Scotland IX: Inveraray

Another lazy day. Drove off to Inveraray in the morning, spent a couple of hours there, mainly in the old jailhouse, which is now a museum. The have displays about crime and punishment throughout the ages, and a mock courtroom where you can hear the proceedings in various cases. The cells have been turned into exhibit rooms, some with dolls and tableaus, others with various objects or photo displays. It's interesting, well done and just morbid enough. As always, click on the pic to see a larger version.


Wonderfully morbid - a hanging horsethief and a prisoner doing his business:



From the courtroom. There was an audiotape of "proceedings" running in a loop.





This is where the prisoners spent an hour every day to get exercise:



The prison had a cow on the premises to provide fresh milk for the inmates.



Young men serving time. A good share of those imprisoned were rural boys who often didn't speak a word of English. Interpreters were provided for them during the trials.



Women were allowed to keep their babies with them for up to a year.



Even children as young as five were sometimes locked up for theft. This was not necessarily much of a punishment, since inside they were dry and got regular meals, something many children couldn't count on in their daily lives. I've said it before; life could be very, very difficult back then, and those who slander our own times reveal their ignorance of history.



Unruly prisoners could be put in straitjackets, and young boys were sometimes whipped with birch sticks. This did not happen as often as we might think, and there was always a surgeon present, and usually his consent was required for any kind of punishment that involved physical restraints or extra hard labor.



Many prisoners worked, mainly with making nets for local fishermen. Idleness was seen as a dangerous thing, so sometimes they were set to do completely pointless tasks, such as turning a crank handle full of rocks or walking on a threadwheel.




In Kilchrenan I was staying at the Roineabhal Country House, a very pretty and peaceful place run by some very nice people. Check out their page and the pictures of their home and the surroundings.

The cat, Conan and the dog, McDuff. The latter is a Spinoni pup of just nine months, but already big as a small horse. Fortunately he's just a big bundle of love and drool. He met me with a big stick in his mouth and a hopeful look in his eyes before I even got out of the car, and as soon as I threw the stick we were friends for life. Conan the Burmese is also a very lovable and friendly little fella.



One of the best things about staying here however were the two evenings I spent in the bar at the Taynuilt Hotel about 15 minutes away from Kilchrenan. The girls working there are just the nicest people you can imagine, and I had some great conversations with several of the guests too. Stop by for lunch and a chat if you're in the area, and say hello from the Norwegian with the American accent (I've lost count of how many people here thought I was American - even actual yanks take me for one of their kind). Privacy concerns prevent me from posting pics or going into any more details, suffice it to say that I had two very pleasant evenings in very good company.