About
“How dismal is the Lot of these we see,
Poor Guilty Suff’rers at the Fatal Tree!
Warn’d by their Fate, their Crimes O, Let us Shun
Least We, like them, transgress and be Undone.”
Author Unknown
The Tyburn River is a tributary of the Thames that today runs underground. However the name has been synonymous for years with public execution. It was the principle place of execution for London criminals and traitors that included many religious martyrs. The famous Marble Arch is less than a stone’s throw away from the location of the Tyburn tree where an estimated 1,200+ people were executed.
Location
The Tyburn tree is across the street from the Marble Arch on the north side and on the northeast corner of Kennsington Park.
My Experience
I stood under the bus sign near the Marble Arch where the Red Tour Bus was picking me up. It was early Sunday morning and the day promised rain so I wanted to begin early to beat the showers. As the bus pulled up I hurried to the upper deck to procure a good seat. As we drove off, the tour guide pointed to what looked like a manhole cover. It was the location of the infamous Tyburn tree. Between 1571 and 1783, when the last execution took place, there was an estimated total of 1,232 people hanged. 92 of those were women and it was estimated that 90% of all executions were men under the age of 21. Some reports indicated crowds between 10,000 and 50,000 on days when executions took place.
Between 1660 and 1800 there was a surge in crimes in London. The number of crimes that could be punishable by death increased by 190. Crimes punishable by death included petty crimes as well as crimes against property, such as demolishing a public fence or the destruction of machines. Executions also occurred at the Tower of London and Tower Hill, within walking distance of the Tower of London, but Tyburn was the place for most public executions.
The Red Tour Bus dropped me off near my destination point. I remembered the words of the tour guide and walked across the street to see the marker established to commemorate the executions performed on the Tyburn tree. I stood staring at the spot trying to imagine the horror this former location invoked on a community. Massive crowds were walking by and double decker buses were crowding the streets fighting their way back for the night. I tried to imagine a crowd of 10,000+ people, all waiting for common criminals to be executed. So many people were walking and driving by with apparently no knowledge of this former location. So it is in all of London. There is so much history that has occurred over the past 2,000 years, and yet, it seems almost on every street there is an interesting story that most walk past everyday and never realize.
The Background and History
Criminals were sentenced in London at the Old Bailey Courthouse. Prisoners sentenced to death went to Newgate prison to await their execution. Most criminals’ hands were tied behind their back before being placed on the back of a horse-drawn carriage that would take them on their final journey. The two-mile ride would take nearly 3 hours because of the crowds. At that time London may have been the biggest city on earth, approaching 1 million inhabitants. According to reports, inhabitants were all along the route, some hanging out the windows. The crowds jeered at those being executed; some people threw food, others threw excrement, women blew kisses and some cheered. For most prisoners it was the first time in weeks they had smelled fresh air, as the prisons were overcrowded and the smell rancid.
The prisoners would traditionally stop for a pint of beer at two locations: 1) halfway along the trip at the Bowl Inn and 2) at the end of the journey at a pub called The Mason’s Arms. Shackles remain at both locations indicating the prisoners were in chains for their last two drinks. A reported ritual was for the condemned to tell the pub owners that they would pay for the pint on the way back.
As they arrived at the gallows, merchants were selling food and drinks to the swelling crowds. There was a gallery, much like football stands today, where people paid to watch the executions. The best seats were in “Mother Proctors Pew”. From here a person could hear the last speeches and their cries and screams as they struggled for their last breath. The Tyburn tree was three bars on three posts made up of three-cornered gallows.
The prisoners were blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs. Sometimes a hood was put over their head. Nooses were not used in those days and ordinary knots were tied around the necks of those being executed. The more a prisoner struggled the more the crowd cheered. There may have been as many as 20 people hanged at a single time from the Tyburn tree. A minister stood nearby preaching until the end.
Death was slow and agonizing. It wasn’t unusual for men to gasp for air for up to 45 minutes. The more fortunate of the executed had family members pull on their legs to put them out of their misery. A sure sign of death was urine running down the leg of the dead person. By this point the crowd was hushed. The bodies were cut down one by one. Anatomists, who could always be found nearby, would select the unclaimed bodies to dissect in the name of science. Some relatives had to fight the anatomists for the body of their loved ones in hopes of a proper burial.
In 1783, public executions at the Tyburn tree ended due to fears of public unrest. Executions continued closer to Newgate prison where there was more control. The last executions in London were in 1868.
Famous Executions
Williams Fitz Osber, a populist advocate for the poor of London, was the first person to be publicly executed at Tyburn in 1196. After hiding out at the Church of St. Mary le Bow he was dragged naked behind a horse and hung at Tyburn.
The first victim of the “Tyburn tree” was Dr. John Story, a Roman Catholic who refused to recognize Elizabeth I as Queen. Elizabeth was known as “Bloody Mary” for her persecution of Catholics. There is a plaque nearby, at the Tyburn Convent, recognizing the Catholic martyrs between 1535-1681. At least 8 Catholic priests were martyred.
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the throne of England when Henry VII was king. He claimed to be the younger of the two sons of King Edward IV who were both killed at the Tower of London. He was found guilty of treason.
Elizabeth Barton known as “The Holy Maid of Kent” incorrectly prophesized that Henry VIII would be dead within 6 months if he married Anne Boleyn.
Francis Dereham and Sir Thomas Culpepper were guilty of having sexual relations with the wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Howard. They were each sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered (cut into four pieces, after being emasculated, disemboweled and beheaded). However, due to his previous close relationship to Henry VIII, Culpepper’s sentence was commuted to beheading at Tyburn. Beheading was normally reserved for royalty at the Tower of London or Tower Hill. Dereham received the full sentence.
Oliver Cromwell led the Parliamentarians to victory over the Royalists. King Charles I was executed and the monarchy ceased in 1651. His son Charles II was defeated in a battle against Cromwell and fled to France. After the death of Cromwell, the monarchy was reinstated and Charles II became King. Oliver Cromwell’s body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey for a posthumous execution and hung at Tyburn tree. His body was cut down and his head, and those of other Parliamentarian leaders, were placed on spikes. In 1685, a storm broke the spike, throwing his head onto the ground where it was grabbed by private collectors. In 1960, it was buried in Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge.
Robert Hubert falsely claimed to have started the Great Fire of London. He actually was not even in London at the time of the fire. He was a watchmaker who was either tortured into confession or confessed not actually understanding what he was confessing to. The King needed a scapegoat and Robert was convenient.
June 23, 1649, 24 prisoners, brought in 8 carts were hung simultaneously – 23 men and 1 woman.
Ratings (Unique and Unusual)
Category Rating: B
Overall Rating: #4
Comments: There is little to see but a marker on the ground. With so much concrete and traffic on all sides it is hard to fathom the events that took place on this location for over 200 years.