15th January 1813: The condemned Luddites pray in the Chapel at York Castle

The York Herald of Saturday 16th January 1813 carried a brief article about the condemned Luddites on the night before their scheduled execution:

Yesterday, an appropriate discourse was delivered by the Rev. G.Brown, to the fourteen unfortunate prisoners who are to be executed this day, in which he energetically enforced the necessity of each of them preparing themselves for a future world; the text was from the 15th chapter of St. Paul’s 1st epistle to the Corinthians and the 33d verse,—“Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners.” The behaviour of the criminals was truly becoming the unfortunate situation in which they were placed, and each evinced a degree of regret to the crimes they had committed. We cannot, however, omit mentioning, that many of their relatives, who were present in the Castle yard, were deprived admission into the Chapel, by order of the Magistrates.