New ‘Go Darker’ Heritage Tour
This Halloween month, Bodmin Jail is stepping into their darkest stories and history. A new eye-opening heritage tour will bring you up close to the Georgians and Victorians at their most grim.
From the gallows to the grave, a tour guide will take you on a journey from the anatomy table to the gibbet cage. Why did we hang at crossroads? When was the last person displayed in chains? Who were the resurrection men? What was the Georgian Bloody Code? Where are the bodies of the condemned? What can Bodmin Jail’s witches tell us about changing attitudes to superstition and religion?
The tour will cover a variety of elements from history including:
- 1751 - Murder Act
- 1832 - Anatomy Act
- 1834 - Hanging in Chains Act
- 1542 - Witchcraft Act
- 1735 - Witchcraft Act
- 1868 - Capital Punishments Amendment Act
- 1951 - Witchcraft Act
- 1995 - Hunt for the beast of Bodmin Moor
The tour will also look deep into the stories of the real-life people involved and whose sad demise has lessons for all and some who have also reported on events, these include:
- Anne Jefferies - witch
- Joan Wytte - witch
- Helen Duncan - false medium
- Derek Acorah - Most Haunted TV Show
- Burke and Hare - body snatchers
- James Cook - last man gibbeted 1832
- James Homan - killed his wife 1854
- Matthew Weeks - executed for the murder of Charlotte Dymond 1844
- George Cruikshank - illustrator
With a folkloric backdrop of the moors this new bespoke tour is for the brave or the fool hardy, join the tour if you dare at 2pm each day from 18th October – 31st October.
Bodmin Jail also has standard jail entry to the attraction across October half term and are advising visitors to book early and a special ‘Halloween Night Paranormal After Dark Experience’ on 31st October.