Castle Under Siege

Key Stage 2 | Subject: History, English, Drama | Topics: Civil War, Castles

Under the pressures of Civil War, it was vital for both the Parliamentarians and the Royalists to be able to pass messages accurately and securely, but what happens when your message is intercepted by your enemies? What are the perils of 17th Century communication methods? Pupils will find out for themselves as they try to sneak vital information to their spies. Later in the workshop, pupils will meet Nottingham Castle’s own diarist, Lucy Hutchinson. They will help her untangle the tricky dilemmas she and her husband faced during the Civil War, that were documented in her journal.

Learning objectives

• Understand Nottingham Castle’s role as a place of historic and national importance
• Be immersed in the stories of the Castle, in the locations where they happened
• Understand how we know about events in the past and learn to question sources of evidence

Curriculum links

• Study of an aspect of history or a site that is significant in the locality
• Study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• Actively promoting fundamental British values