Pontefract Castle II was captured by Henry Bolingbroke's supporters in August 1399 and initially imprisoned in the Tower of London. Sometime before Christmas that year he was moved to Pontefract Castle (via Knaresborough) where he remained under guard until his death, perhaps on 14 February 1400. William Shakespeare's play Richard III mentions this incident: Various chroniclers suggest that Richard was starved to death by his captors, and others suggest he starved himself. A contemporary French chronicler suggested that Richard II had been hacked to death, but this is, according to the ODNB, "almost certainly fictitious". In 1536, the castle's guardian, Thomas Darcy,
Crosman 1377 the 1377 can be pumped to various levels; Crosman recommends at least three pumps to ensure that the pellet clears the barrel, but as many as ten pumps are advised by the manual. Crosman claims a pellet velocity of up to from a gun pumped ten times, which is higher than that achieved by most pellet pistols of any kind. Many 1377 owners report success with only a few pumps, and the lower velocity is accompanied by lower noise, often an advantage for those shooting indoors. The gun is noted for being highly modifiable: a cottage industry has formed to