Page:The histories of Launceston and Dunheved, in the county of Cornwall.djvu/326

 294 THE GAOL. tributed, as to 52s. thereof, among the poor felons in that part of the county gaol of Cornwall called the Dungeon or Pit in the Castle of Launceston ; the remainder was to be given to the distributor of the same. By will, dated 20th July, 1625, and proved 15th October, 1625, Olyver Shurton gave "to the poore of the Towne of Launceston one hundred marks, of which one -third was to be for the comforte of those in the common gaole, to be weeklye distributed in bread every Saboth daye." On the 29th June, 1637, John Bastwick, a physician, was charged before Archbishop Laud in the Star Chamber with having made some violent attacks upon the clergy. The gentle little archbishop condemned him to lose his ears, to pay ^"5,000, and to be perpetually imprisoned. On 26th July, in the same year, Bastwick was removed from the Fleet, and delivered prisoner at Launceston. On the 1st August he is said to have been shut up in the Castle, " a part whereof had a little while before fallen down through age ;" and it is added that the chamber in which he was lodged was so crazy that every blast of wind threatened to shatter it down upon his head. At p. 232 we have recorded the imprisonment at Launces- ton of George Fox, in the year 1656, and throughout this work there are incidental allusions to the gaol and to the assizes held here. In August, 1764, a Mr. Leach surveyed and made a plan of Launceston Castle and Park. A copy of this plan has lately been presented by C. L. Cowlard, Esq., to the Scientific and Historical Society. It is a poor work of art, but is very interesting as a key to the old town as it appeared one hundred and twenty years ago. On it is marked the prison house to which we have referred ; and the surveyor has also noted what he calls a remarkable stone, " where ye Constable of ye Castle always delivered ye