Booo! Lock ’em up! – Unlocking Warwick

The audience at the courtroom drama staged on 9th October at the Warwick Words History Festival certainly played their part, acting as citizens who had lost their money, booing the defendants who had caused the Warwick Bank to crash in 1887.

The dramatisation by Unlocking Warwick was based on authentic accounts held in the County Record Office, describing the bankruptcy hearing and subsequent trial of the Greenway brothers who had run the bank.

In the re-enactment in the Court House ballroom on October 9th, the Official Receiver said, “The owners of the bank had been trading most recklessly for months, knowing it could not recover its debts”. Kelynge Greenway who received a lenient sentence of only 12 months was pelted with balls of newspaper as he left the courtroom.

Here are some pictures of the dramatisation.

Members of the audience were angry creditors and the jury

Rick Thompson was Counsel for the Prosecution, called Mr. Buzzard

Andy the Pie-Man sold delicious pies in the interval

Kelynge Greenway was given a mere twelve months, infuriating the spectators who hurled balls of paper at him.

Ashley Hayward and Richard Edgington played the Greenway brothers

There were some contemporary resonances in the official accounts of the trial of Kelynge Greenway, the senior partner in the bank. The judge said, “When people such as yourself in positions of authority are untruthful and dishonest, it corrupts society. No one, Mr Greenway, is above the law.”

Afterwards there was great appreciation by the sell-out audience. ‘Wonderful’, ‘So enjoyable’, ‘A great performance.’ The actors are glad people enjoyed the afternoon so much and learned a little about the impact on the county of the Warwick Bank Crash of 1887.