Wisbech Castle

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Wisbech castle was a motte-and-bailey castle built to fortify Wisbech, in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire, England by William I. In later Tudor times it became a notorious prison. The Castle was rebuilt in the mid-17th century and again in 1816 by Joseph Medworth. (grid reference TF46180958).

In the last years of the 16th century there were 33 English Catholics held prisoner in Wisbech Castle, almost all of them priests, including the Jesuit priest, Christopher Holywood. A quarrel arose among them that came to be known as the "Wisbech Stirs". In the winter of 1594 a substantial group wished to separate themselves from the rest and adopt a regular communal life. This was largely impossible without appearing to castigate those who did want to make this change and on account of the tight space. The unwilling minority argued, which only confirmed the others in their resolve and the separation was carried out in February, 1595, but came to an end with a general reconciliation in November of that same year.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.