(photo by Roy Pledger - see
In the days before police
constables as we know them plodded the streets of our towns and villages,
general law and order was a somewhat haphazard affair. Quite often it would be
the local churchwardens who would be pressed into service when a miscreant was identified – and any troublesome
individuals would, temporarily at least, be thrown into a local ‘lock-up’ until
they cooled down a bit.
There are not a lot of these
curious little buildings left, but one such strongroom remains in the village
of Staindrop – still resolutely attached to the substantial church of
St.Mary’s. Very little is known about its history, other than it was originally added to
the south aisle several hundred years ago as a vestry to the chantry chapel
(the Lady Chapel, actually) to which it is attached. Its change of use
necessitated the opening up of an external door (see above – right-hand window)
– indeed early photographs of the building still show the door intact. It has
since been reformed into a window.
Posts
