The BBC's Hidden East Yorkshire podcast explores the history of Beverley's sanctuary status, which offered refuge to those accused of crimes during the medieval period.
Why was Beverley a haven for people accused of crimes, and who were the beasts that stole the settlers of ancient Holderness? The BBC's Hidden East Yorkshire podcast has been seeking the answers to these questions and many more. The series takes in a wide range of topics, from unmasking Jack the Ripper, to the day The Beatles came to Hull. Here are two of the most intriguing tales covered by the programme over the past year.
You can enjoy more byImagine you are on the run, being chased by people who think you are guilty of a crime that you say you did not commit.On the outskirts, with the minster in sight, you reach a tall stone cross.During the medieval era, prisons were a rarity, certainly outside London. 'Justice was pretty fierce,' says Barbara English, a professor of history. 'You just pulled them out and hanged them, or cut their hands off.'Hangings took place at the end of Gallows Lane, near what is now Beverley Racecourse.They had 40 days to decide whether to hand themselves in for trial or leave the country and go into exile.According to the Rev Canon Jonathan Baker, the vicar of Beverley Minster, the concept goes back to the Old Testament. 'The idea was that anybody who was guilty of manslaughter, rather than murder, could find refuge in a society where the relatives of the victim might well get a posse together and go in pursuit of the perpetrators – so there'd be a kind of rough justice and the risk of blood feuds,' he said.Murderers, thieves & debtors flocked to Beverley in Medieval times, seeking one thing. According to tradition, King Athelstan granted sanctuary status to the town after a victory over the Scots in 934. Before the battle, he prayed to St John of Beverley, a holy man whose tomb became popular with pilgrims. Today, the remains of three 'sanctuary stones' – there were originally four – can still be seen near the main roads into Beverley, though the crosses are long gon
HISTORY BEVERLEY SANCTUARY MEDIEVAL CRIMES
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