Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service:

Renaissance Case Studies

Learning and skills: Living History Days - Crime and
Punishment at Norwich Castle
Aim: This programme brings history to life through role-play and debate for a
variety of secondary school audiences, including GCSE History Students and
children with moderate learning difficulties (see separate case study). It
encourages teachers to understand how museums can support and enrich the
curriculum and be used for teaching and learning outside the classroom.

Description: At Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, the Castle’s gory
past as a prison is the focus of a ‘Crime and Punishment Through Time’ study
day aimed at GCSE History students. Pupils take part in:
ƒ A Prison tour: pupils take a guided tour and use a worksheet to prompt questions. They
learn about early prison history and locations important to Victorian prison life and history
including walking down the prison tunnel to the old courtroom and execution site.
ƒ Punishment objects session: pupils handle and learn about punishment-related objects in
the castle dungeons, including a cucking stool, scold’s bridle and gibbet.
ƒ Documents session: Primary source materials are made available, including broadsheets,
court records and letters. Pupils work on examination questions or prepare presentations
The day continues after lunch with a reenactment of the trial of the infamous James Rush who was
convicted of the murder of a prominent local father and son in 1849. His trial was held at Norwich
Shirehall, which adjoins the Castle, and he was found guilty and executed. Some schools choose to
allocate characters and let pupils research and prepare their speeches in advance while others use a
script prepared by learning staff to run the trial with no preparation. The trial raises many issues for
discussion which can be continued back in the classroom, such as ‘Trial by media’ which has strong
contemporary relevance. This trial was one of the first provincial trials to be front page news in the
national press with journalists from The Times travelling daily on the new railway link between Norwich
and London. Rush’s execution attracted many visitors from outside Norfolk including Charles Dickens.

“It helped with students’ understanding of the GCSE course. The students liked being with
the UEA trainee teachers. They obviously connected with them.” Teacher comment
“Can we do it again?” “I wanted more time in the museum.” Pupil comments

Evaluation and Outcomes: The first Crime and Punishment Day was developed in partnership
with Long Stratton High School, the History Advisor for Norfolk and the Secondary History tutor from
the School of Education at the University of East Anglia, all of whom contributed to shaping the
programme. The success of this collaboration is demonstrated by their ongoing commitment: Long
Stratton continue to bring their GCSE pupils, and students on the UEA PGCE course also attend the
day, leading the documents session and practicing their team-teaching skills.

Legacy: The ‘Crime and Punishment Day’ has now been adapted for mixed year groups for High
School Activities Week programmes. In the future similar days may also be offered for KS3 groups and
possibly Norfolk PACT (a crime prevention group working with KS3 and 4 children). A similar model is
also being developed for the topic of Medicine. The Living History approach is now embedded into the
learning team’s annual programme and offers Norfolk’s schoolchildren a unique learning experience.

For further information about this project contact:

Colly Mudie, Head of Learning for Norwich Museums
T: 01603 493641
E: colly.mudie@norfolk.gov.uk