The Halifax Gibbet: A Gruesome Chapter in History

 Imagine a time when justice was swift and often brutal. A time when a simple theft could lead to a gruesome public execution. Welcome to the chilling world of the Halifax Gibbet, a medieval guillotine that once loomed over the English town of Halifax.

A Legacy of Fear

First used in the 13th century, the Halifax Gibbet was a stark reminder of the consequences of breaking the law. Over the next 400 years, it claimed the lives of 52 known individuals, and up to 100, including women and children. The condemned were often executed for petty crimes, such as stealing cloth or livestock.

A Gruesome Execution

The execution process was as terrifying as it was efficient. The condemned would be placed on a platform, their neck positioned beneath the heavy, blunt blade. A cord would be pulled, releasing the blade, which would swiftly sever the victim's head.

Escaping the Blade

However, there was a glimmer of hope for the condemned. If a victim could manage to escape the immediate vicinity of the gibbet, specifically across the nearby Hebble Brook, they could avoid execution. This daring escape was attempted by a few, including the infamous "Running Man," John Lacey. Unfortunately, Lacey's luck ran out, and he was eventually captured and executed.

The End of an Era

The Halifax Gibbet was finally outlawed by Oliver Cromwell in 1650. The last victims of this gruesome device were Anthony Mitchell and Abraham Wilkinson, who were executed on April 30th of that year.

A Dark Past, A Haunting Legacy

Today, the site of the Halifax Gibbet stands as a chilling reminder of a bygone era. A replica of the guillotine has been erected, allowing visitors to appreciate the brutality of this dark chapter in history. The original blade, now preserved in the Bankfield museum, serves as a chilling artifact of the past.

I took these pictures on the 27th March 2019 with a Nikon d3300, they can be seen in a higher resolution on Clickasnap.

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From Hull, Hell & Halifax, Good Lord Deliver Us. The Halifax Gibbet

The Halifax Gibbet was a guillotine used for public execution, first used locally in the 13th century, some 500 years before it became more popularly associated with the French Revolution. The first man executed on the gibbet was John of Dalton in 1286, with the last thought to have been John Wilkinson and Anthony Mitchell of Sowerby who met their fate on the 30th April 1650. Between them dates their were 52 confirmed executions although it is widely believed that over 100 took place. 

The gibbet was built centrally upon a platform 4ft high and 13ft square. The gibbet stood approx. 15ft high with the blade fastened to a block of wood between 2 lengths of wood. The blade was fixed in to place by a pin which was withdrawn by a cord at the moment of executions. The blade was approx. 10 inch x 8 inch in size and was not sharp, relying on speed and weight part the criminals body with head. The criminals were charged under Gibbet Law.

The Gibbet law required that any thief who was caught stealing or who confessed to stealing cloth, goods, or animals within the boundaries of Sowerbyshire or the Forest of Hardwick, of which Halifax was part to the value of 13 1/2d, with the value assed by 4 constables, would be arrested. The criminal would then be tried by a jury and if convicted, they would then be places in the town stocks for 6 days and then executed on the 7th day on the gibbet. Gibbet Law made no allowances for man or women and it is known that at least 5 women were executed by this method. They were as follows,

July 13th 1588 Wife of Thomas Roberts, Halifax

February 22nd 1603 Wife of Peter Harrison, Bradford

November 23rd 1623 George Fairbank & his illegitimate daughter Anna

July 5th 1627 Wife of John Wilson, Northowram

December 8th 1627 Sarah Lum, Halifax

The Gibbet Law allowed for an accused to escape the blade, it said that if the accused was able to with draw his head after the pin was released, and escape across the Hebble Brook, the then boundary approx. 500 yards from the gibbet, then they would be free. 2 men are said to have escaped the blades justice, a Mr Dinnis, and more well known John Lacey also known as the Running Man. In 1617 he escaped the gibbet by running beyond the boundary defined as the Forest of Hardwick or Sowerbyshire after the blades release. Unfortunately for him whilst Gibbet Law allowed for you to escape the punishment, provided you never returned to the boundaries prescribed in the law. He returned to Halifax a few years later, was captured and executed on the 29th January 1623.

The gibbet was outlawed by Oliver Cromwell in 1650, the last 2 victims of it's harsh justice,  Mr Anthony Mitchell who was convicted of stealing 16 yards of cloth, valued at 9 shillings, and a Mr Abraham Wilkinson who was convicted of stealing 2 horses, one valued at 9 shillings and the other 48 shillings. They were executed on the same day April 30th 1650.

The site was lost to time, hidden beneath rubbish and soil until a Mr Bates bought the land in 1839 to build a warehouse. In June that year workmen discovered the bodies and heads of 2 people, thought to be Mitchell and Wilkinson and further excavation revealed the gibbet platform. This was eventually restored and in August 1974 a 15ft high replica of the gibbet was constructed upon the platform to highlight it's grisly past. The original gibbet blade is still in existence, having thought to have been lost it was discovered in 1970 at a solicitor's office in Wakefield, it can now be seen at the Bankfield Museum, Halifax.

The pictures shown here today were taken on the 23rd August 2014 using a Polaroid is2132 bridge camera, they can be seen here and on Clickasnap.

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