Nicholas Reardon - Crime and Punishment. In and Around the Cotswold Hills

BERKELEY CASTLE

BERKELEY CASTLE

The town of Berkeley, lies in the Vale of Berkeley and is noted for the formidable and awe-inspiring Berkeley Castle.

For a time the castle served as a prison and possible location for the murder of Edward II. His cell, pictured to the left, can still be seen by visitors today.

There are many rumours surrounding his demise: murder by a red hot poker; suffocation by a cushion; along with the possibility of escape and fleeing to Europe. As to which is true I shall let others surmise.

Next to the cell is the entrance to the castles dungeon pictured below.

the castles dungeon

View to cell

BIBURY

BIBURY

The village of Bibury is a pleasure to visit at any time of the year, but my personal favourite time is November when it is shrouded in mist. By then the bustle of the summer visitors has been replaced by a wonderful feeling of tranquillity as you take in the sights that have made this little village famous the world over.

One such sight which is often missed by the visitor is the old lockup, pictured left, and situated a few paces from the Swan Hotel which was once used as the local court house.

William Morris once called this the most beautiful village in England, but even here crime was possible and like other Cotswold villages it was swiftly dealt with at a local level.

When visiting Bibury, after taking in the chocolate-box image of Arlington Row, spare some time to take a short walk to the local church of St Mary. Built into the north wall you will see a tombstone of Scandinavian design.

Arlington Row, Bibury

BISLEY

BISLEY

Here we have the very ornate Bisley lock-up which was in regular use until the 1850s. Restored in 1999 it is a fine example of a place of temporary confinement for wrongdoers awaiting judgement from the local magistrate.

The old lock-up is not the only example of things to see relating to crime and punishment. If you take a look in the churchyard of All Saints Church you will see a hexagonal monument with a spire surmounted with a cross. This structure, pictured as a drawing below, is said to cover a well which a local priest fell into and drowned.

A local Cotswold rhyme points to the possible past poverty in the area Mincing Hampton and Painswick proud, Beggarly Bisley and strutting Stroud.

This accident was blamed on poor upkeep of the churchyard and as a result, the village was then punished because not only was the well sealed, but for a time burials could no longer be carried out there. The dead had to be taken to St Marys, the parish church of Bibury, where a large number of Bisley residents were buried in a section called the Bisley Piece.