Swords Castle is the predominant feature of this
part of the town. It will be described in detail in another Cultural Trail. Just
outside the Castle in former times, there was a Pardon Cross, a well, and the
town stocks. The latter were a kind of wooden frame used to hold condemned
law-breakers. There were holes in them for the offender’s head and hands, and
while people were held in this position, they were jeered and pelted with
refuse. The placing of the stocks in such a prominent position was deliberate
because this increased the shame of the offenders. Beside the Castle wall was
the Pound where stray stock were impounded until their owners came and paid a
fee for their release or compensation for damage done.
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