Bilstone Gibbet Post was erected 1801 to display the body of murderer John Massey.
The rotting remains, then the skeleton, stayed on display for at least 18 years.
The post, situated in Bilstone, Nuneaton, is still standing today, and it's Grade 2 listed.
The famous oak post was erected in March 1801, a quarter of a mile from the scene of a notorious murder committed by John Massey in February 1800.
The incident which led to Massey’s downfall took place when he became involved in a violent argument with his second wife, Lydia while the pair were out walking by Milstone Mill with his wife’s 10-year-old daughter.
He brutally battered his wife and kicked her and his step daughter into the mill stream.
His wife subsequently died of her injuries several weeks later.
Unfortunately for Massey, however, the young girl survived and went on to give evidence against him.
He was sentenced as Leicester Assizes to be hanged and gibbeted.
The hanging was carried out at Red Hill, Birstall on the 23rd March 1801.
As was the custom of the day after execution, the body was transported to the parish where the crime had been committed.
The body would be wrapped in chains and hung from a metal ring on the gibbet post and left as a public and lasting spectacle.
Even as late as 1818, it was reported that the skeleton of John Massey still existed as a grim reminder to the other homicides.
Born around 1750, Massey had been a local celebrity and renowned wrestler.
He often defeated his opponents by throwing them over his head giving ride to the nickname of Topsy Turvey.
He worked in the fields at Oilstone as an agricultural worker and was reputed to be punctual and industrious.
However, he acquired a reputation for heavy drinking and was given to violent outbursts of temper and cruelty to his wives, Sarah who died in 1797 and Lydia, whom he murdered.
Ha, yes, & that's still the case. Those prisons are in the middle of the Californian desert, hundreds of miles from anywhere. Good luck escaping from those, you might be able to get out of the prison, but after that, you are stranded, hundreds of miles from anywhere.
Comments
wearing funky masks for a week or two"
hope you like them they are by cartier-bresson, man ray and richard billingham......
https://www.exploringgb.co.uk/blog/bilstone-gibbet-post?fbclid=IwAR3auOaRI-A9wyfVdxrjMVWkDmtTNRjB8e3eeUrt4pGY_5u2Wx9wWrgjM2s
Bilstone Gibbet Post: A Gruesome History.
Bilstone Gibbet Post was erected 1801 to display the body of murderer John Massey.
The rotting remains, then the skeleton, stayed on display for at least 18 years.
The post, situated in Bilstone, Nuneaton, is still standing today, and it's Grade 2 listed.
The famous oak post was erected in March 1801, a quarter of a mile from the scene of a notorious murder committed by John Massey in February 1800.
The incident which led to Massey’s downfall took place when he became involved in a violent argument with his second wife, Lydia while the pair were out walking by Milstone Mill with his wife’s 10-year-old daughter.
He brutally battered his wife and kicked her and his step daughter into the mill stream.
His wife subsequently died of her injuries several weeks later.
Unfortunately for Massey, however, the young girl survived and went on to give evidence against him.
He was sentenced as Leicester Assizes to be hanged and gibbeted.
The hanging was carried out at Red Hill, Birstall on the 23rd March 1801.
As was the custom of the day after execution, the body was transported to the parish where the crime had been committed.
The body would be wrapped in chains and hung from a metal ring on the gibbet post and left as a public and lasting spectacle.
Even as late as 1818, it was reported that the skeleton of John Massey still existed as a grim reminder to the other homicides.
Born around 1750, Massey had been a local celebrity and renowned wrestler.
He often defeated his opponents by throwing them over his head giving ride to the nickname of Topsy Turvey.
He worked in the fields at Oilstone as an agricultural worker and was reputed to be punctual and industrious.
However, he acquired a reputation for heavy drinking and was given to violent outbursts of temper and cruelty to his wives, Sarah who died in 1797 and Lydia, whom he murdered.
Cumulus congestus cloud at a beach, raining.
I bet it is genuine, though the camera has used one of those weird lenses.
The USA is unbelievably big, with huge undeveloped open spaces, so yes, there are a whole lot of extremely long, straight roads.
There's a stretch of the I-15 just west of Las Vegas which looks very similar to that photo.
Massive road. And most of the roads off it lead to prisons.
@Essexphil
"And most of the roads off it lead to prisons."
Ha, yes, & that's still the case. Those prisons are in the middle of the Californian desert, hundreds of miles from anywhere. Good luck escaping from those, you might be able to get out of the prison, but after that, you are stranded, hundreds of miles from anywhere.