Hidden highwaymen
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Murder at Berkeley Castle
A 300 year old murder riddle, a dead Earl's jester in a castle, a mintrels' gallery and missing coroner's report. Find out how the team expose what really happened in murder at Berkley Castle.
Alice Boyd has lived in Devizes for just over 10 years and has had her interest raised by a ‘Robber’s Stone’ on the Ordnance Survey map. She wants to know more about the robbers’ side of the story, and the history of crime and punishment in this case.
Nick is searching the archive to find out more about the robbers and their victim Matthew Dean. Jonathan and Miranda visit the stone which leads Jonathan to explore Devizes, the town where the robbers came from. Miranda meets a local journalist, Lewis Cowen, who shows her the hanging green where most highwaymen met their fate. Miranda then visits the local museum and reads a newspaper that gives a full and detailed account of what happened. Nick’s first major discovery is that all the robbers had been in trouble before.
Miranda and Jonathan recreate the ambush to show how effective it could have been. They follow the story as one robber died during the chase and the others were taken to the local courthouse.
Miranda finds the victim's great, great grand daughter and discovers that the village of Imber where he lived is now in the middle of an Army training ground. Jonathan and Miranda manage to get the tanks called off and investigate Matthew Dean’s house, it has been rebuilt but there are some clues.
Jonathan investigates the site of the prison where the robbers were kept. It is now a housing estate but some hints to its past use still remain and enable Jonathan to paint a picture of the prison that no longer stands.
Miranda meets local historian and blacksmith, John Girvan. His workshop is an Aladdin’s cave of prison treasure, he even makes Miranda a neck iron.
Nick has been exploring Trowbridge local archives and has found out that the robbers were transported. Nick has found the logs of the ship that they were transported in to Tasmania. He even has some information on their lives after arrival. The piece de la resistance is a further stone to find in the middle of Salisbury Plain.
What will Alice make of the incredible story that we’ve uncovered?
Content last updated: 06/12/2005
