sull'isola di Vivara. Furono inoltre realizzate poderose mura e fortificazioni (come i cosiddetti piombatoi, ossia fessure da cui venivano lanciati acqua bollente, piombo fuso, pietre e proiettili sull'eventuale invasore) dentro le quali quasi tutto il popolo d'Ischia trovava rifugio e protezione durante le incursioni dei pirati.All'interno dell'edificio erano posti gli alloggi reali e quelli riservati ai cortigiani, alla truppa e ai servi. Ai piedi del castello fu invece posta una casamatta, adibita a quartiere della guarnigione addetta alle manovre del ponte levatoio.Il periodo di massimo splendore della struttura si ebbe alla fine del XVI secolo: al tempo il castello ospitava 1892 famiglie, il convento delle clarisse, l'abbazia dei monaci basiliani di Grecia, il vescovo con il capitolo ed il seminario, il principe con la guarnigione. Vi erano 13 chiese tra cui la cattedrale, dove il 27 dicembre 1509 furono celebrate le nozze tra Fernando Francesco d'Avalos, marchese di Pescara e condottiero delle truppe imperiali di Carlo V, e la poetessa Vittoria Colonna.Il soggiorno di Vittoria Colonna nel castello, dal 1501 al 1536, coincise con un momento culturalmente assai felice per l'intera isola: la poetessa fu infatti circondata dai migliori artisti e letterati del secolo, tra cui Michelangelo Buonarroti, Ludovico Ariosto, Jacopo Sannazaro, Giovanni Pontano, Bernardo Tasso, Annibale Caro l'Aretino e molti altri.da wikipedia

Ischia is an island in Italy belonging to the Flegree Islands, in Campania. located at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples and a short distance from the islands of Procida and Vivara in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the largest of the Flegrean Islands. With its 62,733 in is the third largest Italian island after Sicily and Sardinia. The island of Ischia, known as Green Island or of youth, is best known for the richness of its hot springs and for the beauty of its beaches and forests. The volcanic nature of the soil of Ischia and mild climate, even in winter, make the fertile island. Ischia is characterized by an extreme variety of places and really beautiful landscapes: from the beaches and bays, the hills, the Epomeo mountain surrounded by woods of oak and acacia trees

The Aragonese Castle. The construction of the first castle in 474 BC under the name of Castrum Gironis, meaning "Castle Pool", in honor of its founder. In that year, in fact, Greek Hiero the tyrant of Syracuse said lent help with their fleet to the Allies in the war against the Tirreni, contributing to their defeat off the waters of Lacco Ameno. Debtors of such intervention, the Cumans decided to reward the ally affecting the entire island. In the following centuries the fortress of Hiero was radically transformed, to serve as a safe haven for the population against the depredations of the Visigoths, vandals, Ostrogoths, Arabians, Normans (1134-1194), the Swabians (1194-1265) and Angioini (1265-1282). The eruption of the Blazed of 1301 provided a significant incentive to the development of the urban settlement: destroyed the city of Geronda, which stood in the area where currently kicking the pine forest, the Producers took refuge in the castle that guaranteed peace of mind and security, creating a veritable haven in which to live. It must be to Aragonese castle modern physiognomy: a solid square-shaped, with walls equipped with four towers. Starting from the old male Angevin age, in 1441 Alfonso V of Aragon gave life to a structure that mirrors that of the Maschio Angioino of King Napoli.Il had built a wooden bridge that connected the island to the main island (which was later replaced by a stone), while until the mid 15th century the only means of access to the Castle consisted of an external staircase you can still see some ruins from the seafrom the side which gives the island of Vivara. Were also made powerful walls and fortifications (as so-called machicolations, i.e. cracks from which were hurled boiling water, lead time, stones and bullets on any invader) in which almost all people of Ischia was a refuge and protection during pirate raids. Inside the building were placed real accommodation and those reserved for the courtiers, the troop and the servants. At the foot of the castle was a casemate, used as a subdivision of the garrison to officer of the drawbridge.The heyday of the structure occurred in the late 16th century: at that time the Castle housed families 1892, the convent of the Poor Clares, the monastery of the Basilian monks of Greece, the Bishop with the chapter and the Prince with the garrison. There were 13 churches, including the Cathedral, where the December 27, 1509 were celebrated the marriage between Fernando Francesco d ' Ávalos, Marquess of Pescara, and Commander of the imperial troops of Charles V, and the poetess Vittoria Colonna.Il stay of Vittoria Colonna Castle, from 1501 to 1536, coincided with a culturally very happy moment for the whole island: the poet was surrounded by the best artists and writers of the century, including Michelangelo, Ludovico Ariosto, Jacopo Sannazaro, Giovanni Pontano, Bernardo Tasso, Annibale Caro the Aretino and many others.

From Wikipedia

   

A head cold forced me to stop working on this, and a commission, as my eyes were streaming and just wanted to close! A day later I felt a bit better but didn't want to chance a relapse so took my time adding bits to the facade of the north west wing. I am drawing with a Rotring Tikky 0.3mm pencil and Tombow Mono Zero eraser in an A4 cartridge paper sketchbook.

Felicidade para mim, é poder acordar todos os dias pela manhã e mesmo que seu sono seja mínimo, é ver que Deus me deu olhos para enxergar, ouvidos para ver, olfato para sentir o odor das boas coisas da vida.

 

Felicidade para mim, é poder ter amigos como você e mesmo de longe sentir o carinho e o respeito com que com que me tratam, porque há reciprocidade.

 

Felicidade para mim, é poder ter inspiração para escrever; mesmo sem agradar a tudo e a todos. Concordo que ela não tenha uma medida exata. Mas quando se é feliz, a medida é a certa.

 

Felicidade para mim, é poder receber o carinho dos meus.

 

Felicidade, para mim, é Deus ter me dado à oportunidade de escolher meus amigos e conversar com eles todos os dias, como faço agora, com você.

 

Felicidade, para mim, é ter tido pais que se esforçaram para que eu fosse alguém e atingisse todos os meus objetivos.

 

Felicidade para mim, é sentar-me à mesa, quando tantos não podem fazê-lo e desfrutar de um excelente café da manhã.

 

Felicidade, para mim, é poder dividir com o irmão necessitado, o meu pedaço de pão com leite.

 

Felicidade para mim, é permanecer saudável, mesmo com o braço quebrado... Isso passa. Solda! Felicidade, para mim, é estar vivo.

 

Felicidade para mim, é ter um Deus que zela por todos, não importando o credo, cor, raça ou sexo!

 

Enfim... Felicidade é ter o hoje de presente porque o ontem já se foi!

 

Felicidade para mim, é saber que tenho 99% de chances de acordar amanhã!

 

Obrigado por estar em minha vida.

 

HAPPINESS FOR ME

Happiness for me is to be able to wake up every day per the same morning and that its sleep is minimum, is to see that God gave eyes to me to make out, heard to see, sense of smell to feel the odor of the good things of the life. Happiness for me is to be able to have friends as same you and far to feel the affection and the respect with that with that they treat me, because it has reciprocity. Happiness for me is to be able to have inspiration to write; exactly without pleasing to everything and all. I agree that it does not have an accurate measure. But when if it is happy, the measure is the certainty. Happiness for me is to be able to receive the affection from mine. Happiness, for me, is God to have given me to the chance to choose my friends and to talk every day with them, as I make now, with you. Happiness, for me, is to have had parents who if had strengthens so that I was somebody and reached all my objectives. Happiness for me is to seat me it the table, when as much cannot make it and enjoy of an excellent coffee of the morning. Happiness, for me, is to be able to divide with the needed brother, my bread piece with milk. Happiness for me is to remain healthful, same with the broken arm… This passes. Weld! Happiness, for me, is to be alive. Happiness for me, is to have a God who watches over for all, not being imported the creed, color, race or sex! At last… Happiness is to have today of gift because yesterday already it was! Happiness for me is to know that I have 99% of possibilities to wake up tomorrow! Debtor for being in my life.

 

The view of Lincoln from the top of Lucy Tower, part of the Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area traditionally under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in Danish Mercia, roughly the area of the country that is today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally. Also (in the case of the Wolds) it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

Work on the new fortification was completed in 1068. It is probable that at first a wooden keep was constructed which was later replaced with a much stronger stone one. To the south, where the Roman wall stands on the edge of a steep slope, it was retained partially as a curtain wall and partially as a revetment. In the west, where the ground is more level, the Roman wall was buried within an earth rampart and extended upward to form the Norman castle wall.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Informatiuon Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw, he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln, he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom to control the country internally. Also, it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw, he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln, he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom to control the country internally. Also, it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

n. *Peace

1. In a state of tranquillity; serene.

2. Free from strife

3. Inner contentment; serenity

4. Harmonious relations; freedom from disputes!

 

State of Peace, Mastigouche Wildlife Reserve, Quebec, Canada.

 

PixQuote:

"In earlier days, even as a child, the beauty of landscapes was quite clear to me. A background for the soul's moods. Now dangerous moments occur when Nature tries to devour me; at such times I am annihilated, but at peace. This would be fine for old people but I... I am my life's debtor, for I have given promises..."

-Paul Klee

  

Preceded by a Roman fort the present castle has featured in history almost 1000 years. Over the centuries it has seen service as a prison - from 1196, in the English Civil war, as a debtors prison and and as a modern prison from 1955 to 2011. Also served as a Court until 1972 including the trial and execution of 15 Catholics 10 witches (Pendle Witches) (16C and 17C), and of course deportations.

Now a leading tourist attraction.

Walking on the walls of the Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area traditionally under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in Danish Mercia, roughly the area of the country that is today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally. Also (in the case of the Wolds) it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

Work on the new fortification was completed in 1068. It is probable that at first a wooden keep was constructed which was later replaced with a much stronger stone one. To the south, where the Roman wall stands on the edge of a steep slope, it was retained partially as a curtain wall and partially as a revetment. In the west, where the ground is more level, the Roman wall was buried within an earth rampart and extended upward to form the Norman castle wall.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

Walking on the walls of the Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area traditionally under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in Danish Mercia, roughly the area of the country that is today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally. Also (in the case of the Wolds) it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

Work on the new fortification was completed in 1068. It is probable that at first a wooden keep was constructed which was later replaced with a much stronger stone one. To the south, where the Roman wall stands on the edge of a steep slope, it was retained partially as a curtain wall and partially as a revetment. In the west, where the ground is more level, the Roman wall was buried within an earth rampart and extended upward to form the Norman castle wall.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

In May and June 1831 the workers of Merthyr Tydfyl, Wales, rose up against the British Government in what would become known as the Merthyr Rising. It is believed that the red flag of revolution was flown as a symbol of workers' revolt for the first time during this event.

 

In 1829 the iron industry entered a depression that would last three years and as a result Merthyr Tydfil’s Ironmasters took action by making many workers redundant and cutting the wages of those in work. This was set against a background of rising prices and combined this forced many people into unsustainable debt. Consequently, creditors turned to the Court of Requests, which had been set up in 1809, to allow the bailiffs to seize the property of debtors.

 

​In 1830 the Radicals of Merthyr, as part of the National movement for political reform, organised themselves into a Political Union and in November of that year held demonstrations to protest against the Truck System and the Corn Laws. By the end of 1830 the campaign had broadened to embrace the Reform of Parliament.

 

In March 1831 William Crawshay announced cuts in the wages of his workers and redundancies at Cyfarthfa Ironworks, which would take effect in May. It was this, combined with similar situations in other ironworks, the hatred of the activities of the Court of Requests, and some stirring up by political agitators which lit the spark of rebellion. On May 30th 1831 at the Waun Common above Dowlais a mass meeting of over 2,000 workers was held and tensions were high.

 

On May 31st bailiffs from the Court of Requests attempted to seize goods from the home of Lewis Lewis (Lewsyn yr Heliwr) at Penderyn, near Merthyr. However, neighbours rallied behind Lewis and the bailiffs were prevented from entering his home. The Magistrate, John Bruce, was called and he arranged a compromise between Lewis and the bailiffs which allowed the latter to remove a trunk belonging to Lewis. The next day workers from Merthyr marched to the Ironworks of Richard Fothergill at Aberdare where they demanded bread & cheese and created a disturbance. At the same time, at Hirwaun, a crowd led by Lewis Lewis marched to the home of a shopkeeper who was now in possession of his trunk, took the trunk back by force, and prepared to march to Merthyr.

 

On the march to Merthyr the crowd went from house to house, seizing any goods which the Court of Requests had taken, and returning them to their original owners. By this time the crowd had been swollen by the addition of men from the Cyfarthfa & Hirwaun Ironworks. They marched to the area behind the Castle Inn where many of the tradespeople of the town lived and in particular the home of Thomas Lewis, a hated moneylender and forced him to sign a promise to return goods to a woman whose goods he had seized for debt. Bruce arrived at the scene and recognising what was the start of a revolt withdrew. He then quickly enrolled about 70 Special Constables, mainly from the tradespeople, to help keep the peace. He also advised the Military Authorities at Brecon that he might need troops.

 

​On June 2nd an attempt was made to persuade the crowd to disperse and when this failed the Riot Act read read in English and Welsh. This was ignored by the crowed who drove the magistrate away and attacked the home of Thomas Lewis. That evening they assembled at the home of Joseph Coffin, President of the Court of Requests, seizing the books of the Court, which they burned in the street along with his furniture. On hearing of the attack Bruce called for troops to be deployed and so soldiers of the Royal Glamorgan Light Infantry were dispatched from Cardiff and a detachment of the 93rd (Sutherland) Highlanders were sent from Brecon. Meanwhile the crowd had marched to the various ironworks in the town and persuaded the workers to join them.

 

By the time the Highlanders had reached the Castle Inn where they were met by the High Sheriff of Glamorgan, the Merthyr Magistrates and Ironmasters and the Special Constables, a crowd of some 10,000 had gathered. The Riot Act was once more read and once more it was ignored. The crowd pressed towards the Inn with the soldiers drawn up outside. The workers demanded the suppression of the Court of Requests, higher wages, the reduction in the cost of items they used in their work and parliamentary reform; these were refused outright. They were told that if they did not disperse that the soldiers would be used. The result was to anger the crowd, which surged forward throwing stones and clubs at the soldiers. In the fight the soldiers outside the Inn were bludgeoned and stabbed, eventually provoking the soldiers stationed within to open fire, killing three of the rioters with their first shots. The fighting continued for a further 15 minutes before the crowd withdrew. Altogether 16 soldiers were wounded, 6 of them severely, and up to 24 of the rioters had been killed. The authorities withdrew to Penydarren House while rioters sent word to the Monmouthshire ironworks in an attempt to obtain further support.

 

By June 4th more troops including the Eastern Glamorgan Corps of Yeomanry Cavalry and the Royal Glamorgan Militia arrived in Merthyr. A troop of the Swansea Yeomanry Cavalry were ambushed on their arrival at Hirwaun, having apparently been greeted in a friendly manner. They were however quickly surrounded, their weapons seized and forced into a retreat back to Swansea, where they re-armed and joined the Fairwood Troop for the march back to Merthyr. A similar ambush was laid at Cefn Coed y Cymmer to stop ammunition being delivered from Brecon, forcing the Cardiff Troop of Glamorgan Yeomanry Cavalry into retreat. A troop of 100 Central Glamorgan Yeomanry was sent to assist but were unable to break through the mob. By now the rioters commandeered arms and explosives, set up road-blocks, formed guerrilla detachments, and had banners capped with a symbolic loaf and dyed in blood. Those who had military experience had taken the lead in drilling the armed para-military formation, and created an effective central command and communication system.

 

On Sunday June 5th delegations were sent to the Monmouthshire Iron Towns to raise further support for the riots and on June 6th a crowd of around 12,000 or more marched along the heads of the valleys from Monmouthshire to meet the Merthyr Rioters at the Waun Common. The authorities decided that rather than wait for this mob to attack them they would take the initiative, and 110 Highlanders, 53 Royal Glamorgan Light Infantry Militia and 300 Glamorgan Yeomanry Cavalry were despatched to stop the marchers at Cefn Coed. Faced by the levelled muskets of the army the crowd dispersed without bloodshed. The Rising was effectively over.

 

Panic spread through Merthyr and arms were hidden, the leaders fled and workers returned to their jobs. On the evening of June 6th the authorities raided houses and arrested 18 of the rebel leaders. Eventually Lewis Lewis was found hiding in a wood near Hirwaun and a large force of soldiers escorted him in irons to Cardiff Prison to await trial.

 

The trials began on 13 July 1831 at Cardiff Assizes. 28 men and women were tried. Most of those found guilty were eventually sentenced to transportation. Lewis Lewis and Richard Lewis (Dic Penderyn) were charged with attempting to murder a soldier, Donald Black of the 93rd Highland Regiment, outside the Castle Inn on June 3rd, by stabbing him with a bayonet attached to a gun. The main evidence against the two Lewis' was from Black himself, James Abbott, a hairdresser and Special Constable and James Drew, also a hairdresser and Special Constable. On the evidence it was adjudged that Richard Lewis (Dic Penderyn) was guilty but that Lewis Lewis was not (though he was already under sentence of death for the attack on Thomas Lewis' house). Dic Penderyn was sentenced to death.

 

Joseph Tregelles Price, A quaker Ironmaster from Neath, took up the case of Dic Penderyn and Lewis Lewis and presented a petition to have them transported. Evidence was produced that Abbott had threatened Penderyn prior to June 3rd and people said that Penderyn was not there when Black was attacked and that they knew who had carried out the attack but it was not Dic Penderyn. Strangely Lord Melbourn, the Home Secretary, reprieved Lewis Lewis, who was certainly one of those most responsible for the riots, and transported him to Australia, but would not reprieve Penderyn, who seems to have been much less involved. Richard Lewis (Dic Penderyn) was taken from his cell at Cardiff Prison on August 13th 1831 to the gallows at St.Mary Street, Cardiff and there he was executed protesting his innocence. He was 23. His body was transported across the Vale of Glamorgan to be buried at Margam.

 

In 1874 the Western Mail reported that a man named Ieuan Parker had confessed to a Minister on his death bed in Pennsylvania, USA that he was the man who attacked Donald Black. James Abbott, who had testified at Penderyn's trial, later said that he had lied under oath, claiming that he had been instructed to do so by Lord Melbourne.

 

In 2000 a legal case was started by Lewis's descendants to seek a pardon and in June 2015, Ann Clwyd MP presented a petition for a pardon in the House of Commons. However Mike Penning, Minister for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, responded that pardons were only granted where evidence has come to light which demonstrates conclusively that the convicted individual was innocent and that the relevant appeal mechanisms have been exhausted. In July 2016, Stephen Kinnock MP presented a 600-signature petition to the Ministry of Justice, calling for a pardon. The Ministry of Justice replied that 10,000 signatures were required to trigger a parliamentary debate, and referred to the answer given by the ministry in 2015. Kinnock said that the fight for a pardon would continue.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

 

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,

Till released from flesh and sin,

Yet from what I do inherit,

Here Thy praises I’ll begin;

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Here by Thy great help I’ve come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

 

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood;

How His kindness yet pursues me

Mortal tongue can never tell,

Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me

I cannot proclaim it well.

 

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

O that day when freed from sinning,

I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen

How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,

Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carry

Me to realms of endless day.

 

-Ro­bert Ro­bin­son, 1758

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw, he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln, he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom to control the country internally. Also, it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Information Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

It was time to call a halt when the headache set in. After a slow start working on the Premier Inn work progressed on the background. Just to the right of the Premier Inn building a bit of the Bar Walls can be seen, with the Fishergate area to the right of that. On the far right is the suburb of Fulford. The view is from the top of Clifford's Tower. Fishergate may have been the focal point of the post Roman settlement, later becoming an important part of the Viking settlement of Yorvik as it lies on the confluence of the River Foss and River Ouse. Drawn with a Staedtler 0.3mm pencil in an A4 cartridge paper sketchbook.

Reposting.......Prague.....Winter evening sky was a deep velvet blue, and the street's warm light, along with the spotlighted tower and lonely winter tree .... well, it all just made me stop in my tracks. A Fuji Finepix S7000 is what I had that year I was in Prague.

 

Here are some links for Prague Castle, and a short history of this tower, called Golden Tower in the 1300's but later renamed Black Tower after the fire of 1541, when almost the entire castle complex burned.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Castle and www.prague.cz/prague-castle.asp and here www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Central_Europe/Czech_Repub...

 

The Black Tower (called Golden Tower in the 15th century) is one of the oldest existing buildings in Prague. It was built in 1135 as an eastern gate of the Romanesque fortification of the Prague Castle. You can still see the former gateway there in the ground floor, it is walled up now. www.prague-hotel.ws/black-tower.asp It is called the Black Tower because of how it looked after the fire of 1541 that destroyed almost the entire castle complex.

 

Origin of the name “Black Tower”

The Black Tower belongs to the area of the Supreme Burgrave´s House at the Prague Castle. Its name “Black” originates from the time of the big fire of the Prague Castle in 1541 – its walls remained black for a long time.

 

However, the tower was called “Golden” in the era of Emperor Charles IV. in the 14 th century. It was because of its roof, which was covered with gilded plates of lead.

 

Prison in the Black Tower

The Black Tower was mainly used as a prison, as well as most of the towers at the Prague Castle. Many inscriptions written by prisoners can still be seen on the walls of the tower. Most of them are from the 16 th century. The upper rooms of the tower were mainly occupied by debtors, who were considered to be “better prisoners” than others, they even had some privileges. For example, people could visit them and they could bring in some things of their own to the prison. But on the other hand, they had to find a way to obtain some food. If they weren´t able to do so, the creditor had to nourish them. When some debtor died of hunger, his creditor had to starve as a punishment.

 

During the revolution in 1848, the artillery of the Habsburg monarchy cannonaded Prague from a place by the Black Tower.

 

At the present time, the Black Tower looks almost the same as it did after some modifications in 1538. The depository of the archaeological discoveries of the Prague Castle is kept there.

 

www.prague.cz/black-tower/

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw, he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln, he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom to control the country internally. Also, it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Informatiuon Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

 

Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz is the Catholic cathedral of the diocese of Metz, in the French department of Moselle in the Grand Est region.

 

If its construction spans three centuries, from 1220, the cathedral presents a certain homogeneity of style: the stylistic criteria were respected in each construction campaign.

 

Metz Cathedral is not only the cathedral in France with the largest glazed surface, nearly 6,500 m2, but also the one with the largest Gothic windows in Europe.

 

The cathedral has been classified as a historic monument since February 16, 1930. As one of the ten most visited cathedrals in France, it is a candidate for UNESCO classification.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Saint-%C3%89tienne_...

Bodmin, Cornwall.

 

Built in 1779 and closed in 1927, the gaol was the only prison in the county of Cornwall. It accommodated both civillians convicted of crimes and also those unable to pay their debts before the 1869 Debtors Act abolished imprisonment for debt. After 1869 the Admiralty took over the free space to house Naval prisoners.

 

Today, much of it is in ruins, but parts have been restored and are open to the public.

 

Panasonic G2 with 14-42mm kit lens.

This photo shows the 'natural harbour' mentioned by RCAHMS (behind and left of the castle), big enough for a couple of galleys I guess - or Bonnie Prince Charlie's rowing boat! In the far distance are the houses and ferry terminal (with a docked ferry) of Lochboisdale, and (occupying about 3 pixels) me!

 

There is no record that I am aware of of when Castle Calvay was inhabited by anyone other than Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Macdonald's of Boisdale certainly didn't live here (I don't actually know where they lived). The last laird died in 1875 at the age 90 at Liverpool. By the time he became laird, his father had accumulated massive debts and the land had to be sold off bit by bit. By 1856, the remaining money was gone and he went to debtors prison for a year or so.

 

The Clanranald lands went in much the same fashion and at much the same time. Ranald George, 20th of Clanranald, born in 1788, sold almost all the traditional Clanranald lands between 1813 and 1838, for a total sum of over £213,211 and at the end only held onto the ruinous Castle Tioram. He died in London in 1873. Tioram was sold later too. The direct line of Clanranald chiefs became extinct in 1944, following the death of Angus Roderick, 23rd of Clanranald. The chiefship then passed into the line of the Macdonalds (formerly) of Boisdale - although - in 2013, the original line was discovered not to have died out after all! The situation is currently being reviewed by the court of the Lord Lyon!

To view more of my images, Abbey Gardens, and St Edmundsbury Cathedral, please click

"here" !

 

Please do not insert images, or add group invites, thank you!

 

The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was once among the richest Benedictine monasteries in England, until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. It is in the town that grew up around it, Bury St Edmunds in the county of Suffolk, England. It was a centre of pilgrimage as the burial place of the Anglo-Saxon martyr-king Saint Edmund, killed by the Great Heathen Army of Danes in 869. The ruins of the abbey church and most other buildings are merely rubble cores, but two very large medieval gatehouses survive, as well as two secondary medieval churches built within the abbey complex. When, in the early 10th century, the relics of the martyred king, St Edmund, were translated from Hoxne to Beodricsworth, afterwards known as St Edmundsbury, the site had already been in religious use for nearly three centuries. To the small household of Benedictine monks who guarded the shrine the surrounding lands were granted in 1020, during the reign of Canute. Monks were introduced from St Benet's Abbey under the auspices of the Bishop of Elmham and Dunwich. Two of them became Bury's first two abbots, Ufi, prior of Holme, (d. 1044), who was consecrated abbot by the Bishop of London, and Leofstan (1044–65). After Leofstan's death, the king appointed his physician Baldwin to the abbacy (1065–97). Baldwin rebuilt the church and reinterred St Edmund's body there with great ceremony in 1095. The cult made the richly endowed abbey a popular destination for pilgrimages. The abbey church of St Edmund was built in the 11th and 12th centuries on a cruciform plan, with its head (or apse) pointed east. The shrine of St Edmund stood behind the high altar. The abbey was much enlarged and rebuilt during the 12th century. At some 505 feet long, and spanning 246 ft across its westerly transept, Bury St Edmunds abbey church was one of the largest in the country. It is now ruined, with only some rubble cores remaining, but two other separate churches which were built within the abbey precinct survive, having always functioned as parish churches for the town. St James's Church, now St Edmundsbury Cathedral, was finished around 1135. St Mary's Church was first built around 1125, and then rebuilt in the Perpendicular style between 1425 and 1435. Abbey Gate, rebuilt in the mid-14th century. Abbey Gate, opening onto the Great Courtyard, was the secular entrance which was used by the Abbey's servants. The Cloisters Cross, also referred to as the "Bury St Edmunds Cross", is an unusually complex 12th-century Romanesque altar cross, carved from walrus ivory, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The sculptor is not known. Thomas Hoving, who managed the acquisition of the cross while he was Associate Curator at The Cloisters, concluded that it was carved by Master Hugo at the Abbey. There is no certain evidence to suggest that the cross was even made in England, however, although this is accepted by most scholars, and other places of origin such as Germany have been proposed. In 1327, it was destroyed during the Great Riot by the local people, who were angry at the power of the monastery, and it had to be rebuilt. Norman Gate dates from 1120 to 1148 and was designed to be the gateway for the Abbey Church and it is still the belfry for the Church of St James, the present cathedral of Bury St Edmunds. This four-storey gate-hall is virtually unchanged and is entered through a single archway. Abbey Gate is an impressive 14th century stone gatehouse, designed to be the gateway for the Great Courtyard. One of the best surviving examples of its type, this two-storey gate-hall is entered through a single archway which retains its portcullis. The Crankles was the name of the fishpond near the river Lark. The vineyard was first laid out in the 13th century. There were three breweries in the Abbey as each monk was entitled to eight pints a day. Inscription within the abbey ruins commemorating events in 1214 leading to the promulgation of Magna Carta Panorama of the ruins of the abbey church. The gardens The Abbey's charters granted extensive lands and rights in Suffolk. By 1327, the Abbey owned all of West Suffolk. The Abbey held the gates of Bury St Edmunds; they held wardships of all orphans, whose income went to the Abbot until the orphan reached maturity; they pressed their rights of corvée. In the late 12th century, the Abbot Adam Samson forced the Dean Herbert to destroy the new windmill he had built without permission. Adam said: "By the face of God! I will never eat bread until that building is destroyed!" The town of Bury St Edmunds was designed by the monks in a grid pattern. The monks charged tariffs on every economic activity, including the collecting of horse droppings in the streets. The Abbey even ran the Royal Mint. During the 13th century general prosperity blunted the resistance of burghers and peasants; in the 14th century, however, the monks encountered hostility from the local populace. Throughout 1327, the monastery suffered extensively, as several monks lost their lives in riots, and many buildings were destroyed. The townspeople attacked in January, forcing a charter of liberties on them. When the monks reneged on this they attacked again in February and May. The hated charters and debtors' accounts were seized and triumphantly torn to shreds. A reprieve came on 29 September when Queen Isabella arrived at the Abbey with an army from Hainaut. She had returned from the continent with the intention of deposing her husband, King Edward II. She stayed at the Abbey a number of days with her son the future Edward III. On 18 October 1327, a group of monks entered the local parish church. They threw off their habits, revealing they were armoured underneath, and took several hostages. The people called for the hostages' release: but monks threw objects at them, killing some. In response, the citizens swore to fight the abbey to the death. They included a parson and 28 chaplains. They burnt the gates and captured the abbey. In 1345, a special commission found that the monks did not wear habits or live in the monastery. Already faced with considerable financial strain, the abbey went further into decline during the first half of the 15th century. In 1431 the west tower of the abbey church collapsed. Two years later Henry VI moved into residence at the abbey for Christmas, and was still enjoying monastic hospitality four months later. More trouble arose in 1446 when the Duke of Gloucester died in suspicious circumstances after his arrest, and in 1465 the entire church was burnt out by an accidental fire. Largely rebuilt by 1506, the abbey of Bury St Edmunds settled into a quieter existence until dissolution in 1539. Subsequently stripped of all valuable building materials and artefacts, the abbey ruins were left as a convenient quarry for local builders. A collection of wolf skulls were discovered at the site in 1848.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  

out the plane window leaving South Africa. it was a very sad moment.

 

O to grace how great a debtor

daily I'm constrained to be!

Let thy goodness, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here's my heart, O take and seal it,

seal it for thy courts above.

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

Took a detour when i left the Girlfriends house to take a photo of Black Dicks Temple. this can been seen from miles around see below for some of its history.

 

Black Dick was born in 1574 ('Black Dick of the North' was a nickname given to him by King James I) or Sir Richard Beaumont is known to haunt the temple, he was the first cousin of Elizabeth I. He was well known for his criminal activities, he was a gambler, a bad debtor and a highwayman who was involved in piracy to pay off his depts.

 

When Richard Beaumont found out one of his young servant girl employees had got pregnant he murdered her, he was the one who got her pregnant! He was thought to have been killed in a tunnel near Huddersfield whilst in a duel in 1631.

 

To this day people report seeing the spectre of Black Dick most commonly on July 5th, on the day in which he died.

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

 

Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Metz is the Catholic cathedral of the diocese of Metz, in the French department of Moselle in the Grand Est region.

 

If its construction spans three centuries, from 1220, the cathedral presents a certain homogeneity of style: the stylistic criteria were respected in each construction campaign.

 

Metz Cathedral is not only the cathedral in France with the largest glazed surface, nearly 6,500 m2, but also the one with the largest Gothic windows in Europe.

 

The cathedral has been classified as a historic monument since February 16, 1930. As one of the ten most visited cathedrals in France, it is a candidate for UNESCO classification.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Saint-%C3%89tienne_...

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For several years, William's position was very insecure. To project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area traditionally under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a few major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time major castles at Warwick, Nottingham, and York were built. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort: Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in Danish Mercia, roughly the area of the country that is today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally. Also (in the case of the Wolds) it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

Work on the new fortification was completed in 1068. It is probable that at first a wooden keep was constructed which was later replaced with a much stronger stone one. To the south, where the Roman wall stands on the edge of a steep slope, it was retained partially as a curtain wall and partially as a revetment. In the west, where the ground is more level, the Roman wall was buried within an earth rampart and extended upward to form the Norman castle wall.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone, but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited, and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln.

 

Informatiuon Source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle

 

Un regalo ricevuto da stefygreen75.

 

Tutto è nato come uno scambio ma sarò sempre tuo debitore!

Grazie davvero di cuore! <3<3<3

 

Presto tutte le ragazze e gli abitini riceveranno le cure che meritano e un posto d'onore! :-)

 

A gift received from stefygreen75.

 

All started as a swap but I will always be your debtor!

Thank you very much! <3 <3 <3

 

All the girls and dresses will receive the care they deserve and a place of honor as soon as possible! :-)

city picture, Nuremberg Hay Bridge Debtors Prison and Cafe Celona

Boddam was originally owned by the Spence family whose main holdings were in Fife and Perthshire. Precisely when the family acquired the Boddam estate is unknown but it was probably around 1459 when Thomas Spence was appointed Bishop of Aberdeen.

 

The castle was built by the Keiths of Ludquharn, probably in the late 16th or early 17th century, several generations after they acquired the barony of Boddam.

 

Gilbert Keith, 3rd of Inverugie, added the estate of Ludquhairn or Ludquharn to his land holdings by marrying the Ogstoun heiress thereof, in the second half of the 15th century. Their eldest son inherited Inverugie and their 2nd son, John inherited Ludquharn, but having no sons of his own, it passed to the next son, Andrew. Andrew was father of Sir John Keith, 4th of Ludquhairn, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

 

The 5th laird was Gilbert Keith and his son and heir, Sir William Keith, topped up the family's levels of Keith blood by marrying Margaret Keith, sister of George, 5th Earl Marischal. Their son Sir William, 7th laird, perhaps influenced by the importance of his cousins, acquired a baronetcy for himself and would appear to have built Boddam Castle, to suit his enhanced status.

 

The 3rd baronet, another Sir Williams, supported the Stuart cause in the 1689 Jacobite Uprising and was forced to flee abroad, only returning after the Act of Indemnity (1703). His son meanwhile (another Sir William), held several commissions in North America including Surveyor General for the Southern District of the Americas and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. The father however, was implicated in the 1715 Jacobite Uprising which led him to financial ruin. When he died in 1718, the younger Sir William inherited his father's title, estates and his debts! He was never able to recover from the latter ultimately dying penniless in the Old Bailey debtors prison in 1749. The Ludquharn baronetcy was continued by his sons, but by then they no longer owned Boddam and the baronetcy became extinct in 1771.

 

In the years following the departure of the Keiths, Boddam Castle was abandoned and as we know from the Mazell's engraving, it was a complete ruin by 1784. It would seem likely that the new owners, in an age where defence and security were no longer paramount, moved inland, perhaps to the current site of Ludquhard Farm, where they could farm with proper farmland around them. As was so often the case elsewhere, most of the stone from the castle was carted off for use elsewhere.

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conwy_Castle

  

Conwy Castle (English: Conway Castle; Welsh: Castell Conwy) is a medieval fortification in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1289. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars. It withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in the winter of 1294–95, acted as a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was held for several months by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr in 1401.

 

Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. In the aftermath the castle was partially slighted by Parliament to prevent it being used in any further revolt, and was finally completely ruined in 1665 when its remaining iron and lead was stripped and sold off. Conwy Castle became an attractive destination for painters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Visitor numbers grew and initial restoration work was carried out in the second half of the 19th century. In the 21st century the ruined castle is managed by Cadw as a tourist attraction.

 

UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage site.[1] The rectangular castle is built from local and imported stone and occupies a coastal ridge, originally overlooking an important crossing point over the River Conwy. Divided into an Inner and an Outer Ward, it is defended by eight large towers and two barbicans, with a postern gate leading down to the river, allowing the castle to be resupplied from the sea. It retains the earliest surviving stone machicolations in Britain and what historian Jeremy Ashbee has described as the "best preserved suite of medieval private royal chambers in England and Wales".[2] In keeping with other Edwardian castles in North Wales, the architecture of Conwy has close links to that found in the kingdom of Savoy during the same period, an influence probably derived from the Savoy origins of the main architect, James of Saint George.

  

History

  

13th century

  

Before the English construction of the town of Conwy, the site was occupied by Aberconwy Abbey, a Cistercian monastery favoured by the Welsh princes.[3] The site also controlled an important crossing point over the River Conwy between the coastal and inland areas of North Wales, and was defended for many years by Deganwy Castle.[3] The kings of England and the Welsh princes had vied for control of the region since the 1070s and the conflict had been renewed during the 13th century, leading to Edward I intervening in North Wales for the second time during his reign in 1282.[4]

  

Edward invaded with a huge army, pushing north from Carmarthen and westwards from Montgomery and Chester. Edward captured Aberconwy in March 1283 and decided that the location would form the centre of a new county: the abbey would be relocated eight miles inland and a new English castle and walled town would be built on the monastery's former site.[5] The ruined castle of Deganwy was abandoned and never rebuilt.[6] Edward's plan was a colonial enterprise and placing the new town and walls on top of such a high-status native Welsh site was in part a symbolic act to demonstrate English power.[7]

 

Work began on cutting the ditch around Conwy Castle within days of Edward's decision.[8] The work was controlled by Sir John Bonvillars and overseen by master mason James of St. George, and the first phase of work between 1283 and 1284 focused on creating the exterior curtain walls and towers.[9] In the second phase, from 1284 and 1286, the interior buildings were erected, while work began on the walls for the neighbouring town.[10] By 1287, the castle was complete.[10] Huge amounts of labourers were mobilised from across England for the task, massed at Chester and then brought into Wales for each summer building season.[11] Edward's accountants did not separate the costs of the town walls from that of the castle, and the total cost of the two projects came to around £15,000, a huge sum for the period.[10][nb 1]

 

The castle's constable was, by a royal charter of 1284, also the mayor of the new town of Conwy, and oversaw a castle garrison of 30 soldiers, including 15 crossbowmen, supported by a carpenter, chaplain, blacksmith, engineer and a stonemason.[13] In 1294 Madog ap Llywelyn rebelled against English rule. Edward was besieged at Conwy by the Welsh between December and January 1295, supplied only by sea, before forces arrived to relieve him in February.[14] Chronicler Walter of Guisborough suggested that given the austere conditions Edward refused to drink his own private supply of wine, and instead had it shared out amongst the garrison.[15] For some years afterwards, the castle formed the main residence for visiting senior figures, and hosted Edward's son, the future Edward II in 1301 when he visited the region to receive homage from the Welsh leaders.[16]

  

14th–15th centuries

  

Conwy Castle was not well maintained during the early 14th century and by 1321 a survey reported it was poorly equipped, with limited stores and suffering from leaking roofs and rotten timbers.[17] These problems persisted until Edward, the Black Prince took over control of the castle in 1343.[17] Sir John Weston, his chamberlain, conducted repairs, building new stone support arches for the great hall and other parts of the castle.[17] After the death of the Black Prince, however, Conwy fell into neglect again.[17]

 

At the end of the 14th century, the castle was used as a refuge by Richard II from the forces of his rival, Henry Bolingbroke.[18] On 12 August 1399, after returning from Ireland, Richard made his way to the castle where he met Bolingbroke's emissary, Henry Percy, for negotiations.[19] Percy swore in the chapel he would not harm the king. On 19 August, Richard surrendered to Percy at Flint Castle, promising to abdicate if his life were spared.[20] The king was then taken to London, he died later in captivity at Pontefract Castle.[19]

 

Henry Bolingbroke took the English throne to rule as Henry IV in 1400, but rebellion broke out in North Wales shortly afterwards under the leadership of Owain Glyndŵr.[19] In March 1401, Rhys ap Tudur and his brother Gwilym, cousins of Owain Glyndŵr, undertook a surprise attack on Conwy Castle.[19] Pretending to be carpenters repairing the castle, the two gained entry, killed the two watchmen on duty and took control of the fortress.[19] Welsh rebels then attacked and captured the rest of the walled town.[21] The brothers held out for around three months, before negotiating a surrender; as part of this agreement the pair were given a royal pardon by Henry.[19]

 

During the War of the Roses between 1455 and 1485, fought by the rival factions of the Lancastrians and the Yorkists, Conwy was reinforced, but played little part in the fighting.[22] Henry VIII conducted restoration work in the 1520s and 1530s, during which time the castle was being used as a prison, a depot and as a potential residence for visitors.[22]

 

17th–21st centuries

  

Conwy Castle fell into disrepair again by the early 17th century.[23] Charles I sold it to Edward Conway in 1627 for £100, and Edward's son, also called Edward, inherited the ruin in 1631.[23][nb 2] In 1642 the English Civil War broke out between the Charles' royalist supporters and Parliament.[23] John Williams, the Archbishop of York, took charge of the castle on behalf of the king, and set about repairing and garrisoning it at his own expense.[23] In 1645, Sir John Owen was appointed governor of the castle instead, however, leading to a bitter dispute between the two men.[25] The Archbishop defected to Parliament, the town of Conwy fell in August 1646 and in November General Thomas Mytton finally took the castle itself after a substantial siege.[26]

 

In the aftermath of the siege, Colonel John Carter was appointed governor of the castle and fresh repairs were carried out.[26] In 1655 the Council of State appointed by Parliament ordered the castle to be slighted, or put beyond military use: the Bakehouse tower was probably deliberately partially pulled down at this time as part of the slighting.[26] With the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Conway was returned to Edward Conway, the Earl of Conway, but five years later Edward decided to strip the remaining iron and lead from the castle and sell it off.[27] The work was completed under the supervision of Edward Conway's overseer William Milward, despite opposition from the leading citizens of Conwy, and turned the castle into a total ruin.[28]

 

By the end of the 18th century, the ruins were considered picturesque and sublime, attracting visitors and artists, and paintings of the castle were made by Thomas Girtin, Moses Griffith, Julius Caesar Ibbetson, Paul Sandby and J. M. W. Turner.[28] Several bridges were built across the River Conwy to linking the town and Llandudno during the 19th century, including a road bridge in 1826 and a rail bridge in 1848. These improved communication links with the castle and further increased tourist numbers.[29] In 1865 Conwy Castle passed from the Holland family, who had leased it from the descendants of the Conways, to the civic leadership of Conwy town. Restoration work on the ruins then began, including the reconstruction of the damaged Bakehouse tower.[29] In 1953 the castle was leased to the Ministry of Works and Arnold Taylor undertook a wide range of repairs and extensive research into the castle's history.[30] An additional road bridge was built to the castle in 1958.[29] Already protected as a scheduled monument, in 1986 it was also declared part of the World Heritage Site of the "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd".[31]

 

In the 21st century the castle is managed by Cadw as a tourist attraction and 186,897 tourists visited the castle in 2010; a new visitor centre was opened in 2012.[32] The castle requires ongoing maintenance and repairs cost £30,000 over the 2002–03 financial year.[33]

  

Architecture

  

UNESCO considers Conwy Castle one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe".[1] It hugs a rocky coastal ridge of grey sand- and limestone, and much of the stone from the castle is largely taken from the ridge itself, probably when the site was first cleared.[34] The local stone was not of sufficient quality to be used for carving details such as windows, however, and accordingly sandstone was brought in from the Creuddyn peninsula, Chester and the Wirral.[35] This sandstone was more colourful than the local grey stone, and was probably deliberately chosen for its appearance.[35]

 

The castle has a rectangular plan and is divided into an Inner and Outer Ward, with four large, 70-foot (21 m) tall towers on each side; originally the castle would have been white-washed using a lime render.[36] The outside of the towers still have the putlog holes from their original construction, where timbers were inserted to create a spiralling ramp for the builders.[37] Although now somewhat decayed, the battlements originally sported triple finial designs and featured a sequence of square holes running along the outside of the walls.[38] It is uncertain what these holes were used for – they may have been drainage holes, supports for defensive hoarding or for displaying ornamental shields.[38]

 

The main entrance to the castle is through the western barbican, an exterior defence in front of the main gate.[39] When first built, the barbican was reached over a drawbridge and a masonry ramp that came up sharply from the town below; the modern path cuts east along the outside of the walls.[39] The barbican features the earliest surviving stone machicolations in Britain, and the gate would originally have been protected by a portcullis.[40]

   

The gate leads through to the Outer Ward which, when first built, would have been full of various administrative and service buildings.[41] The north-west tower was reached through the porter's lodge and contained limited accommodation and space for stores.[42] The south-west tower may have been used either by the castle's constable, or by the castle's garrison, and also contained a bakehouse.[42] On the south side of the ward is a range of buildings that included the great hall and chapel, sitting on top of the cellars, which are now exposed.[43] The stubs and one surviving stone arches from the 1340s can still be seen.[44] Behind the great hall was the tower used by the constable for detaining prisoners; this included a special room for holding prisoners, called the "dettors chambre" ("debtors' chamber") in the 16th century, and an underground dungeon.[45] On the north side of the ward was a range of service buildings, including a kitchen, brewhouse and bakehouse, backed onto by the kitchen tower, containing accommodation and store rooms.[46]

 

The Inner Ward was originally separated from the Outer Ward by an internal wall, a drawbridge and a gate, protected by a ditch cut into the rock.[47] The ditch was filled in during the 16th century and the drawbridge removed.[48] The spring-fed castle well built alongside the gate survives, and today is 91-foot (28 m) deep.[48] Inside, the ward contained the chambers for the royal household, their immediate staff and service facilities; today, historian Jeremy Ashbee considers them to be the "best preserved suite of medieval private royal chambers in England and Wales".[2] They were designed to form a royal palace in miniature, that could, if necessary, be sealed off from the rest of castle and supplied from the eastern gate by sea almost indefinitely.[49]

   

The royal rooms were positioned on the first floor of a range of buildings that ran around the outside of the ward, facing onto a courtyard.[50] The four towers that protected the Inner Ward contained service facilities, with the Chapel Tower containing the private royal chapel.[50] Each tower has an additional watchtower turret, probably intended both for security and to allow the prominent display of the royal flag.[51] The arrangement was originally similar to that of the 13th century Gloriette at Corfe Castle, and provided a combination of privacy for the king while providing extensive personal security.[52] The two sets of apartments were later unified into a single set of rooms, including a great chamber, outer chamber and inner chamber.[53]

 

On the east side of the Inner Ward is another barbican, enclosing the castle garden.[54] This was overlooked by the royal apartments, and changed in style over the years: in the early 14th century there was a lawn, in the late 14th century vines, in the 16th century crab-apple trees and a lawn and in the 17th century formal ornamental flowers.[55] A postern gate originally led down to the river where a small dock was built, allowing key visitors to enter the castle in private and for the fortress to be resupplied by boat, although this gate is now concealed by the later bridges built on the site.[56]

 

The architecture of Conwy has close to links to that found in the kingdom of Savoy in the same period.[57] These include window styles, the type of crenellation used on the towers and positioning of putlog holes, and are usually ascribed to the influence of the Savoy architect Master James.[57] The links between Conwy and Savoy are not straightforward, however, as in some cases the relevant Savoy structures were built after James had left the region.[58] The similarity in architectural details may, therefore, be the result of the wider role played by Savoy craftsmen and engineers on the Conwy project.[58]

 

Metz (57)

 

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle, in Lorraine. Prefecture of the department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand Est, of which it hosts the plenary assemblies. Metz and its surroundings, which were part of the Trois-Évêchés from 1552 to 1790, were landlocked between the Duchy of Luxembourg (until 1659), ducal Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar until 1766. was from 19742 to 2015 the capital of the Lorraine region.

 

A city known since pre-Roman antiquity, the Celtic oppidum of Mediomatrics, known by the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia in the sixth century AD. A trading city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and an important trading and banking city of the Holy Roman Empire. Coveted by its neighbors (and debtors) then by the kingdom of France, Metz became a protectorate and a French stronghold in the 16th century, before being annexed by the German Empire at the end of the 19th century (Alsace-Moselle). Once again French after the First World War, it was de facto annexed by the Third Reich from 1940 to 1944.

 

The city presents an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the 20th century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, of French and Germanic influence, in particular in the imperial district, fitted out during the annexation of Alsace- Lorraine, representative of Wilhelmian architecture. The Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in the town center is one of the oldest churches in the world, and the oldest church in France.

 

At the last census of 2019, Metz had 118,489 inhabitants, making it the most populated municipality in Lorraine and the third in the Grand Est. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

 

Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies urban culture. The city is also applying for a UNESCO listing for its ancient heritage represented by Saint-Étienne Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial district.

 

Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metz

 

Place Saint-Louis is located below the Sainte-Croix hill where the main pedestrian streets of the hypercentre emerge. A few houses have retained their crowning with crenellations and some support projecting Renaissance balconies.

 

It is a square from the medieval period of which it is emblematic, with a covered gallery of about sixty arcades which still shelters the barges. The square bears the name of King Louis IX of France, commonly known as Saint Louis.

 

After serving as a car park during the 20th century, Place Saint-Louis was reinvested by pedestrians at the end of 2007, the new urban traffic plan giving it the status of meeting area.

 

Source: it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Saint-Louis

Acte 8 Footfalls (and the obligatory Epilogue)

Subtitle (striking the irons)

 

It had indeed been a trying day for The Mistress, as had the whole affair actually, and she was just too tired to continue putting up with it.

 

Exhausted after being run through an entire gauntlet of emotions, some of which had been entirely new to her and which she had found to be quite distasteful to someone of her carefully orchestrated upbringing, The mistress took some heavy sleep sedatives and had one of the downstairs servants( Maggie being shunned to the barn) put her to bed.

 

Later that evening as Edmund and her ladyship lay fast asleep in the separate rooms that extend out on either side of the large, shared sitting room, a most rude intrusion is made upon their chambres.

 

A pair of dark figures, moving silently as cats, walk up the stairs from the first floor, where they have spent some time lifting various pieces of silver, but now it was time for their main objectives:

 

They enter Edmunds room first, spending about twenty minutes as they expertly locate and removed his lordships valuables from their various hiding spots, some of which had been unlocked from a ring of keys in the possession of one of the thieves.

  

The pair then enters her Ladyships bedchamber, spending twice as much time inside as they had in Edmund’s chamber. They take great pains to make sure all of her hiding spots are located and relived of the valuables contained within; trying all the remaining keys out from the chain they have in their possession. Their torches touch upon many cases which when opened, contain a dazzling collection of colourful jewels, brite gold and pearls,( white black and coral.) Having been given a sleeping draught, The Mistress is blissfully unaware that all of her expensive jewelry and knickknacks are being collected and placed in a large black carpet bag. And since the Mistress liked to keep are of her most expensive possessions close at hand in her Boudoir, it was quite a large and extremely valuable collection that was being stolen from right under her pointed, upturned nose.

 

They lastly work around the large canopy bed where her ladyship is sleeping peacefully.

 

One of the dark shadowy men peel back the blue satin coverlet, exposing the mistress in her long black nightgown. Thin, dark fingers feel carefully along her satin clad figure checking for anything of value er the Mistress may have worn to bed. A jeweled ruby ring is located, one she always wears to bed feeling that it is the safest place for it, and is ever so gently pulled off her finger.

 

Her silver rhinestone sleeping masque is then lifted off, as are the pair of tortis shell clips holding up her long hair. As they are pulled away, she turns in her bed, saying a name( her lawyers as it so happens) exposing a black string protruding from the bottom of her pillow. The string is pulled, and out comes a black silk pouch. ( later that pouch is found to contain a letter for a certain solicitor along with a healthy wad of fivers!)

A long thin knife is pulled out, and for the second time that evening, the thin straps of her negligee are slit, and the negligee is slowly pulled coff of her figure.

 

The two shadowy figures leave with their loot, and make their way back outside. They almost get away undetected, but for one female servant, who had watched the pair from the servants quarters. And said servant, instead of sounding an alarm, may have chuckled a bit as she hobbled back to her bed and soon had fallen peacefully, innocently, back to sleep….

 

The Obligatory Epilogue :

All’s well that ends well, one can suppose:

Edmund and The Mistress, the robbery effectively relieving them of the last of their savings, and facing the loss of their estates, attempted to get back the money they had paid the crooked magistrate. He immediately had the pair charged and arrested for intimidation of a judge. Unable to pay the fines, they both were sent to debtors prison, where Edmund expired of a heart attack 8 months later, giving Errol the opportunity to inherit the family title.

 

The Dowager Aunt paid the debts of the Estate ( but not those of Edmund and The Mistress), acquiring Staghurst in the process. She set up Errol and his wife in the great estate as overseers; eventually Errol was bequeathed the estate upon the Dowagers passing some 6 years later. The Dowager was buried at Staghurst, and her mausoleum, even though overgrown and buried by vines, can still, not easily, be found..

 

Now it is known that The Mistress was quite inconsolable at Edmund’s funeral, so one would like to think there were some embers of love giving minute bits of heat to an otherwise seemingly soulless heart.

 

Lady Elisa apparently took pity on the poor creature, and convinced His Lordship Errol to forgive the Mistress’s debts. He apparently took money from his own household and finally got her release from debtor’s prison a year after Edmund’s passing. The Dowager Aunt allowed her to rent out one of the estates small cottages. Elisa sent Fanny to teach the Mistress how to be a seamstress so she could earn her keep. It was recorded in the family chronicles that her first order of business was taking some of her own stunning gowns that the Mistress had left behind at Staghurst and altering them to fit Elisa and Maggie to be worn by the ladies at various functions.

 

Sadly, Maggie’s scratches on her cheeks became infected and left her with some rather nasty scarring. Elisa brought the poor creature into Staghurst to be her companion. It is not chronicled whom Maggie eventually wed, but it was recorded in the Staghurst manor’s archives that one of Maggie’s daughters married a younger son of Lord Errol’s. A bloodline that carried the title of the house of Staghurst into modern times.

 

As for Staghurst itself, the great house still looms, standing in commanding atonement! But times have changed, and like so many great estates of the day, the majority of the manor has been re-envisioned into a rather upscale overnight, run by the current Lord and his family, direct descendants of Errol and Elisa.

 

As for the Assault and Robbery, no one was ever caught and punished. But one can imagine, without naming names, that those who had a hand in obtaining the small fortune acquired, soon found their positions in life elevated, and one can always hope that some good came of it…

  

The pub mentiond, The Poet and the Peasant, is the name of an actual welsh pub, and the 400 year old building it is located in has been the site of many drinking establishments over the years. Although its part in this story is fictional, one who has been there can well imagine that if its darkened and smoky walls and chambers could talk, therein would lay many tales, both rude and glorious.

 

Listed Building Grade I

List Entry Number : 1194905

Date First Listed : 18 February 1970

 

Built around 1125, the castle has been used later as a court house and a prison. The oldest part is the keep, parts of Hadrian's Tower date from about 1200, and the gatehouse dates from about 1400. Towards the end of the 18th century alterations and additions were made by Thomas Harrison and completed by J. M. Gandy. These included a Governor's House, a Crown Court, a Grand Jury room, a new Shire hall, and separate prisons for males and females.

 

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1194905

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Lancaster,_Lancashire

Clifford's Tower is the keep of York Castle.

York Castle is a fortified complex in the city of York, England. It consists of a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings, which were built over the last nine centuries on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruined keep of the medieval Norman castle is commonly referred to as Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of William I to dominate the former Viking city of Jórvík, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.

The first motte and bailey castle on the site was built in 1068 following the Norman conquest of York. After the destruction of the castle by rebels and a Viking army in 1069, York Castle was rebuilt and reinforced with extensive water defences, including a moat and an artificial lake. York Castle formed an important royal fortification in the north of England.

In 1190, 150 local Jews were killed in a pogrom in the castle keep; most of them committed suicide in order not to fall into the hands of the mob. Henry III rebuilt the castle in stone in the middle of the 13th century, creating a keep with a unique quatrefoil design, supported by an outer bailey wall and a substantial gatehouse. During the Scottish wars between 1298 and 1338, York Castle was frequently used as the centre of royal administration across England, as well as an important military base of operations.

York Castle fell into disrepair by the 15th and 16th centuries, becoming used increasingly as a jail for both local felons and political prisoners. By the time of Elizabeth I the castle was estimated to have lost all of its military value but was maintained as a centre of royal authority in York. The outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 saw York Castle being repaired and refortified, playing a part in the Royalist defence of York in 1644 against Parliamentary forces. York Castle continued to be garrisoned until 1684, when an explosion destroyed the interior of Clifford's Tower. The castle bailey was redeveloped in a neoclassical style in the 18th century as a centre for county administration in Yorkshire, and was used as a jail and debtors' prison. Prison reform in the 19th century led to the creation of a new prison built in a Tudor Gothic style on the castle site in 1825; used first as a county and then as a military prison, this facility was demolished in 1935. By the 20th century the ruin of Clifford's Tower had become a well-known tourist destination and national monument; today the site is owned by English Heritage and open to the public. The other remaining buildings serve as the York Castle Museum and the Crown Court.

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The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds was once among the richest Benedictine monasteries in England, until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. It is in the town that grew up around it, Bury St Edmunds in the county of Suffolk, England. It was a centre of pilgrimage as the burial place of the Anglo-Saxon martyr-king Saint Edmund, killed by the Great Heathen Army of Danes in 869. The ruins of the abbey church and most other buildings are merely rubble cores, but two very large medieval gatehouses survive, as well as two secondary medieval churches built within the abbey complex. When, in the early 10th century, the relics of the martyred king, St Edmund, were translated from Hoxne to Beodricsworth, afterwards known as St Edmundsbury, the site had already been in religious use for nearly three centuries. To the small household of Benedictine monks who guarded the shrine the surrounding lands were granted in 1020, during the reign of Canute. Monks were introduced from St Benet's Abbey under the auspices of the Bishop of Elmham and Dunwich. Two of them became Bury's first two abbots, Ufi, prior of Holme, (d. 1044), who was consecrated abbot by the Bishop of London, and Leofstan (1044–65). After Leofstan's death, the king appointed his physician Baldwin to the abbacy (1065–97). Baldwin rebuilt the church and reinterred St Edmund's body there with great ceremony in 1095. The cult made the richly endowed abbey a popular destination for pilgrimages. The abbey church of St Edmund was built in the 11th and 12th centuries on a cruciform plan, with its head (or apse) pointed east. The shrine of St Edmund stood behind the high altar. The abbey was much enlarged and rebuilt during the 12th century. At some 505 feet long, and spanning 246 ft across its westerly transept, Bury St Edmunds abbey church was one of the largest in the country. It is now ruined, with only some rubble cores remaining, but two other separate churches which were built within the abbey precinct survive, having always functioned as parish churches for the town. St James's Church, now St Edmundsbury Cathedral, was finished around 1135. St Mary's Church was first built around 1125, and then rebuilt in the Perpendicular style between 1425 and 1435. Abbey Gate, rebuilt in the mid-14th century. Abbey Gate, opening onto the Great Courtyard, was the secular entrance which was used by the Abbey's servants. The Cloisters Cross, also referred to as the "Bury St Edmunds Cross", is an unusually complex 12th-century Romanesque altar cross, carved from walrus ivory, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The sculptor is not known. Thomas Hoving, who managed the acquisition of the cross while he was Associate Curator at The Cloisters, concluded that it was carved by Master Hugo at the Abbey. There is no certain evidence to suggest that the cross was even made in England, however, although this is accepted by most scholars, and other places of origin such as Germany have been proposed. In 1327, it was destroyed during the Great Riot by the local people, who were angry at the power of the monastery, and it had to be rebuilt. Norman Gate dates from 1120 to 1148 and was designed to be the gateway for the Abbey Church and it is still the belfry for the Church of St James, the present cathedral of Bury St Edmunds. This four-storey gate-hall is virtually unchanged and is entered through a single archway. Abbey Gate is an impressive 14th century stone gatehouse, designed to be the gateway for the Great Courtyard. One of the best surviving examples of its type, this two-storey gate-hall is entered through a single archway which retains its portcullis. The Crankles was the name of the fishpond near the river Lark. The vineyard was first laid out in the 13th century. There were three breweries in the Abbey as each monk was entitled to eight pints a day. Inscription within the abbey ruins commemorating events in 1214 leading to the promulgation of Magna Carta Panorama of the ruins of the abbey church. The gardens The Abbey's charters granted extensive lands and rights in Suffolk. By 1327, the Abbey owned all of West Suffolk. The Abbey held the gates of Bury St Edmunds; they held wardships of all orphans, whose income went to the Abbot until the orphan reached maturity; they pressed their rights of corvée. In the late 12th century, the Abbot Adam Samson forced the Dean Herbert to destroy the new windmill he had built without permission. Adam said: "By the face of God! I will never eat bread until that building is destroyed!" The town of Bury St Edmunds was designed by the monks in a grid pattern. The monks charged tariffs on every economic activity, including the collecting of horse droppings in the streets. The Abbey even ran the Royal Mint. During the 13th century general prosperity blunted the resistance of burghers and peasants; in the 14th century, however, the monks encountered hostility from the local populace. Throughout 1327, the monastery suffered extensively, as several monks lost their lives in riots, and many buildings were destroyed. The townspeople attacked in January, forcing a charter of liberties on them. When the monks reneged on this they attacked again in February and May. The hated charters and debtors' accounts were seized and triumphantly torn to shreds. A reprieve came on 29 September when Queen Isabella arrived at the Abbey with an army from Hainaut. She had returned from the continent with the intention of deposing her husband, King Edward II. She stayed at the Abbey a number of days with her son the future Edward III. On 18 October 1327, a group of monks entered the local parish church. They threw off their habits, revealing they were armoured underneath, and took several hostages. The people called for the hostages' release: but monks threw objects at them, killing some. In response, the citizens swore to fight the abbey to the death. They included a parson and 28 chaplains. They burnt the gates and captured the abbey. In 1345, a special commission found that the monks did not wear habits or live in the monastery. Already faced with considerable financial strain, the abbey went further into decline during the first half of the 15th century. In 1431 the west tower of the abbey church collapsed. Two years later Henry VI moved into residence at the abbey for Christmas, and was still enjoying monastic hospitality four months later. More trouble arose in 1446 when the Duke of Gloucester died in suspicious circumstances after his arrest, and in 1465 the entire church was burnt out by an accidental fire. Largely rebuilt by 1506, the abbey of Bury St Edmunds settled into a quieter existence until dissolution in 1539. Subsequently stripped of all valuable building materials and artefacts, the abbey ruins were left as a convenient quarry for local builders. A collection of wolf skulls were discovered at the site in 1848.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

   

The Grade I Listed Lincoln Castle, in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

 

Lincoln Castle was built during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex.

 

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at The Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For a number of years, William's position was very insecure. In order to project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area traditionally under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a number of major castles in the north and midlands of England. It was at this time that the new king built major castles at Warwick, Nottingham and York. After gaining control of York, the Conqueror turned southwards and arrived at the Roman and Viking city of Lincoln.

 

When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Also, Lincoln represented a vital strategic crossroads of the the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort): Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Valley of the River Trent, River Witham & Lincolnshire Wolds

 

A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in Danish Mercia, roughly the area of the country that is today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally. Also (in the case of the Wolds) it could form a centre from which troops could be sent to repel Scandinavian landings anywhere on the coast from the Trent to the Welland, to a large extent, by using the roads which the Romans had constructed for the same purpose.

 

Work on the new fortification was completed in 1068. It is probable that at first a wooden keep was constructed which was later replaced with a much stronger stone one. To the south, where the Roman wall stands on the edge of a steep slope, it was retained partially as a curtain wall and partially as a revetment retaining the mottes. In the west, where the ground is more level, the Roman wall was buried within an earth rampart and extended upward to form the Norman castle wall. The Roman west gate (on the same site as the castle's westgate) was excavated in the 19th century but began to collapse on exposure, and so was re-buried.

 

The castle was the focus of attention during the First Battle of Lincoln which occurred on 2 February 1141, during the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda over who should be monarch in England. It was held but damaged, and a new tower, called the Lucy Tower, was built.

 

Lincoln Castle was again the site of a siege followed by the Second Battle of Lincoln, on 20 May 1217, during the reign of King John in the course of the First Barons' War. This was the period of political struggle which led to the signing of Magna Carta on 15 June 1215.

 

As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a prison. At Lincoln, the prison Gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847. Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited and the inmates were transferred to the new jail in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln. The prison in the castle was left without a use until the Lincolnshire Archives were housed in its cells.

 

Vieux Carré (French Quarter)

1112 Chartres Street

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

 

The Old Ursuline Convent - in 1727, Governor Étienne Perier invited nuns from the Ursuline convent in Rouen, France to come to New Orleans to provide proper education for the city's girls and to run a hospital in a rare fluke of good governance. The initial building and its replacement were not long lasting. Finally the present structure still standing at 1112 Chartres Street was begun and completed slowly, and by the time it was completed at mid-century it was no longer needed as a convent. It was used to house the Louisiana Legislature and then as a longtime Bishop's residence. It is one of the oldest building not only in Louisiana but in the lower Mississippi valley.

 

The convent building is attached to St. Mary's Church, a regular parish church. The nuns were not cloistered, thus there was no requirement of a special segregated seating area, and there was an entrance to St. Mary's Church where the nuns could enter without going out onto Chartres Street. The convent survived the Great New Orleans Fire of Good Friday 1794. The sisters held long prayer sessions for the City and the American forces ahead of the Battle of New Orleans when news of the British Navy's anchorage under Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane in Lake Borgne and the Army disembarked under the command of the up-and-coming young Maj. Gen. Sir Edward Pakenham, who was a brother in law of the Duke of Wellington. Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson, the American commander carried the day, and Pakenham died on the battlefield under a grove of beautiful live oaks that carry his name to this day. His body along with those of other high British officers were carried back to the Admiral Cochrane's small fleet of ships and stored in barrels of rum and returned home.

 

Gen. Jackson personally thanked the nuns for their prayers, and acknowledged them at a Mass of thanksgiving for the City of New Orleans held at St. Louis Cathedral.

 

Today the Old Ursuline Convent along with St. Mary's Church are jointly run as a museum that is controlled by a 501(c)(3) organization that is affiliated with the Archdiocese of New Orleans (which is presently a Debtor in a voluntary Chapter 11 Reorganization in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana).