| The History Of the Pembroke Suite @ 29 on St James |
PEMBROKE CASTLE - WALES
Pembroke Castle has a long and fascinating history, for it was around 1093 that Arnulf de Montgomery built the small inner bailey standing at the end of the promontory.
Only a few years later the castle withstood a long siege by the Welsh, although its defenders were near starvation.
The late 12th century keep is both an outstanding feature and architectural novelty, for it has a massive cylindrical tower with an unusual stone dome.
Views from the top are tremendous and the castle\'s natural defensive position on a rocky promontory overlooking Milford Haven is immediately apparent.
The main room on the second floor of the Keep has two windows embellished externally by dog tooth moulding and a carved head.
All the rooms are circular and the keep is nearly 80 ft high. It was the work of William Marshall, son in law of Strongbow, conqueror of Ireland and the man responsible for the wholesale reconstruction of the castle in stone in the late 12th/early 13th centuries.
Another absorbing feature of the castle is the gatehouse, which had a complex barbican and no fewer than three portcullises.
A battlemented flying arch inside the gatehouse is something of a puzzle, for it would appear to be of little use in repelling invaders who had actually forced entry into the castle. Still, the gatehouse is, overall, a mighty defence which proves the skill and the sophistication of military architects in medieval times.
Pembroke is also noteworthy as the only castle in Britain to be built over a natural cavern, a large cave known as the Wogan.
Historically, Pembroke is important not only for its masonry but for the fact the Harri Tudur, who became Henry VII and inaugurated the Tudor line of monarchs, was born there in 1457 reputedly in the tower now known as the Henry VII Tower.
During the troubled reign of King Charles 1, the castle was attacked in turn by both Royalist and by Roundheads as the sympathies of its occupants altered. In the latter stages of the struggle an attacking force was led by Cromwell himself.
Today, Pembroke Castle is owned and managed by a Private Charitable Trust. Over the past 10 years much effort has been made to bring the history of the castle to life. In this respect the visitor will find an exhibition room telling the fascinating history of the castle from the arrival of Arnulf de Montgomery to the present day, in addition there are a number of exciting tableaux depicting various moments in the castle\'s history such as the birth of Henry VII.
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| 2008/05/20 06:41:43 PM |
| The History behind Oxford |
| HISTORY OF OXFORD CITY
OXFORDSHIRE
ENGLAND
The actual origins of Oxford are not actually known with any certainty, however many Medieval historians have researched and created various ideas based on certain evidence found. Some say Oxford was founded in the 9th Century when Alfred the Great created a network of fortified towns called burghs across his kingdom. One of these was Oxford. Another theory is that Oxford was originally King Mempricius’ city, Caer-Memre, built on the River Thames between 1400 and 1500 BC.
Oxford was very close to the important trading highway of the River Thames and therefore was an ideal location for Roman industry.
In 1009 the Danes invaded Oxford and burnt the city down. Oxford had to be rebuilt. After recovering from the Danish invasions it suffered in the latter part of the Saxon period, Oxford continued to grow. In 1013 the Danish King claimed the throne of England. He then invaded England and went to Oxford where the people soon began to bow down to him and give him hostages.
Not everything in Oxford was running smoothly as in 1138 the city suffered a massive fire which effectively burnt the city to the ground. In about 1072 the Normans built a castle at Oxford. In 1142, Oxford Castle became the home to Queen Maud (Matilda), during her struggle with King Stephen. The queen only escaped the castle after her guards lowered her over the walls and in a white dress which effectively camouflaged her against the backdrop of winter snow, she crept through enemy lines and across the Castle Mill Steam to freedom.
The university at Oxford was founded in 1167. During the middle ages there was a lot of tension and fighting between the students and the town citizens. A woman was killed and another two students hung. Few left oxford to study at Cambridge however were invited back a few years later. Nethertheless further riots followed in 1228, 1236. 1238, 1248, 1272 and 1298. Tension was due to kings who had granted students certain privileges, which harms the merchants of Oxford town. The tension came to head in 1355 when a fight began and lasted three days. After this event and investigation was conducted and as a result of these actions students where granted even more privileges. Despite the conflict which between the townspeople and the university died down.
Oxford was hit hard with the Black Death plague from 1348 – 1350. During this period the local colleges kept country houses outside of the city where scholars could flee. No such opportunities were presented for the normal ordinary citizens of Oxford. As a result, Oxford’s population dropped dramatically during this period and the colleges took full and grisly advantage of the fact by buying up vacant property and greatly expanding their holdings within Oxford for their various departments of the university.
Despite the town of Oxford it supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War, the powerful University was staunchly Royalist and as a result the city served as a home base for King Charles during this period. Civil war occurred between King and parliament. A royalist army occupied Oxford and the townspeople were divided. In 1646 however the King was losing the war and he was forced to flee in disguise. Oxford eventually surrendered to a parliamentary army.
Although there was fire, Oxford was not seriously damaged by the war. Once the war was over, Oxford suffered for its Royalist support when in 1650 Oliver Cromwell was made Chancellor of the University and many heads of colleges were replaced with Cromwell supporters.
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| 2008/04/21 12:45:29 PM |
| Lancashire Suite History |
Lancaster Castle
Lancashire, England
Lancaster Castle - John O\' Gaunt Gateway
In 1086 Roger de Poitou, third son of a cousin of William the Conqueror, started building the Castle, probably using stone left on the hilltop from the late-Roman Fort. The first phase was completed in 1090. He must have had some help!
King John is said to have held Court at Lancaster Castle. The main gateway, named after John O\' Gaunt, is thought to date from 1405 - slightly after his time (he died in 1399).
Construction continued over 500 years, to around the 1570s to 1580s. The statue in the niche above the John O\' Gaunt gateway is by Claude Nimmo and is relatively modern, dating from 1826.
At the beginning of the English Civil War, Lancaster Castle was held by the Royalists. They surrendered to the Parliamentarians without a shot being fired. This annoyed the Earl of Derby so much, that he laid siege to the Castle in March 1643 for two whole days. When he found he wasn\'t getting anywhere - look for the musket ball marks to the left of the John O\' Gaunt gateway - he burnt the town down.
Two hundred civilians died. In 1651 the Castle was ordered to be destroyed and the outer wall was taken down. As Senior Castle Guide Eric Wilkinson remarked, someone then noticed that they were destroying the County Goal, so they stopped. The outer wall was missing for 135 years. In 1785, a fever hit the town, and the Governor of the Castle died. The outer wall was then rebuilt, four times bigger than before.
There have been many famous trials and executions at the Castle. The first trial we know of was in 1196. There were more death sentences handed down at Lancaster Castle than any other Court in England, except Old Newgate in London.
Surprisingly, more people were executed for forgery than for any other offence. There were two hundred separate offences which carried the death penalty until 1825.
The age of criminal responsibility, that is when you were subject to adult sentences, including the death penalty, was nine years old. Crowds of between five thousand and seven thousand people used to turn up to watch public executions outside the Castle.
The last execution in Lancaster, which was not in public, was in 1910.
From 1614 until the war of independence, some offenders were deported to America. From 1788 until 1868, three thousand people were deported to Australia from Lancaster. In all, 200,000 people were deported from Lancaster.
In Hadrian\'s Tower, you can see the chains which held the captives as they walked to their fate. You can also see - and if you wish, be locked in - a thick stone walled, 500 year old dark, dank dungeon cell (an old prison - not in modern use). The cell floors were originally earth, covered with straw. Inmates had to share the cells, and had no washing or latrine facilities. They were allowed out briefly, twice a week to clean out their cell. Prisoners on remand [waiting for trial] were incarcerated along with the others, even though in theory they were innocent until proven guilty. As the Assize Courts happened twice a year, there could be a long wait. If you do choose to be locked in a cell - it will only be for about a minute - you will see how dark it would have been, illuminated just by the light filtering through a little grille above the door, from a (now electric) candle on the wall opposite. By the way, Lancashire County Council ensures that the stone flagged floors are now immaculate, so there\'s no offensive smell !
Hadrian\'s Tower is situated at the centre of the old Roman Cavalry fort. The walls are 9 feet 6 inches thick - about 2•89 meters. In addition to the displays of old weapons and methods of restraint, it now houses a Roman Altar to their god Mars, which was unearthed around 1797, during the building of the Shire Hall and rebuilding of the Castle outer wall.
You may also see old implements of torture and branding irons (\'M\' for malefactor), escape tools, a device for preventing women from speaking (never used on men!) while they were kept in Market Square for an hour for the amusement of the populace; and chairs used for restraining the mentally ill who were known as \'lunatics\', got no medical treatment and little sympathy.
The Shire Hall was opened in 1800 and is still used to try civil law cases. There is a large display of miniature coats of arms (shields) in the Shire Hall showing the arms of Monarchs, High Sheriffs of Lancashire (which was a much larger County than it is today, after the 1972 county boundary re-organisation), and Constables of the Castle.
The Shire Hall was designed by a Yorkshire architect, Thomas Harrison, and the internationally renowned Lancaster cabinet makers, Gillow, made the woodwork in 1799. There is a modern \'dock\', also made in wood, but to a much less exacting standard, installed for the late 20th century \'Birmingham Bomb\' trial.
The other Court you may see, provided that it is not in session, is the Crown Court, which is the oldest working court-room in Britain. It also holds the dubious distinction of being the place in Britain where most death sentences have been passed. The upstairs room which is at present used as a Jury waiting room was used as a court room for the trial of the Quaker George Fox, and for the Lancashire \'Witches\'.
Its ceiling, apparently paneled in light oak, is actually painted. The Drop Room, which is at present used by Juries while they consider their verdict, is the place from where those sentenced to death walked straight out on to the scaffold.
There is a small model to show how the scaffold worked. There are also an attractive old painting of the Castle and Priory, an old map of Lancaster with the history of the town written at the bottom, and display cases containing copies of the last speeches or letters of people about to be executed and a hangman\'s small noose.
There are twelve chairs for the jurors around a round table.
Lancaster Castle from the Priory Ringing Chamber
Between World War 1 and World War 2, Lancaster Castle was used as a training centre for the Lancashire County Constabulary (Police Force).
You can see a picture from around this period which shows cannons on Castle Green. The modern prison was opened in part of the Castle in 1966.
Since then, the battlements are no longer open for public inspection. There are plans to open the whole Castle to the public when the modern prison is closed, however the Home Office [government department responsible for prisons] has postponed this on more than one occasion.
In 1812, there were 510 prisoners in Lancaster Castle. The present maximum is 240.
Lancaster Castle is owned by the Duke of Lancaster - who is also the reigning Monarch, currently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
She visited the Priory and Castle in July 1999. The Castle is administered on her behalf, by Lancashire County Council. The section used as a modern prison is administered by the Home Office.
The current Constable of Lancaster Castle - the person responsible to the Queen for the safe keeping of the Castle, and holder of the keys in her absence, is Mr. Gordon Johnson.
Eric Jones, who retired as Constable at the end of May 2004, was the first working man ever to hold this appointment. Previously, all Constables were appointed from the aristocracy. Mr Jones used to work for the local electricity supply company, Norweb, and his coat of arms reflects his occupation with the incorporation of two lightning flashes. See if you can find it in the Shire Hall near the centre of the rows of shields. Mr Jones was a County Magistrate and County Councilor.
The Constable of the Castle presides at the annual Shield Hanging ceremony.
The three keys the Constable is responsible for may be seen in the Shire Hall.
One is Victorian, dating from 1851, one is from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I dating from 1590, and the oldest, for the main Gatehouse dates from 1410. The Constable is paid an honorarium which hasn\'t kept up with inflation - a mere five guineas a year. In pre-decimal money, that was five pounds and five shillings.
In decimal currency, that amounts to £5-25 - hardly a monarch\'s ransom.
SPACE
From the East side - from the North West.
Lancaster Castle is administered by Lancashire County Council on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
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| 2008/05/20 06:10:38 PM |
| TRIVIA |
INTERESTING TRIVIA In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb' any years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. |
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| 2008/05/22 10:44:03 AM |
| Pets Ahoy - Pets are part of the lodge and as such will be around the guests at all times of the day. They are friendly and great fun. |
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| 2010/04/22 12:05:43 PM |
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