Historic%20Yorkshire

94
THE STORY OF YORK CASTLE.
"
had to York," where he was " hanged, drawen, and
quartered." Afterhim isa longline of victims, including
the Duke of York, the Earl of Devon,the Earl of Ryme,
Lord Darcy, and others, who, for the cause of right, or
their private aims,had risen against authority. Among
political prisoners we may mention Colonel Morris, who
captured PontefractCastle for the Kingduringthe struggle
of the Civil War, and held it for some time afterwards
against the Parliamentarians. He was,however, obliged
to surrender, and, with six others, was excepted from the
conditions,but was,with them, allowedhis life if he could
cut his way out. ColonelMorris and one other succeeded
in doing so,but in spite of the promise, wereafterwards
captured and taken to York to be tried. They wereboth
condemned to death,buthad nearly escaped. Morris let
himself down from the Castle wall, but the other, Cornet
Blackburn, in following, broke his leg, and Morris,
gallantly refusing to desert his friend,remained by him
until captured. Theywere both executed the next day at
the Tyburn outside of Micklegate Bar.
Leaving againthose cases wheremen were imprisoned
or executed for political offences, we find a principal
crime was "clipping" of the coinage, for the practice of
which one Daniel Auty was imprisoned, and also for the
stealing and melting down of the Minster plate, but he
was not convicted. Highwayrobbery furnished as many
instances as any offence. The first recorded case of
execution for this was in 1585.
Amos Lawson was a
notorious highwayman, whose career was brought to a
close in 1644, being captured by William Taylor, Sheriff
of York, whom he had intended to rob. Ebenezer Moor
was another of the same fraternity, though of that century
the man Nevison is the most celebratedof highwaymen.
He it was who reallyrode from London to York
in one day, a feat which is generally credited to Dick
Turpin, rendered famous by the late Harrison Ainsworth.
Nevison seems to have been all that is commonlyattributed
to Turpin;he was brave, courteous, anc1 charitable;