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| Tryptich showing martyrs who died for the Catholic faith from 1535 - 1680 In the center is the triple gallows known as the Tyburn Tree. |
London's Tyburn Gallows was where the last public execution took place in 1783. Tyburn was located near the western end of what is now Oxford Street. The first execution took place there in 1196 well before the infamous "Tyburn Tree" gallows was erected.
The actual Tyburn Tree was not a tree but a gallows built with a triangular shape and that allowed multiple people to be executed at once. In 1649, 24 prisoners were hanged simultaneously.
It was located in the middle of the roadway and actually became a tourist attraction. People traveled from towns miles away to watch the public executions. The villagers of Tyburn erected stands and charged people admission.
Not all those executed were criminals. Dr. John Story was a Catholic who refused to acknowledge Elizabeth I as the queen and head of the Church of England and was the first execution by hanging, drawing, and quartering.
This was a macabre landmark for the village of Tyburn and eventually it was taken down and executions were carried out on portable gallows. The site of public executions was later moved to Newgate Prison.
MORE
marble-arch.london/culture-blog/history-of-tyburn-tree/
atlasobscura.com/places/tyburn-tree-marker
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| The site of Tyburn Tree memorial |
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