Events

From cobbler to state executioner: hear the extraordinary story of how a local man offered his services to the national justice system in Victorian Britain and Ireland.  Convinced that his "long drop" system of execution offered a far more humane method of executing prisoners convicted of capital offences, William Marwood became famous across the country.  […]

William Marwood was a famous Victorian executioner who lived and worked as a cobbler in Horncastle for many years.  Our special exhibition at the Sir Joseph Banks Centre in Horncastle helps you find out more about Marwood and his grisly trade. Free entry.  Runs until the end of September 2026 on Thursdays to Saturdays only.

Admission charge £2 members, £5 non members

Given that the Civil Wars of the mid-seventeenth century were among the bloodiest conflicts in British history, it is unsurprising that they should live on in both popular and local memory. The figure of Oliver Cromwell, above all others, has given rise to many local myths and legends. This talk will explore the ways the […]

Most, if not all, English medieval churchyards once contained one or more standing crosses of stone or timber to mark the sacred ground containing the mortal remains of its parishioners. Standing crosses were also built on marketplaces and village greens. They were a familiar feature of the medieval landscape, but most were systematically demolished between […]