The Halifax Gibbet, a Brief History
The Origins of the First Guillotine
Halifax, a town in Yorkshire, England is believed to have been granted the right to have a gibbet during the Norman Conquest 1066, although records only date back as far as 1280.
Moot hall, which stood close to Parish Church in Nelson Street is the site that the Lords of the Manor held court and levied sentences, (the old English word 'moot' means an assembly'.) In 1286 the Crown granted the Earls of Warren the Royalty to execute criminals and the first death sentence carried out was the beheading of John Dalton later that year. Official records date back to 1541.
The Death Sentence
The death sentence was harsh and given for what would today be sentenced to a caution or community service. Local gibbet law dictated by an unknown author in 1886 decreed 'if a felon be taken within the liberty of Halifax caught with the stolen goods or in the act of stealing, or having confessed to the crime to the value of thirteen pence halfpenny, he shall, after 3 market days be taken to the gibbet and have his head cut off from his body'. English common law of the time allowed the death penalty to be levied for thefts to the value of 12 pennies or 1 shilling which, in post decimalisation coinage is 5p.
Following conviction and sentence, the date of execution depended on which day of the week the felon was tried. If it was a Saturday, the condemned was taken straight to the gibbet and executed. If the trial had taken place on a different day of the week the condemned was placed in the stocks during the day as a public spectacle and deterrent to others and at night he was returned to the gaol. The execution would take place the following Saturday, Market day.
Escaping the Blade
The only way the condemned felon could escape the gibbet was to pull his head out of the way as the blade fell and try and escape across the parish boundary. In the unlikely event of success, the condemned felon could go free provided he did not return to Halifax. Surprising, felons did managed to escape the blade on more than 1 occasion. One of the most notorious escapes was that of John Lacy on January 29th 1623. Having made it to safety across the boundary line, Lacy returned to Halifax 7 years later when he was recognised and executed.
The last men to be executed using the gibbet were Anthony Mitchell and John Wilkinson. Convicted of theft in April 1950, both men were immediately executed as the trail took place on a Saturday. After their execution, the gibbet fell into ruin. The base of the gibbet was unearthed in June 1839 when workmen discovered 2 skeletons with severed heads, believed to be the remains of Mitchell and Wilkinson.
A non working replica of the Halifax Gibbet was constructed on the site of the original in 1974. This includes a cast of the original blade which is now on display at the Banksfield Museum, Boothtown, Halifax.
Sources
- YorkshireHistory.com
- The Halifax Gibbet , guillotine.dk
- From Weaver to Web. Calderdale.gov.uk
- Halifax and its Gibbet Law, Ancestry on line
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