Executions
“Final Clothing” (style representations)
“Travellers were warned when entering London with decapitated heads at London Bridge. The various procedures of punishment were part of life in London’s streets.”
“Carpenters made the gallows, blacksmiths produced iron waist belts and leg irons, ropemakers were responsible for the rogues, and other necessary equipment was provided by more craftspeople. ”
“The examinations of bodies took place in the centre of these theatres in order to be visible for all attendants. ”
Executions
An Exhibition about London Life and Death at the Museum of London Docklands
★★★★★
WRITTEN BY DR BIRGITTA HUSE, 14.02.2023
Eliza Fenning chose the dress she would be wearing for this once in a lifetime event with extraordinary care. Rumours of the time had it that she wore the fashionable muslin gown she had intended to wear for her wedding for her execution instead. Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, had decided for his superb suit in white and silver, in which he had been married, because it had been “his first step towards ruin and should attend his exit”.
There are many more stories which are told in the “Executions” exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. Executions were embedded in London’s landscape from the 12th century right through to the 19th century. To start with we learn about the methods used as a punishment after being judged guilty of a crime by detailed engravings and accompanying explanations. Being hanged, quartered or boiled are just some of the possibilities. The boiling, for example, was used as a punishment for having murdered someone by poison. The turn at the end of this part of the exhibit does not allow us to see what comes next. It is the first turn of several to come. We curiously follow them as we want to discover more. The exhibition invites us to “explore how public executions shaped Londoners’ lives and the city’s landscape” and pulls us into a world of London public punishment. Apart from execution methods the history of executions is portrayed through objects, documents such letters and petitions for mercy, engravings, paintings and projections. A bigger picture of London and the people living in it is drawn successfully. The base for this bigger picture is the event of the execution itself.
London’s execution places
In London, places of execution were never far away from wherever you were. Generally, the distance to the next execution site was about five kilometres. In The City of London the next site was as close as an average 500 metres away only. It was visible for everyone in the streets, what would happen to those who committed a crime in London. Travellers were warned when entering London with decapitated heads at London Bridge. The various procedures of punishment were part of life in London’s streets. Engravings depict how criminals were exhibited in public while being transported on horse drawn slides towards the execution place. These transports were entire processions accompanied by a crowd of people who expected the cruel highlight of this performance once the execution site was reached. Famous was the way via Fleet Street. In order to prevent uproar and a possible liberation of the criminals by the population, guards were part of these processions.
Detail from: Heads of traitors on London Bridge, 1616. Engraving by John Visscher, reprinted 1840-1860
The political framing of storytelling about London executions was guarded by the authorities. One engraving portraits a fainting woman and another one crying at the execution of King Charles I. This engraving is of German origin as it would have been illegal in England. To “speak, preach or write against” the King’s execution was considered a crime.
German print showing Charles I’s execution c. 1649.
German print showing Charles I’s execution c. 1649.
The exhibition further illuminates the economic aspects of the many executions. Carpenters made the gallows, blacksmiths produced iron waist belts and leg irons, ropemakers were responsible for the rogues, and other necessary equipment was provided by more craftspeople. Apart from these craftsmen there were many more people earning money by being involved in executions. Pamphlet printers and engravers sold souvenir-like prints and food and drink sellers added to the fair-like atmosphere. Several celebrity criminals were interviewed and even portrait painted in prison.
Technical inventions around executions are another important aspect we learn about while being absorbed by the stories told during the exhibition parcour. The gallow with trapdoor was a groundbraking invention because it accelerated executions. Whereas every single criminal had to be dealt with individually before, the trapdoor facilitated the hanging of up to seven or more people all at once.
Quote Elizabeth Fry (Quaker prison reformer), 1818, projected in the exhibition space.
Having learnt about the ever-growing quantity of hangings the question arises about what happened with all the dead bodies. A part of the bodies served as deterrence. As already mentioned, bodyparts such as heads were exhibited at London Bridge and at other buildings throughout London. Another use of the bodies was medical research and teaching in so-called medical theatres. The examinations of bodies took place in the centre of these theatres in order to be visible for all attendants. The availability of these bodies for medical research was usually due to the fact that either there was no family around to take care of burial, or the families of the criminals could not or did not want to take care of their family member. As the scientific need for bodies grew, bodies were also “snatched” from churchyards.
The “Executions” exhibition is not at all a sensationalist show of objects and documents aiming to trigger spine-chilling reactions. Rather, the presentation of well-chosen and rarely shown objects, alongside thoughtfully produced materials provide an insight and understanding of how public executions shaped Londoners’ lives and the city’s landscape. The exhibition addresses diverse visitor interests. Visitors interested in engravings will get their money’s worth just as those visitors who fancy London history, material culture, street life and dress fashion. At the same time, the difficult subject of the death penalty, not only in the history of London but until nowadays, is approached in a sensible and enlightening way. Finally, the visit to the Museum of London Docklands inspired me to think about how the city’s landscape and Londoners’ lives are shaped nowadays by human suffering such as homelessness and drug consumption – clearly a visible presence in the streets of London.
“Executions” at the Museum of London Docklands shows until 16 April 2023.
Visitors are advised that there are human remains on display in this exhibition, and content which may not be suitable for younger children. The recommended age is 12+. Children under the age of 12 are welcome in the exhibition at the discretion of their parents/carers.