Beaumaris Courthouse
The courtroom
Opposite Beaumaris Castle is the Courthouse, constructed in 1614, and renovated in the 19th century. Here, visitors can walk through the large rectangular courtroom, stand in the original dock and view the splendour of the grand jury room.
A cryptic mural shows a cow, with one farmer pulling its horns, another pulling its tail - and a solicitor milking it! The last assize court was held here in 1971.
Some of the criminals who stood in the dock at Beaumaris Court:
- 1742: The notorious Crigyll (near Rhosneigr) robbers accused of plundering ships wrecked on the treacherous Anglesey coast.
- 1786: Hugh Hughes, cruelly whipped through the streets of four towns on the island for stealing food.
- 1816: Amlwch food rioters, punished for trying to stop the export of corn during a famine.
- 1910: William Murphy, who murdered his mistress on Christmas Day after she left him for another man.
In this old building you can:
- stand in the dock
- understand how a court of law works
- learn about Anglesey's most notorious crriminals
- visit the prisoner's room and follow in his footsteps to the dock
- see displays of legal robes and regalia