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Isabella had Edward imprisoned in Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. But she knew that, while he remained alive, he was the obvious focus for any rebellion. Within a year, three plots to liberate him had already been uncovered. These documents here in Berkeley Castle give us a sense of the extraordinary difficulty of keeping an ex-king in custody. We can see here, from the provisions bought for him, which included 280 eggs, or "ova" in Latin, in just three months, that at first he was kept in some comfort. But this account tells us of the reinforcement of the castle with bolts and great bars and other ironwork after Edward escaped from his guards in the summer of 1327. It was obvious how dangerous his continued existence was to the new regime. |