One of the most feared parts of a castle was a dungeon, in which a prisoner would be held
inside of. They were not very good places to be within, as if you were inside of one,
chances are that you were in serious trouble. They were dark and squalid prisons, and often
torture was applied inside of them. However they did have other uses too, and they weren’t
always associated with death and suffering. Today we look at Dungeons, and remember to
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The word dungeon comes from the French word donjon, which derived from the Latin term
for lordship. They referred to what is most known as a castle’s keep in England, and
it’s most likely that dungeon as a term was used as often prison cells in castles
were found within the largest tower usually the keep. Dungeons were used to hold prisoners
in a cell for a short term when they were awaiting punishment, a trial or even execution.
They were even held in these for ransom, and for those of noble birth, it was not a place
for them. Usually high ranking prisoners such as royalty were housed in luxurious accommodation
inside of the castle instead of dungeons, for example Elizabeth I when she was a princess
was imprisoned inside relatively comfortable lodgings at the Tower of London.
From the 13th century onwards, dungeons became a rather popular element of a castles rooms,
and many later castles had dungeons built inside them or rooms converted. Inside a castle’s
keep was the place for the Lords and Ladies of society, and not for prisoners, so dungeons
were created in the basements and cellars, and in the least desirable places. Most cells
were found on the lower floor or below ground, and often they were built into the walls and
rooms of large gatehouses. This meant that those guards who were keeping an eye on the
castle could take prisoners easily and hold them inside the confines of the gatehouse
under close watch.
In times of warfare, taking prisoners was a key thing to do, as they could be held for
ransom and later used as bargaining chips. Edward I during his campaign against the Welsh
rebels took many prisoners inside his newly built castles, to use as ransom. Dungeons
are most commonly associated today with torture, and although torture was used during the Medieval
and Tudor Period, dungeons were used for other means too. Torture chambers were found inside
dungeons, as the screams from the prisoner could be hidden. For example using the rack
and other devices such as the manacles would generate colossal amounts of pain, and if
the Lord was entertaining guests, it would not be good for them to hear everything.
Many of the worst tortures though came in the form of psychological torutre that being
locked in a dungeon for a long time could have. The oubliette was a hole in the ground
where prisoners were left to rot and die, and many dungeons like these became notorious
for their reputations of suffering. In fact at Warwick Castle, their dungeons reputation
even spread to France during the 100 years war, with the French soldiers worried about
being captured and taken there.
Dungeons often had no toilets, so a prisoner would be forced to relieve themselves in the
same room they were staying, which could often cause disease and encourage rats to cause
problems too. Dungeons were very simple in their appearance, they were very plain and
simple rooms, with no or very tiny windows that would not let any light in, aimed to
make a prisoner feel uncomfortable. Often it was very damp inside of them also, which
would cause other problems. Inside the Tower of London, in the Salt Tower it was said to
be freezing cold and damp due to the River Thames and the moat licking the edges of the
walls, causing a significant degree of damp. During the Jacobite rebellion, inside Carlisle
Castles 90 rebels were imprisoned in the dungeon and to stay alive were forced to lick the
damp walls to get some water and hydration, as they were given none.
One notorious dungeon did exist within the Tower of London, known as Little Ease. This
was a tiny cell built into a wall inside of the White Tower in which a prisoner would
be forced to either stand or crouch for 24 hours a day, as the constraints of the cell
prevented any real movement. This would be enough to drive a prisoner mad, and it was
rumoured that Guy Fawkes following his ordeal on the rack was thrown into Little Ease before
his execution, and he would have suffered greatly. Today this specific dungeon has been
lost to time, and it’s location is not fully known inside of the tower today.
Today dungeons capture the imagination of anyone who goes to visit a castle, as you
can really understand when inside one what a horrific place it would have been to be
imprisoned inside of. It must have been very scary for prisoners throughout the centuries,
not knowing if your execution came soon or if you would ever be released. One thing to
consider is that inside medieval castles, the general public were usually not kept inside
dungeons here, instead being held inside cells in Town Halls or other places. Dungeons in
medieval castles were reserved for high profile prisoners, and those who could be of some
worth if a ransom was paid.
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