Charlotte Dymond Courtroom Experience


Located inside the Shire Hall, Bodmin's old county courtrooms house an exhibition retelling the story of Charlotte Dymond, a local girl who was found murdered on Bodmin Moor in 1884. Using film, audio and some deeply dodgy waxworks, the exhibit relives the infamous 1884 trial, during which the young farmhand (and Dymond's alleged boyfriend) Matthew Weeks was found guilty of the murder, despite dubious evidence. At the end of the tour you can cast your own verdict.

Weeks was subsequently hanged at Bodmin Jail, and crowds of around 20,000 turned up to watch his execution (extra trains had to be laid on specially for the occasion).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bodmin Jail

0.4 MILES

Once the county's main prison, this forbidding place is now notorious for the numerous ghosts said to haunt it. Though much of the original jail has…

2. Lanhydrock

2.26 MILES

This magnificent manor, 2.5 miles southeast of Bodmin, offers a fascinating insight into Upstairs, Downstairs life in Victorian England. The house was…

3. Cardinham Woods

2.71 MILES

Just outside Bodmin, this large public forest is a great spot for a woody wander, and also has a network of mountain-bike trails if you're feeling more…

4. Camel Valley Vineyard

2.86 MILES

Cornwall might not seem an obvious place for winemaking, but father-and-son team Bob and Sam Lindo have been producing award-winning vintages at this…

5. Pencarrow House

3.23 MILES

Belonging to the well-to-do Molesworth-St Aubyn family, this wonderful Georgian manor was remodelled in the late 18th century in the best Palladian…

6. Cabilla & Redrice Woods

3.94 MILES

While most people head for the better-known woodlands of Cardinham, there's actually another wonderful patch of forest near Bodmin, much older and much…

7. Restormel Castle

3.99 MILES

High on a hilltop above Lostwithiel, 9 miles from St Austell on the A390, the ruined castle of Restormel was built by Edward the Black Prince (the first…

8. Roche Rock

6.75 MILES

Clinging to a spur of contorted rock surrounded by barren heath, the curious tumbledown chapel on top of Roche Rock looks like a forgotten set from Monty…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "england/bodmin/attractions/charlotte-dymond-courtroom-experience/a/poi-sig/1404189/1341744",
      "position": "superzone"
    }