What is Halifax Gibbet? History of grisly Halifax landmark that saw execution of thieves until 17th century

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Halifax has a long a varied history, with the Gibbet one of the town’s more gruesome landmarks.

At the junction of Gibbet Street and Bedford Street, a short walk from Halifax town centre, stands a non-working replica of the Gibbet, similar to a guillotine, which was used to execute thieves from at least the 1270s to 1650.

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During its grisly past, criminals were taken to the Gibbet to have their heads cut from their bodies – a remarkably severe punishment for theft.

Although decapitation was occasionally used as an execution method in other parts of England, Halifax used an execution machine, apparently unique in the country.

The Gibbet, Gibbet Street, HalifaxThe Gibbet, Gibbet Street, Halifax
The Gibbet, Gibbet Street, Halifax
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Almost 100 people were beheaded in Halifax between the first recorded execution in 1286 and the last in 1650.

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However the date of the gibbet’s installation is uncertain it is unclear exactly how many people were dealt with by the Halifax Gibbet.

What is Gibbet Law?

Halifax GibbetHalifax Gibbet
Halifax Gibbet

Gibbet law stated that if a person due to be executed there was able to withdraw their head as the blade fell and escape across Hebble Brook, they could be freed, provided they did not return.

In the 17th century John Lacey famously escaped by running beyond the boundary and became known as the running man.

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However he returned to Halifax seven years later where he was executed by the gibbet without further trial.

When did the Gibbet stop being used?

The last recorded victims were the Sowerby men Anthony Mitchell and John Wilkinson in April 1650. Both men were found guilty of stealing sixteen yards of russet-coloured Kersey from tenterframes owned by Samuel Colbeck of Warley and for stealing two colt horses from John Cusforth of Durker. Wilkinson was additionally convicted of stealing a piece of Kersey from tenterframes at Brearley Hall.

By 1650 public opinion considered beheading to be an excessively severe punishment for petty theft and use of the gibbet was forbidden by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.

The Gibbet was subsequently dismantled.

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Where is the Gibbet today?

A 15 foot high replica of the Gibbet was constructed in 1974 on the original site at the bottom of Gibbet Street. The names of 52 people known to have been beheaded by the device are listed on a nearby plaque.

The Gibbet’s original blade is on display at Bankfield Museum.

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