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OCR B (SHP) Criteria at Norwich Castle

The study of Norwich Castle must focus on the relationship between the site, other historical sources and the aspects listed in a) to n).

Our additional historical sources can be found by following the links below and are in the following formats:

  • Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery History and Guide - pages 4-9 have been copied and are included in our resource pack
  • Maps
  • Photographs (the zoom tool can be used for those with small text)
  • Information and guides used by us to inform our museum displays and resources
  • Notes made from books, reports, conferences, etc
  • Magazine articles
  • Graphic panels from our museum displays
  • Primary sources, e.g. Chapel book, execution report
  • Textbooks
  • Pictures, drawings, images
  • Models
  • Animated films

A - The reasons for the location of the site within its surroundings

Castle, 1067-1345

  • Situated strategically at the end of a natural escarpment (steep slope), which lies to the south along the river
  • At the foot of the escarpment ran the major route from the south to the well-established Saxon town of Norwich

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison, 1345-1887

  • Norman castle used as a gaol from 1345 onwards
  • Became overcrowded. Prison reformer John Howard visited in 1776 and wrote a report to Parliament in 1777, highlighting terrible conditions in gaols around the country
  • New prison buildings were built in 1822-27 around the north and east walls, which had the most space on the mound
  • Courtroom was built at the bottom of the mound in 1822-27. It was linked to the prison for prisoner access via a spiral staircase and tunnel

Additional historical sources

Museum, 1887-present

  • Castle as symbol of civic and cultural pride for local people

Additional historical sources

B - When and why people first created the site

Castle, 1067-1345

  • 1067: new Norman king William I imposed his power on a Saxon population by building castles, including in Norwich
  • Normans demolished around 100 Saxon homes in Norwich
  • Motte and bailey: steep mound surrounded by deep, defensive, dry ditches and baileys (open spaces between ditches) to make it difficult for the enemy to reach
  • First Keep was made of wood so it could be built with speed. This also allowed the earth in the mottes (mounds) time to settle before building in stone began in 1094. Stone building completed by 1121
  • Local flint was used to build the Castle, but limestone was brought from Normandy to face it as a reminder of the wealth and power of the Normans
  • Normans installed a garrison of soldiers to keep law and order and prevent rebellion

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison, 1345-1887

  • Edward III sold the Castle fee (area around the Castle) and loaned the building to the city in 1345. It then became the county gaol
  • Became overcrowded. Prison reformer John Howard visited in 1776 and wrote a report to Parliament a year later
  • New prison buildings were built in 1822-27 around the north and east walls, which had the most space on the mound
  • Courtroom for prisoner trials was built at the bottom of the mound in 1822-27, linked to the prison for easy and safe access via a spiral staircase and tunnel

Additional historical sources

Museum, 1887-present

  • Castle as symbol of civic and cultural pride for local people

Additional historical sources

C - The ways in which the site has changed over time

Castle/royal palace, 1067-1345

  • Built as an awe-inspiring symbol of the king's power and military might
  • Today's castle is only a small part of the original 23-acre site
  • Visitors would have gone through a large gateway near what is now Prospect House, into a bailey (which now forms part of Castle Quarter shopping mall), across a drawbridge and bridge
  • Keep was and still is 21m high and 28m wide, with walls around 3m thick
  • The original doorway is on the first floor on the eastern side, protected by a forebuilding called the Bigod Tower
  • Bigod Tower has two arches - the larger one is elaborately carved - and a waiting room for the keep's Great Hall (half of the current balcony floor level). The Great Hall was where people met, ate, slept, etc. On this level, here was also a small kitchen, a mezzanine floor for musicians and garderobes (toilets)
  • The other half of the floor was made up of the king's private apartments, including bedrooms for himself and the queen, a fireplace, sink, a room with the top of the well in it, and a chapel
  • The only other floor in the Keep was the basement (the current main floor was put in when the castle became a museum - see later) which was used for storing food, drink, fuel, weapons etc
  • Foundations show that another hall was possibly built on the mound to the north of the keep in the 1280s

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison, 1345-1887

  • Edward III couldn't afford the upkeep of the building as the roof was starting to collapse, so sold the fee and loaned the building to the city in 1345
  • The Keep housed prisoners awaiting trials, plus debtors
  • By the late 17th Century, a house for the gaol governor was built on the mound
  • It is thought the hall, built in the 1280s, was converted into the Shirehall courtroom, which burnt down in 1746 and was rebuilt in 1749
  • During the 1730s the baileys were levelled out and became a cattle market
  • Architect Sir John Soane designed and built a new prison block in and around the Keep in 1789-1794,removing the original staircase up to the entrance door of the Keep
  • However, the buildings around the Keep were too small and so were demolished in the 1820s. Soane's gatehouses at the bottom of the bridge remained
  • Another new gaol designed by William Wilkins was built around the Keep in 1822-27 along with a courtroom at the bottom of the mound
  • Architect Anthony Salvin refaced the castle with Bath limestone, 1834-9
  • William White's description of the gaol in 1845 tells us there were 240 cells in the new prison buildings, 36 in the Keep (276 in total). He also tells us that there were 801 prisoners in 1835 and 813 in 1843

Additional historical sources

Museum, 1887-present day

  • Gaol moved to Mousehold Heath in 1887 and the process of converting the Castle's prison buildings into a museum began
  • Edward Boardman, a Norwich architect, was commissioned to convert the keep and prison
  • His work involved ripping out Soane's prison cell block
  • To support the new roof, open arches were built down the centre of the keep, another floor was put in above the basement and a balcony was installed at the level of the original Norman floor
  • The governor's house was replaced with a courtyard and gardens
  • The museum was opened in 1894 by the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary
  • A large development programme saw the construction of two new art galleries in 1950
  • The cattle market was replaced with a car park in 1960
  • In 1969, the central Rotunda was introduced, with the infilling of an open courtyard and garden to unify the museum and provide new facilities
  • A bar and restaurant were added in the 1970s
  • Between 1987 and 1991 the car park was excavated before Castle Mall (now Castle Quarter) indoor shopping and cinema complex was built on its site. It opened in 1993
  • £12m Heritage Lottery refurbishment in 2001 which included the building of an auditorium, Picnic Room, Education Room and shop 
  • The courtroom at the bottom of the mound was still used for trials until it moved to new buildings in Norwich in 1988. The room was then used for storage by Norfolk Museums Service until its refurbishment in 2013
  • Work started in March 2020 on an £18m redevelopment of the Keep and visitor spaces. A new entrance, atrium, shop, restaurant and Education Room opened in July 2024
  • The new entrance adapts the existing 1960s block known as the Percival Wing while incorporating elements of the Victorian fabric designed by architect Edward Boardman. The new entrance was designed by architects Feilden + Mawson, experts in the restoration and adaptation of historic buildings, who have worked on many projects in the city and region, including Norwich Cathedral. Building work was undertaken by Morgan Sindall Construction
  • Visitors arriving at the Castle on foot up the bridge are now welcomed through new main doors which are aligned directly with the bridge. They will be able to view, via a glazed roof, the east wall of the Norman Keep
  • On the ground floor visitors will also discover a new shop, larger than the previous space, with an open plan design and flexible retail units. The shop offers a wide range of carefully curated gifts, many of which feature items related to Norwich Castle's collections
  • Located on the first floor of the Percival, the new restaurant features a glass balcony offering visitors a view of the Keep as they dine. The emphasis will be on using the best locally sourced ingredients, with much of the menu made fresh on site
  • The Education Room on the second floor has been updated and is now a much larger space, complete with extensive purpose-built storage and a new projector for films and presentations. The new room means activities like painting or working with clay and other messier materials can be more easily accommodated

Additional historical sources

D - How the site has been used throughout its history

Castle/royal palace, 1067-1345

  • Built as a royal palace which explains the grand decoration of the building inside and out
  • No Norman kings actually lived in it, but the king's constable (his representative) and a garrison of soldiers were stationed here to administer the region
  • The day's business, feasts and entertaining took place in the Great Hall and this is also where most people would have slept
  • The king's constable had luxurious private chambers with a fireplace, sink, separate bedchambers and garderobes, and lavish decorations
  • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded the only time Henry I was known to visit Norwich: "In this year [1121], King Henry spent Christmas at Norwich."
  • The baileys were used for grazing livestock and housing the industries and dwellings associated with the Castle, e.g. main kitchens, blacksmith, armourer, prison
  • The south bailey became a cattle market, with drovers bringing livestock from around the region
  • The Castle was besieged three times - in 1075, 1173, 1216
  • The Castle was no longer a military centre in the 14th century following the building of the city walls 

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison, 1345-1887

  • Gaol/prison for at least 500 years (gaol is where suspects are held before trial; prison is where convicted criminals are held as punishment)
  • Shirehall courtroom on the Castle mound was used for trials
  • Baileys were levelled out in the 1730s and became a cattle market
  • New prison building in 1822-27 meant different types of prisoners could be kept in different blocks, with each prisoner having their own cell. There were also exercise yards in between blocks
  • New courtroom built in 1822-27 at the bottom of the mound for prisoners' trials

Additional historical sources

Museum, 1887-present

  • Incorporated the collections of the earlier Norfolk and Norwich Museum
  • The biggest and finest early collections were of natural history, particularly birds
  • Museum also now home to historical collections from Ancient Egypt, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods
  • Collection also includes the Norwich School of Artists (three generations of landscape artists who lived and worked in the first half of the 19th century) and others
  • Houses decorative arts from medieval period to present day, including silver, ceramics, jewellery, glass, costume, textiles and teapots
  • In 1960 the cattle market became a car park, which then became Castle Mall (now called Castle Quarter) in 1993

Additional historical sources

E - The diversity of activities and people associated with the site

Castle/royal palace

  • Henry I spent Christmas at the Castle in 1121
  • King's constable would have run the region with the backup of soldiers
  • Servants would have served food, cleaned, carried messages, etc.
  • High-status food was eaten during this period, including porpoise and rabbit
  • Workers in the baileys
  • Three sieges - 1075, 1173, 1216

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison

  • John Howard reported in 1777 that:
    • Prisoners had to pay a fee to enter and if they wanted a bed
    • Prisoners were given 20oz bread a day, plus some cheese and coal
    • Upper gaol had 10 rooms for debtors
    • Lower gaol had several rooms for debtors and felons
    • Pump and bath in the middle of the gaol
    • Down a ladder was a dungeon for male felons which was flooded
    • Small room for female felons, separated from the men
    • Two airy rooms for sick inmates
    • Gaoler was humane and respected
    • Felons and debtors made laces, purses and nets and sold them from the gates
    • Nurse or matron provided straw and bread
    • Surgeon could order broth, gruel, milk-pottage
    • Charity paid for three sermons a year
  • Although Howard's report says men and women were separated, there are reports of babies being born in the gaol
  • From the 19th century, the gaoler was in charge of a team of turnkeys (guards) who were responsible for security and maintaining order
  • Prisoners had their own cell and a standard diet. They faced brutal tasks, such as the treadmill. At first the treadmill ground grain for a local bakery then later was used to keep the water system full; once the waster system happened, the prisoners just walked on compressed air
  • Trials took place in the courtroom, and involved judges, lawyers, prisoners, jury members, witness, clerks, reporters and the public

Additional historical sources

Museum

  • Museum workers - Visitor Services, Building Services, Learning, Curators, Display and Conservation teams

Additional historical sources

F - The reasons for changes to the site and to the way it was used

  • Military and administrative importance of the keep declined due to the building of the city walls in the 14th century and the Guildhall in the 15th century and so the Keep began to be used as a gaol
  • The baileys fell into disrepair and were levelled out and used as a cattle market from 1730s
  • By mid-18th century the prison was overcrowded. John Howard, a well-known prison reformer, wrote a report about it in 1777, highlighting conditions 
  • Soane's prison was built in 1789-1794 to the side of the keep, but was too small and so was demolished in the 1820s and replaced with Wilkins's prison, which had cell blocks radiating out from the gaoler's house in the middle
  • Due to erosion of the Normandy limestone, the Keep was re-faced with Bath stone (1834-39) in order to restore it to how it would have looked when the Normans first built it. The only difference in the re-faced Keep is that the whole exterior is now faced in stone while the original building was flint up to the first floor on the exterior
  • Became unfit for purpose and so the prison moved to Mousehold Heath in 1887
  • Donation from John Gurney of £5,000 to turn it into a museum, 1887-94
  • The cattle market moved to a larger site to the south of the city in 1960 and its old site became a car park before then becoming a shopping and cinema complex in 1993
  • The courtroom at the bottom of the mound also became unfit for purpose and, after trials moved to new buildings in 1988, the space was used for storage by Norfolk Museums Service until money was raised to refurbish it in 2013

Additional historical sources

G - Significant times in the site's past: peak activity, major developments, turning points

  • 1067 - Normans demolished around 100 Saxon homes to make way for the Castle
  • 1075 - Lady Emma and the 1075 rebellion: Ralph de Gauder, Earl of East Anglia, rebelled against William I. He left his wife Emma alone to defend the Castle for three months while he fled to Brittany. William won the Castle back after a three-month siege
  • 1121 - The stone Keep was completed and Henry I spent Christmas here
  • 1173 - The Castle, under the guardianship of constable Hugh Bigod, was taken by Flemish invaders on behalf of Prince Henry, against the prince's father, Henry II. The king took back control the following year
  • 1215-16 - Prince Louis of France took the Castle after being invited to England by English barons unhappy with King John. Louis was sent back to France after John died and John's son, Henry III, took the throne
  • 1345 - Edward III relinquished the Castle as a royal palace. It was used as the county gaol
  • 1730s - The baileys were levelled out and became a cattle market
  • 1789-1794 - Sir John Soane built a new gaol inside and around the keep
  • 1822-27 - Soane's gaol was demolished and replaced with William Wilkins's design. Courtroom built at bottom of mound
  • 1834-39 - Anthony Salvin began re-facing the Castle with Bath limestone
  • 1887-94 - Architect Edward Boardman submits plans for converting the gaol to a museum. Excavation and building work begins
  • 1894 - The Castle was converted into a museum, which was opened on 23 October by the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George V and Queen Mary
  • 1950 - A large development programme saw the construction of two new art galleries
  • 1960 - The cattle market was replaced with a car park
  • 1969 - An open courtyard and garden were infilled to create the central Rotunda, to unify the museum and provide new facilities
  • 1987-91 - Car park excavated
  • 1993 - Castle Mall shopping and cinema complex opens on the car park site
  • 2001 - Norwich Castle was relaunched after a Heritage Lottery-funded refurbishment which included the building of an auditorium, Picnic Room, Education Room and shop
  • 2006 - Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) includes the Castle in its Norwich 12 initiative, which promoted the 12 most important buildings in Norwich
  • 2020 - a £18m redevelopment of the Keep began. The project will transform the Keep's internal spaces by rebuilding its medieval floors and rooms so that visitors can experience a Norman royal palace and its stories. It is one of the largest heritage projects of its kind currently underway in the UK. The major funder is the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Additional historical sources

H - The significance of specific features in the physical remains at the site

Castle/royal palace

  • The Bigod Arch was the original entrance to the royal hall in the Keep. The elaborate carvings on the doorway show symbols of wealth and power including the classical winged horse (Normans believed they were the next Romans), a dragon, an eagle, a kneeling knight (a reminder of the feudal system) and royal hunting scenes (referencing William's hunting laws, which were hated by the local population). These symbols acted as reminders to the Saxons of who was now in power
  • Kitchen - this was unusual in a castle as food was usually cooked outside in the bailey, then brought inside. Some think that food was re-heated here before being served - a Medieval microwave!
  • Garderobes - communal toilets so people could 'do their business' and be 'privy to information'. Waste would have come down the Castle's west wall near where the Saxons lived, perhaps reminding them what the Normans thought of them!
  • The well was the first thing to be built and is around 40m deep. It would have stretched all the way to the top floor of the keep where it was probably enclosed within a room of its own
  • Fireplace and sink (water would have come out of the lion's mouth on the outside of the wall) in the south wall in the king's quarters was a reminder of how wealthy the Normans were
  • The chapel window faces southeast, not east to Jerusalem - perhaps a reminder to the Pope and his priests that they were not the only ones in charge. Or it could be that because the altar needed to be built in a semi-circle, it was easier to do this on a corner than along a straight wall
  • Graffiti on the chapel walls show knights fighting - perhaps a prayer to look after them in battle?

Additional historical sources

Gaol/prison

  • Graffiti elsewhere show religious carvings and declarations of innocence made by Medieval prisoners
  • Wilkins's prison in 1822-27 was designed so the gaoler's house and chapel were in the centre with cell blocks radiating out from them so the gaoler could 'oversee' all prisoners and be a source of inspiration to them
  • Grave markings of murderers who were hanged outside Norwich Castle and whose bodies were not allowed to be buried in churchyards

Additional historical sources

I - The importance of the whole site either locally or nationally, as appropriate

  • Norwich landmark for over 900 years
  • One of the finest surviving secular (non-religious) Norman buildings in Europe
  • Norfolk's principal museum and art gallery from 1894
  • Collections are designated as being nationally significant and include archaeology, fine and decorative arts, natural history and geology
  • Egyptian displays include many artefacts from ancient Egyptian tombs, between 2,500-4,500 years ago. These artefacts were donated from collections of wealthy Norfolk travellers who visited Egypt during the 19th century and include rare exhibits such as a clay model of a granary. One of the most stunning artefacts is the mummy of Ankh Hor, which was presented to the Castle in 1928 by King George V
  • Boudica Gallery tells the story of how one Norfolk woman nearly beat the Romans and displays Celtic treasures such as torcs (neck rings worn as symbols of power) and silver coins
  • Roman Gallery tells how the Romans influenced British life through roads, towns, bathing, water supplies, shops, medicine, sewers and entertainment
  • Anglo-Saxon collection is one of the best in the region
  • Natural History: the Bird Gallery has examples of nearly every species found in Britain
  • Norwich School of Artists: Norfolk landscape artists including John Crome, a talented landscape painter, and John Sell Cotman, one of Britain's outstanding water colourists
  • Decorative Arts: Norwich was England's second city until late 18th century and played an important role in decorative arts and manufacture, including nationally important silver, ceramics, jewellery, glass, costume and textiles. Most important is Lowestoft Porcelain, 1757-1800, many pieces made to order and inscribed with customers' names
  • Teapots: with around 3,000 examples, the collection is the finest of its kind in the world
  • Named as one of the Norwich 12 by HEART in 2006 - one of 12 buildings within the city which collectively represent a millennium of urban development

Additional historical sources

J - The typicality of the site based on a comparison with other similar sites

Similarities between Norwich Castle and Norman castles in general

Outside

  • Motte or mound
  • A big stone keep
  • Large stone building blocks and thick walls
  • Curved, arched doorways
  • Small, narrow windows for shooting arrows
  • Bailey or yard at bottom of motte
  • A moat and drawbridge

Inside

  • Dark, cramped, noisy, smelly, smoky

Differences

  • Does not have a great tower
  • Not as smoky as other castles as the two fireplaces in the outer walls had chimneys or smoke outlets. However, the fire in the centre of the Great Hall didn't have an outlet
  • Built as a royal palace so not as grim and stark as other castles of the period - Falaise in Normandy is the closest but not as decorative as Norwich Castle
  • Prison buildings and a courtroom built around the Castle in 1822-27

Other castles of the period

  • Immediately after the Norman Conquest castles were built at a number of places to deter attempts at local rebellion. Pevensey (Sussex), Hastings (Sussex) and Dover (Kent) were all built to protect William's strategic connection with Normandy across the English Channel
  • Elsewhere during the 1070s William ordered the building of stone castles at Colchester and London, the latter now known as the White Tower (part of the Tower of London)
  • Slightly later in date are Norwich and Rochester Castles, where work began during the reign of William II (1087-1100).  These early castles were also palaces where the king could receive his powerful subjects and dispense justice
  • As in Normandy these stone castles in England were accompanied by timber castles built by powerful barons, usually with the agreement of the king. These timber castles protected the baron from attacks by his enemies and were a means of demonstrating his power to the surrounding population. Over a period of time these timber castles were rebuilt in stone
  • During the Middle Ages the role of the castle began to change. Gradually the king ceased to visit the larger castles such as Colchester and Norwich. At the same time their defensive role declined as they were unable to resist attack by cannon. Instead the role of some castles, such as Colchester and Norwich, was reduced to being a gaol. Smaller castles continued to be built but these were more prestigious country houses rather than military strongholds
  • In the 17th century, at the time of the English Civil War, some castles in England (though not Norwich) briefly served a military purpose and, in some cases, were badly damaged as a result. Others such as Rochester fell gradually into ruin, losing their roofs and floors and becoming covered in vegetation. Some castles, including Caen from 1718 and Dover from 1744, were used to house military garrisons. Finally, some castles became museums, as was the case at Colchester in 1860 and Norwich in 1894.

Additional historical sources

Similarities between Norwich Castle Prison and Pentonville Prison

  • Gaolers' house in the middle of the prison so gaoler could oversee and inspire prisoners
  • Exercise yards in between cell blocks
  • Different blocks for different types of prisoners, e.g. criminal, debtors
  • Hard labour for prisoners, e.g. treadmill, picking oakum

Differences

  • Norwich Castle Keep was part of the prison, with cells and an exercise yard inside the Keep
  • Norwich used the silent system (where prisoners aren't allowed to speak to each other) until 1850, whereas Pentonville was designed for the separate system from when it was built in 1842. The separate system kept prisoners apart - they only left their cells for religious services and exercises

Additional historical sources

Similarities between Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery and other county museums

  • Galleries on the county's history, artefacts, natural history and art

Differences (possible!)

  • Norman keep
  • 19th century prison buildings and courtroom
  • Nationally significant collections

Additional historical sources

  • Other museums

K - What the site reveals about everyday life, attitudes and values in particular periods of history

Castle/royal palace, 1067-1345

  • Normans built the Castle as a royal palace to remind the Saxons of the Normans' wealth and power:

    • Brought over limestone from Caen to show Norman wealth and power
    • Carvings included a knight kneeling (how to greet a king) and hunting scenes (only the king was allowed to hunt)
    • Faeces came down the side of the Castle facing the Saxon quarter of the city
    • Water from a sink and smoke from a fireplace facing the French quarter of the city. Fireplace on the side of the building was considered wasteful but Normans wanted to show off their wealth. They were also borrowing from the Romans
  • Normans drew on architecture and images of ancient Rome (Bigod arches, classical carvings) as they believed they themselves were the next big empire and civilisation
  • Normans also needed somewhere to accommodate the king, his constable and soldiers in case of rebellion
  • Great Hall hosted feasts, fighting gallery was used by servants carrying messages and food, kitchen was used to warm food up before it was served, and musicians played on the mezzanine floor
  • Garderobes or toilets were where the Normans hung their clothes as they knew that moths wouldn't go near their toilets (ammonia in urine repels them). The toilets were communal so people could also use them to meet up and have conversations. Daisy wheel carving to ward off evil spirits
  • The king's apartments took up half of the castle, which shows how important he was. There was a window-room next to his bedroom which allowed him to see the city and be seen by people outside
  • Chapel altar faces south-east towards the political capital London and not dead east towards the religious capital of Jerusalem; could show that the Normans wanted to remind the Pope and his priests that they also held power in England. Or it could be that because the altar needed to be built in a semi-circle, it was easier to do this on a corner than along a straight wall

Additional historical sources

Gaol, 1345-1822

  • Place where suspects were held before trials, and where debtors were held
  • Suspects had to pay for everything - food, bedding, clothes, etc. Conditions were horrendous as everyone was held together (men, women, children, suspects of minor and major crimes, debtors, etc), the food was very basic, flooding took place, there was no central heating and there were rats. This shows no-one thought suspects were worth looking after
  • Punishment for many crimes was hanging, which was done outside of the Castle to crowds of thousands. The use of public executions demonstrates that the government thought capital punishment was a good idea which would deter people from committing crimes, while the people saw hangings as entertainment
  • John Howard's 1777 report highlighted the conditions in gaols around the country

Additional historical sources

Prison, 1822-1888

  • New gaol buildings were built in 1789-94 but were too small, so they were demolished. Another set of buildings and a courtroom were erected in 1822-27, incorporating the most up-to-date systems of prison management and trials: gaoler's house in the middle with cell blocks and exercise yards radiating out from it so he could 'oversee' the prison and be a source of inspiration to his prisoners; spiral staircase and tunnel linking the prison with the courtroom
  • From 1820s, prison became a punishment in itself. Hanging was only for murder and treason
  • Norwich used the silent system (where prisoners aren't allowed to speak to each other) until 1850 when they employed the separate system instead. The silent system kept prisoners apart - they only left cells for religious services and exercises
  • Prisoners were punished with hard labour and boring, repetitive and sometime unnecessary work. For example, they might have to work on the treadmill, which was used to first grind corn and then later to pump water around the prison. Once the water system was full, the treadmill switched to compressing air
  • A schoolroom was located in the current shop area. Norwich was one of the first prisons to have a school master to teach the prisoners reading, writing and some kind of skill. This demonstrates that the gaoler believed in rehabilitation of prisoners
  • Hangings were public until 1868, but public executions did not terrify people into keeping the law
  • After execution, a murderer's body would be buried within the Castle walls with a simple stone slab with the person's initials and year of execution on it (they were not allowed to be buried in churchyards)

Additional historical sources

Museum, 1887-present

  • Victorians were great collectors and wanted to show others their curiosities, e.g. the Fitch Room displays the collections of Robert Fitch, who donated Saxon and Roman finds, porcelain, books, minerals and geological specimens
  • Museum won £12m from Heritage Lottery Fund for refurbishment in 2001, which shows how important the museum is
  • Museum awarded £18m, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, for redeveloping the Keep and visitor spaces, from 2020 onwards

Additional historical sources

L - How the physical remains may prompt questions about the past and how historians frame these as valid historical enquiries

  • Who built it? Who changed it? Who used it?
  • What is it? What changes has it seen? What was it used for?
  • When was it built? When was it changed? When was it used?
  • Why was it built? Why was it changed? Why was it used?
  • How was it built? How was it changed? How was it used? How much did it cost to build/change?
  • Where was it built? Where was it changed? Where did the people who used it come from?

M - How the physical remains can inform artistic reconstructions and other interpretations of the site

N - The challenges and benefits of studying the historic environment

Benefits

  • Gives a sense of place, well-being and cultural identity
  • Defines and enhances a connection of people to a place, such as regional and local distinctiveness
  • Stimulating and life-enhancing way to engage with history

Challenges

  • Difficult to interpret due to lack of sources and evidence
  • Different interpretations of the same site
  • Lack of written sources

Additional historical sources

Further information

If you have any questions on the above, please contact Jenni Williams on 01603 494898 or jenni.williams@norfolk.gov.uk.

 

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