Planning your Visit to the
Historic
Warwick Courts
We’re looking forward to welcoming your group to the
historic Warwick Courts, Northgate Street, Warwick,
CV34 4EW
But before your session, it is helpful to read this sheet, as it includes
lots of helpful information and advice that will enhance the
experience of your session.
If you are coming by coach we recommend that your coach
drops you outside Shire Hall. Drive into Northgate Street and
follow the road round to the right and park outside Shire Hall offices
(CV34 4RL). Then walk back to Northgate Street.
•
Please enter on foot via the blue door in Northgate Street (up a
short flight of steps and with columns either side).
•
The session will include a tour of the building, including the
courtrooms and cells. The building is old and cannot be accessed
by people with mobility issues as some of the staircases are steep
and there is limited room to move around.
•
Part of the session also involves a role play, where we re-enact
a real court case that took place in Victorian times, the details of
which come from our archives. It would be very helpful if you could
look at the list of characters (student list.xls) that will be sent to you
and choose children to take the different roles beforehand. Please
then bring the completed list along with you on the day of the
session, where it can be handed into a member of Heritage
Education. This will save us time on the day. We would ask that
you do NOT tell pupils what role they will be taking; if you hand in
the completed form to us on the day we will tell them at the
appropriate time during the session. It would, however, be helpful
for them to know which colour group they are in beforehand and, if
possible, to come wearing a name badge with the appropriate
colour on it (a sticky label coloured in will be fine).
•
We have included some information for you and your pupils to
familiarise yourself with before the session about law and order in
Victorian times., should you wish
•
Warwickshire County Council
Put Your Pupils in the
Dock!
A unique opportunity to recreate real trials
from the 1850s in the actual courts they
were first tried.
A one day workshop for Secondary students at the old
Warwick Crown Courts.
Your students will not only have access to the old Warwick
Crown Courts, (including the cells, Judges’ House and 17th
century dungeon space) but they will also have the
opportunity to explore documents from some actual cases
before recreating the trial for themselves.
The day starts with a tour around this amazing building,
including the Victorian courts, the more modern cells and the
17th century dungeon. Your school will then be split into two
groups to look at different cases taken from Quarter Session
records held by the County Record Office.
For each case the pupils will look at full details of each of the
crimes including the evidence taken from original depositions
from the witnesses and the defendants at the time of the
trials.
Once the cases have been researched your pupils will be
given roles to play for the re-enactments of the cases at trial.
There is a role for everyone, including judges, jury,
prosecution and defendants as well as a court artist and
press reporters.
Not only will your students experience an amazing building
and explore original historical documents, they also get to
learn about how the penal system of the past differs from
justice process today.
Put Your Pupils in the Dock
Learning objectives: Students will learn:
•
About the Victorian penal system and how it differed from our system today
•
To re-enact a real trial from the Victorian period
•
To learn about the types of written and visual evidence that exist in archives to tell
us about the past
•
To analyse primary and secondary evidence and to construct an argument based
on this analysis
•
To present their findings in a dramatical context
Learning outcomes: Children can:
• make inferences about what the justice system was like in the past .
• Make inferences about what people’s lives were like in the past
The following thinking skills are also covered:
•
Information Processing: Comparing/contrasting information; Identifying and
analysing relationships.
•
Reasoning: Giving reasons for opinions/actions; Inferring; Making deductions;
Using precise language to reason.
•
Enquiry: Asking questions; Drawing conclusions.
•
Creativity: Applying imagination in a role play context
.
Website: heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk
Teachers Responsibilities:
Supervision:
•
•
•
•
•
In all instances the teacher to pupil ration must be a minimum of 1:8. We
recommend that you try and bring 1:5 as it enhances the quality of the
children’s learning experience.
Adult supervisors must stay with their group for the entire visit.
Teachers remain in loco parentis and therefore should have seen a copy of
the risk assessments and have signed this document.
It is the responsibility of the individual teachers and leader to visit the site in
order to conduct risk assessments that are specific to their group and that fulfil
their policy requirements.
We recommend that teachers arrange a free pre-visit, where they can conduct
their own risk assessment and discuss any special requirements.
Behaviour:
•
Teachers/ adult supervisors from the school are required to inform and
enforce behavioural expectation whilst on a museum visit.
Health and Safety:
•
Responsibility for FIRST AID rests with the teachers, in all instances following
school policy and guidelines. Teachers must bring their own first aid kits with
them.
Photography:
•
The responsibility for obtaining parental consent for taking of photographs or
video images lies with the school. Photography is allowed in the Museum,
though not in the schoolroom itself whilst the session is taking place.
What to expect from Heritage Education:
•
•
•
All HE staff responsible for leading sessions have enhanced CRB disclosures.
WE have public liability insurance
All HS staff will demonstrate exemplary behaviour, ensuring that a positive
culture and climate is created during all museum visits.
Please sign here to confirm you have read and understood the above and the
programme for your booking
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please bring this form with you and hand to the member of staff before your session
Courts of Justice
By the nineteenth century, there were three types of courts for criminal to be brought to
justice: Magistrates' Courts (Quarter Sessions and Petty Sessions), Assize Courts, and
the Court of King's (or Queen's) Bench. The crimes we will be studying in the session
come from the Quarter Sessions records.
The Quarter Sessions courts were set up in 1371 and tried non-capital crimes (that is,
crimes that were not punishable by the death penalty). Capital offences would have
been tried at the County Assizes. The Quarter Sessions were held four times a year, at
the Epiphany (around January), Easter (March/April), Midsummer (June/July), and
Michaelmas sessions (September/October). As well as non-capital crimes, they dealt
with a range of administrative tasks. The Quarter Sessions were presided over by two
or more Justices of the Peace for the county and a jury. They dealt with appeals from
the Petty Sessions.
In 1971 the Quarter Sessions and Assize Courts merged to become the Crown Courts.
In the 19th century the passing of sentences and the punishing of criminals in the
Quarter Sessions was carried out by the Justices of the Peace (JPs). JPs had authority to arrest suspects, investigate alleged crimes and punish offenders.
Those appointed as JPs were usually land owners or men of great substance, whose
social position and economic power meant their authority would not be questioned.
Witnesses, Lawyers and Juries
A person on trial today will have access to a defence lawyer and legal advice. Life was
very different in the 19th century. Until the mid 19th century, the prosecutor was usually the victim themselves. Defendants rarely had access to a lawyer unless charged
with a capital offence. By Victorian times, travelling solicitors provided some help.
They
travelled from court to court and charged One Guinea (£1.05) for their services. Although this was not a huge sum, it was a lot more than most people could afford. Legal
aid was not available. So the solicitors were used only in about half of all cases.
Judges therefore also played a major role in conducting trials, examining witnesses
and the accused.
Whichever plea was entered, ' Guilty' or 'Not Guilty', evidence of the crime was heard.
Defendants were expected to prove their innocence, whereas nowadays defendants
are innocent until proven guilty.
At that time, jurors were usually all male
Sentencing
In the 19th century, the jury normally took very little time to reach a decision. The jury
could choose between guilty, not guilty or deliver a partial verdict (which meant that defendants were found guilty of part of the charges against them). Juries would also sometimes return a verdict of guilty, with a recommendation for mercy. This could be because
an offender was very young or it was a first offence or there was no intent to use violence.
Sometimes judges would place pressure on juries to return a particular verdict.
Although specific punishments available depended on the offence for which the
defendant was convicted, the judges had considerable flexibility in choosing
punishments, often leading to a haphazard and inconsistent sentencing across the country. For example, defendants accused of stealing goods worth 40 shillings or more from a
dwelling house, had to be sentenced to death. Juries could reduce the value of the goods
to below 40 shillings, to avoid this statutory penalty.
Evidence of previous convictions was heard before sentence was passed, as these had a
bearing on the severity of the sentence given
Punishment
By the Victorian era, prison had become an acceptable punishment for serious
offenders and it was also seen as a means to prevent crime. It had become the main form
of punishment for a wide range of offences, replacing capital punishment and transportation for all but the most serious crimes. The regime was described as ‘hard bed, hard
board and hard labour' and had little to do with rehabilitation.
Victorian prisons would seem very harsh to us but they were an improvement on
earlier prisons, which were eventually improved as a result of prison reformers such as
John Howard and Elizabeth Fry.
Many felt, if prison was to be a punishment, then it must offer a deterrent, so people
would want to avoid being sent there. Therefore, the food was poor and conditions uncomfortable. Prisoners often slept on hard plank beds, food was deliberately boring and inmates had to work hard on boring, often pointless tasks. Prisoners were often kept in isolation so they had time to reflect on their actions. A criminal, it was felt, must also be
shown the value of working for a living. This resulted in the concept of hard labour.
Many of the activities on which prisoners spent their time, had no purpose other than the
effort of carrying out the task itself. Prisoners were set such demoralising tasks as turning
'The Crank; or 'The Treadmill'. The Crank was a large handle, in their cell, that a prisoner
would have to turn, thousands of times a day. This could be tightened by the warders,
making it harder to turn, which resulted in their nickname of 'screws'. These punishments
were not abolished until 1898.
Attitudes Towards Crime
There was much debate in Victorian times as to what caused crime, and
how criminals could best be treated to avoid repeat offences once they
were released from prison. Some believed that many criminals were habitual criminals and nothing would change them.
Other
reformers placed the blame more widely on the society that criminals
were brought up in, arguing that, without decent living conditions, well
paid employment, recreational facilities such as libraries and open spaces, more regulations controlling alcohol, and a solid family life, many
people had no choice but to commit crime in order to live. The Chaplain’s Report on the Warwick Gaol and House of Correction, given at the
1855 October Quarter Sessions in Warwick, reported high levels of illiteracy (220 out of 919 prisoners could neither read nor write), lack of faith
(many prisoners, when questioned, could not say whether or not they
had heard of Jesus Christ), and a breakdown in family life (“with regard
to the juveniles who were so deplorably ignorant several were orphans
and others either altogether discarded by their parents, or not allowed to
reurn to their homes at night unless they had been able (no matter by
what means) to procure their subsistence.”)
An extract from a sermon given by the Rev J C Miller, Chaplain to
William Charles Alston, Esq. High Sherriff, at St Mary’s Church,
Warwick, was reported in the Warwickshire Advertiser, 4th April 1854 and
argued that there was a strong link between rising crime and drunkenness.
The solution, the Rev Miller declared, was to provide
alternative recreational activities for the working classes and to enact
stronger legislation against “the gin-palace and beer-shop evil”.
This Victorian argument has strong parallels with arguments about the
presence of an ‘underclass’ today.
How to Find Us ...
•
Drop off by coach at No 1, Shire Hall, Warwickshire County
Council Headquarters CV34 4RL. Then walk back to Northgate
Street.
Historic Warwick Courts are no. 2 on the map; Northgate Street,
CV34 4EW
Learning
doesn’t stop here….
Hold History in your hands and take a Loans Box back
to School after your session with Heritage Education
Don’t let the exploration and interaction of history end when
you leave St John’s Museum or finish your outreach or day
project session with Heritage Education’s group Leaders.
Our Loan Boxes are designed to supplement and support your
classroom learning and can be borrowed on half term loans.
Bring a topic in school to life or find inspiration for art and
design projects. Taken from our handling collection the Loan
Boxes cover a wide variety of topics and are cross-curricular. If
you have a specific need not covered by the topics below, give
us a call and we may be able to help.
Rock!
Examples of rocks which make up the Earth, in particular looking
at rocks commonly found around Warwickshire. This box will allow
to you explore the three types of rock and the rock cycle.
Geology all around us
Did you know that many of our household objects are made up
from minerals and rocks from the earth? This box allows you to
discover some of these objects and explore their core material.
Victorian childhood
A collection of original objects common in any Victorian nursery
or child’s bedroom. The box includes games, clothing and school
equipment plus a range of activities for the class to explore.
British Wildlife
Wildlife is all around us but often moving too fast for us to get a close
up look. These specimens allow you to study insects and butterflies
up close and discuss their habitats without leaving the classroom.
Kitchens through time
A range of typical kitchen gadgets and objects from the
Victorian period through to modern day. Great for seeing how
things change and advances in technology.
Patterns in nature from around the World & Patterns in
British Nature
Take your art project one step further and be inspired by the
amazing patterns that the natural world has to offer. These boxes
include samples of rocks, fossils, plants, insects and wildlife from
the natural world.
Archaeology
Get down to earth without leaving the classroom or getting your hands
dirty. Learn how archaeologists works by examining a range of real
archaeological finds from around Warwickshire.
Medicine through Time
Get the chance to explore a range of documents and objects from
our archive and museum handling collections reflecting attitudes
towards health and the provision of medical care, dating from
Egyptian to Victorian Times.
Booking Details
All Loans Boxes come complete with full teachers notes and suggested
activities. You can collect your box when you come to visit us—just
mention this when booking. Loans Boxes cost £20 for two weeks or £30
per half term and need to be picked up at the start of your loan period
and returned at the end. Or for £60 we will bring the box to you and lead
an introductory session to either the class or the teaching staff. We retain
the right to charge further fees for late returns and damages.
Making a booking:
Please telephone the Heritage Education Team on 01926 412069
Email: [email protected]
Website: heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk
Warwickshire County Council
Risk Assessment for: Heritage Education Day Project – Primary and Secondary Courts Sessions
____________________
Team/Section/
Department:
Activity/
Process/
Operation
Getting into the
building and
intro
Touring
Sessions
Heritage Education, Heritage and
Culture Warwickshire.
What are the
hazards to health and
safety
What risks do
they pose and to
whom?
Trip, slips or falls
when entering the
building
Injury
Everyone
Members of the public
trying to get into
building
Team member or
school group ending
up lost in the building
or wandering off
Security
everyone
School group come
Electrocution
Injury/ Anxiety
Everyone
Date of
assessment:
11th May 2013
Review date:
What existing control measures are in place
to reduce the risk?
Risk level
achieved
H/M/L*
Staff members will assess the venue for trip
hazards prior to the start of the session. If
any are identified the movement around the
building will be designed in such a way to
miss out the trip hazard. Where this is not
possible verbal warning will be given at all
point which cause a risk
Member of staff to be based on the door to
tell people what is going on and that it’s a
private event
Group size kept to 15 children to 2 adults
one of whom is a trained member of staff
who is familiar with the building. Guides will
be positioned at the front and teachers at
the back of the group
M
Group controlled by trained staff when
L
12th May
2014
Further
action
required
Y/N?*
Check
venues on
the day of
the session
L
No
M
In the event
that
someone
does
become
detached
from the
group they
are required
to stay put
and await
assistance
All technical
1
into contact with
electrical equipment
Everyone
touring the building
Trip, slip, bashing or
fall on any point
around the tour
including the many
stairs and narrow
spaces
Injury
Everyone
Trip, slip or fall in the
dungeon space
Injury
Everyone
Staff members will assess the venue for trip
hazards prior to the start of the session. If
any are identified the movement around the
building will be designed in such a way to
miss out the trip hazard. Where this is not
possible verbal warning will be given at all
point which cause a risk
Staff members will assess the venue for trip
hazards prior to the start of the session. If
any are identified the movement around the
building will be designed in such a way to
miss out the trip hazard. Where this is not
possible verbal warning will be given at all
point which causes a risk. Students will be
asked to take care on the stairs and hold
the hand rails.
Research
sessions
Losing a member of
the group who goes
to the toilet or
otherwise wanders off
Security/ Anxiety
School Children
Lunch
Losing a member of
the group who goes
to the toilet or
Security/ Anxiety
School Children
Must be accompanied by a member of staff
when visiting the toilets. There will be a 1:10
ratio at all time for adults to children. The
students will be told the ground rule at the
start of the day which will including staying
in your groups
Must be accompanied by a member of staff
when visiting the toilets. There will be a 1:10
ratio at all time for adults to children. The
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equipment is
regularly
PAT tested
and faults
are reported
immediately
to engineers
No
M
L
L
Should the
dungeon be
particularly
wet a
decision will
be take by
the senior
member of
staff on the
day as to
whether it
can be used.
Must be in
school
uniform so
can be
identified
quickly
Must be in
school
uniform so
2
otherwise wanders off
Court Session
Bashing into court
furniture
Everyone
Fire or other
emergency
evacuation
Staff or school group
affected through
burns and smoke
inhalation
Everyone
Being able to contact
the fire service or for
someone to contact
the group.
Staff members
students will be told the ground rule at the
start of the day which will including staying
in your groups
Verbal warning will be given at the start of
each session in the courts.
Trained staff members on hand at all times
to guide groups out of the nearest fire exit.
Fire Alarms and Fire fighting equipment
regularly checked. All fire exits clear and
clearly marked. All groups briefed at the
start on what to do in the case of a fire
alarm
The emergency contact details of one
member of staff will be given to everyone
including property service and shire hall
reception. All staff will be briefed on what to
do if they discovery a fire
Name of Assessor: …Rebecca Williams………………………………......
Name of Manager Laura Pye
Responsible for Activity/ Process/ Operation:
M
can be
identified
quickly
Check before
the session
that there is
nothing in
there that
should not
be
L
Fire
procedures
written up
and given to
the groups
on arrive
L
Check the
mobile works
in all parts of
the building
Signature ……………………………………………….
Signature
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3
* If the risk level achieved is still High, the planned activity/ process/operation must not continue. The risk assessment action plan must be
completed to identify what further action will be taken to reduce the risk to an acceptable lower level.
* If the risk level achieved is Medium you must consider whether the existing control measures are sufficient or if any further action could be
taken to reduce the risk to a low level. (The risk level may remain as Medium where the risk is inherent in a particular activity/process/operation).
Reference should be made to the Risk Assessment Guide 4.1 Step-by-Step for guidance on when and how the action plan should be used.
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4
Warwickshire County Council
Risk Assessment Action Plan for: Courts Session
Activity/
Process/
Operation
Getting into the
building and
intro
Touring
Sessions
Research
sessions
Risk
Planned action to be taken to reduce
the risk to a reasonable level
Trip, slips or
Check venues on the day of the session
falls when
entering the
building
Team member In the event that someone does become
or school
detached from the group they are
group ending
required to stay put and await
up lost in the
assistance
building or
wandering off
School group
All technical equipment is regularly PAT
come into
tested and faults are reported
contact with
immediately to engineers
electrical
equipment
Trip, slip or fall Should the dungeon be particularly wet
in the
a decision will be take by the senior
dungeon
member of staff on the day as to
space
whether it can be used.
Losing a
Must be in school uniform so can be
member of the
identified quickly- Inform School
group who
goes to the
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Anticipated
risk
reduction
level
M/L
post action
L
Responsible
person for
taking action
Planned
completion
date
Session Staff
Day of
Session
L
Laura in intro
Day of
Session
L
Property
Service
Annually
L
Senior
Member of
staff
Day of
Session
L
Booking
Person
Completion
date
(Line
manager
signature to
verify and
date)
When
confirming
booking
5
Lunch
Court Session
toilet or
otherwise
wanders off
Losing a
member of the
group who
goes to the
toilet or
otherwise
wanders off
Bashing into
court furniture
Must be in school uniform so can be
identified quickly- Inform School
L
Booking
Person
When
confirming
booking
Check before the session that there is
nothing in there that should not be
L
Session Staff
Day of the
Session
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6
Risk Assessment for: ___Courts Session_______________________________
Name of Persons involved in the
Activity/ Process/ Operation
Check venues on the day of the session
for any hazards
Signature
Date
Inform group in the event that someone
does become detached from the group
they are required to stay put and await
assistance
Make decision on the use of the
Dungeon space
Inform School they must be in school
uniform so can be identified quickly
Check before the session that there is
nothing in there that should not be
Check Mobile phone signal in the cells
7
Fire Procedures During Courts Sessions
Should the Fire Alarm Sound during the activity in the Courts please follow the below
proceduresAll adults must assist with getting their students out of the building safely. Please ensure
each adult is aware which group of students are theirs. During the activities in and around
the Courts please ensure that each adult is within sight of their group in case the alarms go
off.
Upon hearing the Alarm each adult must gather their group and follow the member of staff to
the nearest fire exit.
All staff must be aware which is their nearest fire exit and what alternative routes are
available to them. All Fire exits are show on the maps below.
If it is a member of staff who discovers the fire they must
a. operate the fire alarm or call 9 to obtain a outside line and then 999
b. if trained they may attempt to fight the fire
Once out the building all groups must head straight to the Meeting point, which is the Turpins
Statue in Market Square. To get to the statue you will need to take your group around Shire
Hall. Please ensure the staff member is at the front and the teacher at the back of your
group. Once at the Statue please check you have all your students with you and inform the
workshop leader.
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8
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