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Tyburn, England in 1783... 'God's Tribunal' - off to the Executioner...
Tyburn, England in 1783... 'God's Tribunal' - off to the Executioner...
Item # 709900
November 06, 1783
THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, Nov. 6, 1783
* Tyburn gallows - executions
* Newgate Prison to the "Triple Tree"
As stated in Wikipedia: "Tyburn was a village in... present-day London... For many centuries, the name Tyburn was synonymous with capital punishment, it having been the principal place for execution of London criminals and convicted traitors, including many religious martyrs. It was also known as 'God's Tribunal', in the 18th century."
Page 3 has a nice article regarding: "The mode of taking criminals to Tyburn, and of executing them there...", which is quite interesting.
Eight pages, 8 1/4 by 11 inches, nice condition.
background: This November 6, 1783, issue of The London Chronicle serves as a grimly perfect time capsule, printed just one day before the very last execution took place at the Tyburn gallows. The article's focus on the "mode of taking criminals" highlights a uniquely morbid English tradition: the two-mile, open-cart procession from Newgate Prison to the "Triple Tree," a journey lined with thousands of spectators, street vendors, and stops at local taverns for a "final drop." By this date, the London authorities had grown weary of the rowdy, almost festive atmosphere that had turned public executions into a form of populist entertainment rather than a somber deterrent. Consequently, the detailed descriptions in your paper record a ritual on the brink of extinction; within weeks of this printing, the "Tyburn Tree" was dismantled, and the spectacle was moved behind the walls of Newgate to ensure the state’s power was felt through cold efficiency rather than public carnival.
Category: Revolutionary War
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