The Pound

Swords Castle is the predominant feature of this part of the town. It will be described in detail in another Cultural Trail. Just outside the Castle in former times, there was a Pardon Cross, a well, and the town stocks. The latter were a kind of wooden frame used to hold condemned law-breakers. There were holes in them for the offender’s head and hands, and while people were held in this position, they were jeered and pelted with refuse. The placing of the stocks in such a prominent position was deliberate because this increased the shame of the offenders. Beside the Castle wall was the Pound where stray stock were impounded until their owners came and paid a fee for their release or compensation for damage done.