Editing Lancaster Castle (section)

===Gaol===
[[File:Shire Hall, Lancaster Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1600008.jpg|thumb|right|The Shire Hall]]
In 1554, the martyr [[George Marsh (martyr)|George Marsh]] was held at the castle before standing trial at [[Chester Cathedral]].<ref>Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe</ref> Some [[Quakers]], including in 1660 [[George Fox]], were held at the castle for being politically dangerous.<ref name="Champness 17"/> County gaols, such as this one, were intended to hold prisoners for short periods immediately before trial. The castle also served as a [[debtors' prison]]. In the 18th&nbsp;century it became more common for county gaols to hold longer-term prisoners; as a result they began to suffer from overcrowding.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=22}}</ref>

Prison reformer [[John Howard (prison reformer)|John Howard]] (1726–1790) visited Lancaster in 1776 and noted the conditions in the prison. His efforts to instigate reform led to prisoners in gaols throughout the country being separated by gender and category of their crime. Improvements were also made to sanitation; in the 18th&nbsp;century more people died from [[gaol fever]] than by hanging. In the last two decades of the century, around £30,000 was spent rebuilding Lancaster's county gaol.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|pp=23–25}}</ref> Architect [[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]] was commissioned to complete the work. Under his auspices, the Gaoler's House was built in 1788 in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]]. Separate prisons were built for men and women.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=27}}</ref> The Shire Hall and Crown Court were complete by 1798. Harrison had to divide his time between Lancaster and designing and building [[Chester Castle]]'s Shire Hall and Courts; work at Lancaster slowed, partly because of dwindling funds due to [[War of the Second Coalition|war with France]], and Harrison was released from the work as the Justices of the Peace felt it was taking too long. The artist [[Robert Freebairn]] was paid £500 to paint twelve watercolours of the work in 1800 to be presented to the Duke of Lancaster, King [[George III|George&nbsp;III]].<ref name="Champness 29">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=29}}</ref> In 1802 the castle received more funding and [[Joseph Gandy]] was commissioned to complete the interiors of the Shire Hall and Crown Court.<ref name="Champness 30">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=30}}</ref>

[[File:HangingCorner.JPG|right|thumb|"Hanging Corner" – the site of public executions until 1865. The double doors on the right led to the [[gallows]] situated in front of the sealed archway.]]
[[File:Lancaster Castle (Courtyard).jpg|thumb|The courtyard of Lancaster Castle (2021)]]
Those sentenced to death before c. 1800 at the castle were usually taken to Lancaster Moor, near where the [[Ashton Memorial]] now stands, to be hanged. After the Georgian remodelling of the castle, it was decided it would be more convenient to perform executions nearer the castle. The spot chosen became known as Hanging Corner. Lancaster has a reputation as the court that sentenced more people to death than any other in England. This is partly because until 1835 Lancaster Castle was the only [[Assizes (England and Wales)|Assize Court]] in the entire county and covered rapidly growing industrial centres including [[Manchester]] and [[Liverpool]].<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=34}}</ref> Between 1782 and 1865, around 265&nbsp;people were hanged at Lancaster; the executions were frequently attended by thousands of people crowded into the churchyard. The [[Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868]] ended public executions, requiring that criminals be put to death in private, after which 6 executions were performed inside the castle, at first from the Chapel steps, then later in a purpose-built execution shed, on the inside wall of Hanging Corner. This shed remained until the mid-20th Century, allegedly still containing the Gallows. The last execution (of Thomas Rawcliffe, murderer) at Lancaster took place in 1910.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=35}}</ref> The prison closed in 1916 due to a national decrease in the number of prisoners, although for part of the [[First World War]] it held German civilians and military [[prisoners of war]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVgrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57 |title=Great War Britain Lancaster: Remembering 1914-18|first1= Ian|last1= Gregory|first2=Corinna |last2=Peniston-Bird|first3=Peter |last3=Donnelly|first4=Michael|last4= Hughes|publisher= The History Press|year=2017|isbn= 978-0750968256}}</ref>

[[Image:Lancaster castle and priory.jpg|left|thumb|230x230px| The rear of the castle and the adjacent Priory]]Between 1931 and 1937 the castle was used by the [[Lancashire County Council|county council]] to train police officers. Lancaster was once again designated for use as a prison from 1954 onwards when the council leased the castle to the [[Home Office]]. The last Assizes were held at Lancaster in 1972. As the court and prison were so close, and contained within the castle walls, Lancaster was used for high-security trials.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=40}}</ref>

The castle formally opened as [[HM Prison Lancaster]] in 1955, becoming a [[Prison security categories in the United Kingdom|Category C]] prison for male inmates, and a venue for the [[Crown Court]]. In July 2010 the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]] announced it was intending to close it, stating it was outdated and costly.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-10786851 |title=Lancaster Castle prison 'may become tourist spot' |publisher=BBC News |date=28 July 2010 |access-date=19 August 2010}}</ref> The prison closure was confirmed for March 2011.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12178498 |title=Prisons shutdown unveiled by government |publisher=BBC News |date=13 January 2011 |access-date=13 January 2011}}</ref>