Chapter II: Preface

How our fathers lived is a subject of never-failing interest: of some interest it may be to inquire how they died—at Tyburn. The story has many aspects, some noble, some squalid, some pathetic, some revolting. If I am reproached with dwelling on the horrors of Tyburn, I take refuge under the wing of the great Lipsius, who, in his treatise De Cruce, has lavished the stores of his appalling erudition on a subject no less terrible.

But the subject has an interest other than antiquarian. We are to-day far from the point of view of Shelley—

“Power like a desolating pestilence
Pollutes whate’er it touches.”

The general tendency is all towards extending the power of governments. Some would fain extend the sphere of the State’s activity so as to give to the State control over almost every action of our daily lives. It may therefore be not without use to recall how governments have dealt with the people in the past. The State never voluntarily surrenders anything of its power. Less than a hundred years ago, ministers stoutly defended their privilege of tearing out a man’s bowels and burning them before his eyes. The State devised and executed hideous punishments, sometimes made still more hideous by the ferocity of its instruments, the judges. All mitigation of these punishments has been forced on the State by “idealists.” The State dragged its victims, almost naked, three miles over a rough road. The hands of compassionate friars placed the sufferer on a hurdle—not without threats of punishment for so doing. In the end, the State adopted the hurdle. So it has always been. Not a hundred years ago, Viscount Sidmouth, the Home Secretary, could see no reason for altering the law which awarded the penalty of death to one who had stolen from a shop goods to the value of five shillings. To Romilly, though he did not live to see this result of his untiring labours in the cause of humanity, we may gratefully ascribe the abolition of the extreme penalty for this offence.

On this field, as on others, the victories of civilisation have been won by the individual in conflict with the community.

* * * * *

I desire to thank Mr. C. W. Moule, the Librarian of Corpus Christi College, and the College authorities, for permission, most courteously granted, to reproduce the drawing by Matthew Paris showing Sir William de Marisco being drawn to the gallows.

I am indebted to Mr. Herbert Sieveking for permission to reproduce, from a photograph taken for him, the print from the Gardner Collection showing an execution at Tyburn. I am in an especial degree obliged to him for calling my attention to Norden’s map of Middlesex, the subject of an article by him in the _Daily Graphic_ of September 4, 1908.

CONTENTS

PAGE

WHOM TO EXECUTE? WHO IS TO EXECUTE? HOW TO EXECUTE? 6

DRAWN, HANGED, AND QUARTERED 27

TORTURE AND THE PEINE FORTE ET DURE 35

THE HANGMAN 44

AFTER TYBURN 49

ORIGIN AND SITE OF THE TYBURN GALLOWS 54

THE CHRONOLOGY OF TYBURN 71

ANNALS 73

INDEX 269

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE REV. MR. WHITEFIELD PREACHING ON KENNINGTON COMMON _Frontispiece_

From a print in the Crowle Pennant, Print Room, British
Museum, Part VIII., No. 242. Probable date, 1748, or
somewhat later. The triangular gallows is probably that
erected for the execution in 1746 of the rebels of
1745. The bodies on the gibbet are those of highwaymen
or murderers.

FACING PAGE

THE FIRST KNOWN REPRESENTATION OF THE TRIPLE TREE 62

A portion of a map of Middlesex engraved by John Norden
for William Camden’s “Britannia,” edition of 1607.

THE TRIPLE TREE ABOUT 1614 64

The illustration reproduces the frontispiece of a book.
The gallows is shown in the uppermost lozenge on the
left.

THE RUINS OF FARLEIGH CASTLE 66

From Sir Richard Colt Hoare’s “Hungerfordiana; or,
Memoirs of the Family of Hungerford,” 1823.

THE TRIPLE TREE IN 1712 66

From a broadsheet published by the Rev. Paul Lorrain,
the Ordinary of Newgate, containing an account of an
execution at Tyburn, on September 19, 1712.

THE TRIPLE TREE IN 1746 68

Reduced from Rocque’s 24-sheet Map of London, etc.,
begun in March, 1737, and published in October, 1746.

THE SITE OF TYBURN TREE 70

Showing the locality before the alterations of 1908.
Reduced from the Ordnance large-scale map of 1895.

SIR WILLIAM DE MARISCO (OR WILLIAM MARSH) DRAWN TO TYBURN IN 1242 90

From a contemporary drawing by Matthew Paris in the MS.
“Chronica Majora,” in the possession of Corpus Christi
College, Cambridge. Reproduced here by permission of
the Librarian and authorities of the College.

DRAWING TO TYBURN ON HURDLES, _temp._ ELIZABETH 166

From “The Life and Death of Mr. Genings.” (_See
illustration facing p. 64._)

EXECUTIONS AT TYBURN, _temp._ ELIZABETH 168

From “The Life and Death of Mr. Genings.” (_See
illustration facing p. 64._)

THE TRIPLE TREE ABOUT 1680 198

From a print in the Gardner Collection. Reproduced,
with Mr. Gardner’s permission, by Mr. Herbert
Sieveking, who allows this reproduction from a
photograph taken for him.

THE PEINE FORTE ET DURE 230

William Spiggott under the press in Newgate, in 1721.
From the (anonymous) “Newgate Calendar,” 5 vols., 1773.

THE TRIPLE TREE IN 1747 240

Reduced from the last plate of Hogarth’s series of
“Industry and Idleness,” showing the execution at
Tyburn of Thomas Idle.

THE INTERIOR OF SURGEONS’ HALL 246

Showing the body of a murderer after dissection, in
accordance with the provisions of the Act of 1752. From
“The New and Complete Newgate Calendar,” by William
Jackson, of the Inner Temple, Barrister-at-Law, 6
vols., 1795.

DRAWING TO TYBURN ON A SLEDGE 248

Showing Dr. Cameron being drawn to Tyburn in 1753. From
“The Old Bailey Chronicle,” by James Montague, of the
Temple, 4 vols., 1783.

THE EXECUTION AT TYBURN OF EARL FERRERS IN 1760 252

From a print in the Crace Collection, Print Room,
British Museum, Views, Portfolio XXX., No. 3. This
was one of the earliest executions on the new movable
gallows.

THE NEW GALLOWS AT NEWGATE, 1783 266

From “The Old Bailey Chronicle,” as above.

ADDENDA.

_Pages 62-65, and illustration._

Norden’s map of 1607 gives the first indication of the site of the triangular gallows, but, in writing of the map as giving the earliest known representation of the gallows, I had forgotten Richard Verstegen’s “Theatrum Crudelitatum Haereticorum nostri temporis,” Antwerp, 1587. The Triple Tree is shown quite correctly as to form, without indication of site, on p. 83.

_Page 170, “put them to the manacles.”_

This instrument of torture is shown in the above-mentioned book, in an engraving on page 75, the description, here translated, being: “An instrument of iron which presses and doubles up a man into a globe-shape. In this they put Catholics, and keep them in it for some hours.”

TYBURN TREE

Its History and Annals

HISTORY