A much more unsavoury part of the history of Halifax for todays shot. This is a non working replica of the Halifax Gibbet, placed on the site of the original Gibbet in 1974.
The Gibbet consisted of an axe-head fitted to the base of a heavy wooden block, which ran in grooves between two 15-foot (4.6 m) tall upright posts, mounted on a stone base about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. A rope attached to the block ran over a pulley, allowing it to be raised, following which the rope was secured by attaching it to a pin at the base. Once the condemned person was lying in place, the block carrying the axe was then released by either withdrawing the pin, or by cutting the rope. It was the weight of the unsharpened axe blade which chopped off the condemned person's head.
The gibbet was used on both male and female convicts, and a convict could be executed for the theft of something worth only a few pence. The executions would have been in public and would have drawn large crowds of spectators.
Different times and different values - the very idea of such a barbaric spectacle is something we now find totally repulsive, and it is good to see that in the UK such horror is consigned to the history books.
I never knew we had such contraptions in England, I thought they were in France only. By the standards of the day, this would have been a very swift and relatively straightforward demise. There were far more terrible punishments inflicted.
A very cruel death and very often for minor offences. What amazes me is that crowds of people used to gather at the place to watch the macabre event. I bought by son a book a year or two ago which he lent me to read. It is a history of punishments for offenders in Malta. Some of the sentences, like cutting off the hand, were even for stealing a loaf of bread.
Thank you all for your lovely comments, they are very much appreciated!
It seems that those condemned to die under this machine did have a possible means of escape. The boundary of the administrative area where this was located was only 600 yards from the gibbet. If the condemned person could move away from the gibbet once the blade was released, and cover the 600 yards and cross the boundary before they were caught, they could not face the gibbet again.
Thank you all for your lovely comments, they are very much appreciated!
It seems that those condemned to die under this machine did have a possible means of escape. The boundary of the administrative area where this was located was only 600 yards from the gibbet. If the condemned person could move away from the gibbet once the blade was released, and cover the 600 yards and cross the boundary before they were caught, they could not face the gibbet again.
Ian
thanks for sharing
Thank you Nina, there were some terrible events in history. We may slowly be becoming more civilised!
Ian
Not a great prospect is it? Thank you for your comment!
Ian