Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Wednesday 16 August 1939
Threw Stone: Fined £1
A youth who was stated to have pushed a piece of masonry from the top of Conisborough Castle, which narrowly missed hitting Mrs. Smith, the stewardess, was fined £1 at Doncaster yesterday.
He was William Jones, aged 17, of High Wincobank, Sheffield.
Mr. C. R. Marshall, prosecuting, said the stewardess was going her rounds when she heard a man’s voice say, here goes.” She looked up and saw the youth throw large stone from the top of the castle. Jones told the police that he threw it down because it was loose. The stone fell 60 feet. It was nine inches long, and weighed 111b. If Mrs. Smith had been two or three feet further forward the stone would have struck her.
It was not the first time it had been necessary to prosecute people for damage to the castle. It was owned by Lord Yarborough, who had threatened on previous occasions to deprive the public of entrance to the castle because of the damage which was done.
It seemed that Conisborough people were looking after the building, but there had been a lot of trouble from people who came from Sheffield