Talk:Lancaster Castle

Marsh's accounts written in gaol
Surely what George Marsh wrote in Actes and Monuments while he was imprisoned here. is wholly relevant? Although there is no plaque, one immediately thinks of what John Bunyan wrote at Beford Gaol. I agree his own article should also be improved. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:51, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't know Lancaster Castle well - does the George Marsh point typically appear in secondary sources about the castle? (e.g. does it get a mention in standard histories of the castle, etc.) Hchc2009 (talk) 09:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I think it does, but I do not have any of the written sources quoted to hand. Just for interest, here is the primary source:, with quite a few mentions of Lancaster. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:59, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Marsh didn't write Actes and Monuments. It is a record of martyrs of which Marsh was one. It is nevertheless undue as this article is about a castle NOT George Marsh. J3Mrs (talk) 10:07, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The Bedford Gaol article isn't about John Bunyan. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:14, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

The issue of the castle as a prison is an interesting one. Sadly, Lancaster Castle isn't the subject of a large monograph, but Champness' book is reasonably detailed and he doesn't mention Marsh. Looking back t the Wikipedia article, I'm not entirely happy with how I included George Fox in such an off-handed manner. It doesn't really indicate why Fox is significant as a prisoner. I'm half tempted to remove mention of both Marsh and Fox as it's starting to look like a list of prisoners. Now that might make an interesting article. More likely though, I might expand the first paragraph of the gaol section. Nev1 (talk) 18:29, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
 * These both sound perfectly reasonable suggestions, although I'd certainly favour the latter option. A list of notable prisoners, just at the end of that section, might not be a bad idea in itself. It seems that the "lively debate" about Marsh has moved to his own article Talk Page. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

There were also several Catholic martyrs held there, Luddites, witches and goodness knows who else. Removing them seems like the best option to avoid drifting off-topic. J3Mrs (talk) 18:05, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd suggest that, along with most other prison articles, "Notable former inmates" is very much on-topic. The fact that it's a very ancient and historic gaol makes that even more relevant. I guess that an alternative might even be a separate article, especially in view of the planned public opening. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:49, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Anything with "notable" in a heading is asking for trivial off-topic drift. J3Mrs (talk) 18:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * These guys don't look particularly trivial to me. But I'm sure you'll soon sort them out. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:47, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Lists can be useful, though have to be treated carefully. A list of prisoners of the Tower of London seems like a sensible topic for a stand-alone list since the subject has gained a lot of interest, but when you include such lists in broader articles it runs the risk of unbalancing them. I think that would be the case here, but would have no objections to a stand-alone list, the introduction of which could focus on the use of the castle as a prison. Nev1 (talk) 21:35, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Yes, I think you may be right. This is after all, an article about a castle. Coming back to where we started. I think a few words about Actes and Monuments would not go amiss. Martinevans123 (talk) 21:47, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * That is exactly the kind of off-topic drift I am talking about. J3Mrs (talk) 21:52, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Perhaps we'll have to wait for Books, or parts of books, written in prison. Maybe just a category. It's a notable book. He's a notable prisoner. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:37, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Broken Link
The link to lancastercastle.org is not functioning. Should it be removed ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.68.140.29 (talk) 10:11, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Wery Wall
Hello, Is anyone able to help me to find where to put this information about the Wery Wall which surrounds the site of the castle (I should probably apologise for any errors as I'm writing this after midnight - but if I don't do it now I probably won't get chance for a while!)

During the Roman era in the 4th century, the fort was surrounded by the “Wery Wall” which is believed to translate as the ‘green wall’ .The wall, described as being a 3m thick, , "‘indestructible mass' with a defensive ditch , now only remains visible on the east slope of Castle Hill Burke suggests the wall may have been visible in more places 100 years prior to his writing in 1849 however, it is unclear were the wall would have been . The remaining Wery Wall measures 4m x 3m x 3m and consists of only rubble due to the facing stones being stolen.
 * Thanks - I've added this to the Layout section of the article. Bazonka (talk) 12:31, 28 September 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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HM Prison Lancaster merge
Hello. There is an ongoing proposal for the HM Prison Lancaster page to merge into this article.

For courtesy, here is the talk page where this has been initiated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:HM_Prison_Lancaster

Ta-Ta! Pax Brittanica (talk) 04:30, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

Crown Court
It might be Lancashire County Council who lease the building, but it certainly isn't them who operate the Crown Court - that would be HMCTS. Harris (talk) 10:33, 23 June 2021 (UTC)