The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-11-11
An Ancient Gibbet.

y recent number of Once a Meek
contains this account of a curious and
now obsolete mode OF execution:
The inhabitants Of the forest of Hard-
wick, England-which was co-exten-
sive with the Parish of Halifax-had,
up to 1850, the custom, that if felon
was taken within their liberty with
goods stolen out or within the liberty
o: the said forest, either houoihabcsd,
Jdck6eronti, or cOatcsstf,d, 1f the value
of thirteen pence half-penny, he should,
after three markets 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 a jury composed
of frithburgers of the said liberty. 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 axe, abd was the legal
executiOner. He issued his summons
to the constables of the four townships
Of the said liberty, requiring the firth
burgers from each TO appear before him,
on q certain day, to inquire into the
truth of the charge. AT the trial the
accuser and the accused were confront
ed before the jury, and the stolen goods
produced. If the accused was acuuit-
ted, he was Immediately liberated; il
condemned, he was ut once executed,
il that was the principal market day;
If not, he was placed in the stocks, with
the stolen goods at his back, except
they were too heavy, when they We're
laid in front Of the stocks, that all
might see.
The execution always took place on
the great market day, in order 10 strike
the more terror throughout the district
and was performed by means Of an i'm
strument called gibbet, which was
raised upon q platform four feet high
and thirteen feet square, faced ON eve
ry side with stone, and ascended by a
flight Of steps. In the middle of this
platform was placed two upright pieces
Of timber, fifteen feet high, joined at
the top by q transverse beam. Within
these was q square block of wood four
feet and half long, which moved up
and down by means of a groove made
for that for that purpose, to the lower
part Of which was fastened an iron axe
which weighed seven pounds twelve
ounces. This axe, thus fixed, was
drawn up by means of q cord and pull
ley. At the end of the cord was u pin
fixed to the block, which kept ii sus-
pended until the moment or execution
when, the culprit's head being placed
on the block, the pin was withdrawn,
and his head INSTABILITY severed from the
body. The Earl of Morton, passing
through Halifax about the middle OF
the sixteenth century, witnessed one
Of these executions, ordered a model to
be made Of the gibbet and on his re-
turn to Scotland-of which he was Re-
gent-had o somewhat similar one con-
structed, which, remaining long unpi-
ed, was called "The Maiden" But; on
the Sd of June, 15s1, he was himself eS.
cuted ON it. The number executed by
the Halifax gibbct from l5il to 15N
was forty-nine. This, combined with
the strict diociplinc of the Hull coiists
bles, doubtless gave rise TO the tbiexe<f
and yapabonds' prayer: "F'ron, Hull
and Halifax, good Lord deliver us.r