Newgate was London's most famous or rather infamous prison.
There were 4 gates into London City. Newgate was to be the
fifth, hence the name.
Its history goes back to c. 1200 and it was only demolished
in 1904 to make way for the Old Bailey.London's famous Criminal
Court.
Debtors , criminals,felons, men ,women and children were
all housed there.
The death sentence was handed down for 222 different offences
including
• Chopping down an orchard
• Sacrilege
• Letter stealing
• Returning from transportation
• Sodomy
• Stealing 25p
Youth was no barrier to Capital Punishment..Michael Hammond
(7 yrs old) & his sister (11 yrs old) were hung in 1708
for a felony.
Rank was also no barrier .In 1760 the Fourth Earl of Ferrers
was hanged at Tyburn for the murder of his servant .
In the early 1800s Newgate Prison held prisoners prior to
execution.
After the sentence of death was pronounced, the unfortunates
had to attend New Gate Chapel to hear the condemned sermon.
They sat around a table..on which rested a coffin !! See below
When the dreaded day arrived, they were taken by cart the
three miles to Tyburn for execution on the TripleTree Gallows
( see the pavement plaque at Marble Arch ) .
The route was along Tyburn Road (now called Oxford Street).
The prisoners only solace on this sad journey were a few drinks
to speed them on their way.
First stop was the Bowl Inn at St Giles followed by The Mason's
Arms, Seymour Place . Here no chances were taken with security
as evidenced by the manacles in the cellars.
Public hangings drew huge crowds & were eagerly awaited
by the populace. Crowds of 30,000 were common.
Executions took place at Tyburn between 1571 and 1783 before
moving to outside Newgate in Old Bailey Lane .
The bodies of executed criminals were taken to Surgeon's
Hall in the Old Bailey for public dissection.
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