Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-09-28
Interesting to Thieves.
THE HALIFAX G1BBET Law.

THE HALIFAX GIBBET LAW.
A recent number Of Once q Week con.
tains this account of a crui0us and now
obsolete mode of execution:
The inhabitants of the forest Of Had
wick-which was CO-extensive with the
parish of HalfaX-had up to 1850 the Gus
tom that if felOn was taken within
their liberty with goods stolen out or
within the liberty of the said forest,
either hdRdRG6eHd, 5acEeFdRd, o. cor
feSsdld, of the value of thirteen pence
haf-penny, he should after three mar
kets or meeting days within the town of
Halifax next after such apprehension,
be tried, and, being condemned, be taken
to the gibbet and have his head cut off
from his body. He was, however, TO be
publicly and deliberately tried by Jury
composed of frithburgers of the said lib
erty. The process was this: On arrest
he was brought before the lord bailiff,
who lived at Halifax, kept the jail, had
the custody of the ak, and was the Ie-
gal eXecUtiOner. He issued his sum-
mons to the cOnstables of the four town.
ships of the said liberty, requiring four
trlthhuFgeTs from each to appear before
him on a certain day to inquire into the
truth Of the charge. At the trial the ac-
CNl1CA anu dECNl8Gu NCIG CUulIOlABEu LtEs
fore the jury, and the stolen FoOls pro-
duced. If the accused was acquitted he
was Immediately liberated; if condemn
ed, he was at once executed, if that was
the principal market day; if not, he was
placed in the stocks, with the stolen
goods on his back, except they were too
heavy, when they We're laid in front Of
the stocks, that all might sec, The eX-
ecutiOn always took place on the great
market day, IN order to strike the more
terror throughout the district: and was
performed by means of an instrument
called gibbet, which was raised upon a
platform four feet high and thirteen feet
square, faced on every side with stone
and aseended by q flight of steps. In
the middle of this platform were placed
two upright pieces Of timber, fifteen
feet highi Joined at the top by a trans
verse beam. Within these was a square
block of wood, four feet and half long
which mOOved up an down by means of
grooves made for that purpose, to the
lower part of which was fastened an
iron AK, which weighed seven pounds
and twelve ounces. This ak, thus fixed
was drawn up by means of q cord aud
pully. At the end of the cord was a min
fixed to the block, which kept it SIIs-
when the cUlprit's head being placed on
the block, the pin was withdrawn, and
his head instantly severed from his body.
The Earl Of Morton, passing through
Halifax about the middle of the six
taenth century witnessed one of these
executions, ordered a model to be make
of the gibbet, and Oh his return to Scot
land-Of which he was regeBt-had a!
somewhat similar one constructed,
which remaining long unused was cali
ed FFhe Maiden. But on the Sd Of June
1881, he was himself executed bv it.
The number executed by the Halifax
gibbet from l54l to lGIl was fOrty-nine. /
This combined with the strict discipline |
of the Hull cOnstables, doubtless gave
rise to the thieves and vagabOrds /
prayer:
',FrOm Hull and Halifax, good Lord
deliver u.s."