134 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY Of DORCHESTER. 



afford a means of escape to prisoners. The very existence of 

 this tunnel will doubtless soon be forgotten ; hence the import- 

 ance of recording particulars of it. Mr. Lawrence, who was 

 governor of the gaol as early as 1849, informed me that the 

 tunnel existed before the gaol was removed to the castle hill in 

 1745, and, as we know of no other building upon this site since 

 the destruction of the castle, it seems clear that it must have 

 been constructed by the builders of the castle, probably to afford 

 a secret exit from it. When the gaol was re-built a few years 

 ago the workmen employed in digging the new foundations came 

 upon and opened an ancient shaft cut in the solid chalk and 

 apparently communicating with this tunnel. On striking the 

 bottom with an iron bar it gave a hollow sound, as if it was 

 composed of baulks of timber laid over a tunnel or hollow. 

 From the similarity of construction the tunnel discovered in 

 the field to the east of Charles Street, and running not quite 

 parallel with it, might be assigned to the same date, as it appears 

 to have communicated with the Castle ; and it had an exit outside 

 the walls on the south of the South Walk, where what appeared 

 to be a continuation of it was again cut across. 



If the Norman garrison of the castle were besieged by the 

 Saxon inhabitants of the town the subway would afford the 

 garrison a means of communication with their friends outside and 

 of bringing in succour and provisions without the garrison 

 having to fight their way through the town and to capture a gate. 

 Such subways connected with the Norman castles were not 

 uncommon, and they were certainly used for the purposes I have 

 described at a later date. We have historical evidence that an 

 ancient subway communicating with Nottingham Castle was so 

 used. When Edward III. was shut up in that place under the 

 unscrupulous Mortimer, Isabella, wishing to guard against 

 surprise or treachery (for the castle was too strong to be taken 

 by assault), was accustomed to have the keys brought nightly to 

 her bedside. It was a useless precaution, for she was not aware 

 of these subways, and it was through one of them, whose 

 entrance was in a thicket at the base of the hill, that Lord 



