Identifier: historyofancient00boot (find matches)
Title: The history of the ancient borough of Pontefract, containing an interesting account of its castle, and the three different sieges it sustained, during the civil war, with notes and pedigrees, of some of the most distinguished royalists and parliamentarians, chiefly drawn from manuscripts never before published
Year: 1807 (1800s)
Authors: Boothroyd, Benjamin, 1768-1836
Subjects: Pontefract Castle Pontefract (England) -- History
Publisher: Pontefract, Printed by and for the author (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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rrison could see and command theexterior works. The annexed plate, figure 1. is a plan of thatcorner of the area of the castle, where the keepor dungeon, just mentioned* is situated, and alsoof the principal entrance. (a a) Are the first outward steps; ascend-ing from without to the area of the castle. (h b) A second very steep flight of steps, with-in the ballium, ascending up the artificial mountto the entrance of the keep. (cc) Is a narrow loop, well secured ; andmade through a wall no less than eighteen feet inthickness. On entering the keep, on the right hand, atd, are remains of a great staircase, going up tothe state apartments above, which are now alldestroyed. At ^, is a small square room ; probably design- ,ed for the captain of the guard. It is within oneof the three round towers, mentioned by Leland :and all the substance of that tower, beneath thisroom, is solid stone work, quite to the bottom ofthe mount. A circumstance which shews the vast* See. King on ancient castles.
Text Appearing After Image:
HISTORY OF PONTEFRACT. 167 strength of thisbuilding, and the improvement madeon the original mount; and at the same time exhi-bits a curious device for deception, something likethat of the round tower at Rochester The other small tower, being in like mannercontinued down to the ground, beneath themount, contains a very singular, narrow, and mostirregularly winding, zig-zag staircase ; whichgoes down from the door at/to a small sally-portat X; and moreover leads to what appears tohave been a well at gy and besides this it terminatesin one part, in a very frightful small dungeon,at z. There do not appear to have been even loop-holes, or any admission for light or air, unlessfrom the door, into the great lower apartment ofthe keep ; only there was a small window in thecaptain of the guards room. The diameter of the keep is about 63 or64 feet. And between / and h is a very re-markable appearance ; for after you have as-cended a ladder, against the inside of the wall,for a few feet^ you th

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