Editing Tyburn (section)

== Process of executions ==
Tyburn was primarily known for its gallows, which functioned as the main execution site for London-area prisoners from the 16th through to the 18th centuries. For those found guilty of capital crimes who could not obtain a pardon, which accounted for about 40%, a probable destiny was to be hanged at Tyburn. Other contemporary methods of punishment that may have been used as alternatives to Tyburn included execution, followed by being hung in chains at the place where the crime was committed; or burning at the stake; and being [[Hanged, drawn and quartered|drawn and quartered]], of which the latter two were common in cases of [[treason]].

The last days of the condemned were marked by religious events. On the Sunday before every execution, a sermon was preached in [[Newgate]]'s chapel, which those unaffiliated with the execution could pay to attend. Furthermore, the night before the execution, around midnight, the sexton of [[St Sepulchre-without-Newgate|St Sepulchre's church]], adjacent to Newgate, recited verses outside the wall of the condemned. The following morning, the convicts heard prayers, and those who wished to do so received the [[Eucharist|sacrament]].

On the day of execution, the condemned were transported to the Tyburn gallows from Newgate in a horse-drawn open cart. It was about {{convert|3|mi|km|0|spell=in}} from Newgate to Tyburn, but as the streets were often crowded with onlookers, the journey could last up to three hours. The cart usually stopped at the "Bowl Inn" public house in [[St Giles, London#History|St Giles]] High Street. This was the "halfway house". Here the condemned were allowed to drink strong liquors, wine or [[strong ale]].<ref>Tales from the Hanging Court, Tim Hitchcock & Robert Shoemaker, Bloomsbury, p. 306</ref>

:"Here [[Jack Ketch]] and the criminal who was about to expiate his offence on the scaffold were wont to stop on their way to the gallows for a 'last glass'. Mr. W. T. Purkiss, the proprietor, however, was prevailed upon to stay the work of demolition for a time".<ref name="british-history.ac.uk">{{Cite web |title=St Giles-in-the-Fields {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3/pp197-218 |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=british-history.ac.uk}}</ref>

The draught itself was described in a 19th-century ballad as being of a "nutty [[brown ale]] drunk from a [[Mazer (drinking vessel)|'broad wooden bowl']]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Tankard of Ale – 120 Drinking Song Lyrics – songbook P0240 |url=https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/tankard-ale/tankard-ale%20-%200240.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=traditionalmusic.co.uk}}</ref> At various times the St Giles Bowl appears to have been administered at a number of inns (or perhaps one inn under a number of names) in St Giles, each successively being referred to as "The Bowl".<ref name="british-history.ac.uk"/> According to [[George Walter Thornbury|Walter Thornbury]] in his classic ''London Old and New'', "The Bowl" would appear to have become associated with the [[The Angel, St Giles High Street|"Angel Inn"]] on St Giles High Street. In 1873, the ''[[City Press (London)|City Press]]'' feared that the Angel Inn, another memorial of ancient London, was about to pass away. The Angel was remodelled in 1898 and stands to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Angel – Pub Heritage |url=https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/pubs/2109 |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=pubheritage.camra.org.uk}}</ref>

Having arrived at Tyburn, the condemned found themselves in front of a crowded and noisy square; the wealthy paid to sit on the stands erected for the occasion, in order to have an unobstructed view. Before the execution, the condemned were allowed to say a few words; the authorities expected that most of the condemned, before commending their own souls to [[God]], would admit their guilt. It is reported that the majority of the condemned did so. A noose was then placed around their neck and the cart pulled away, leaving them hanging.

Instances of [[pickpocketing]] have been reported in the crowds of executions, a mockery of the deterrent effect of [[capital punishment]], which at the time was considered proper punishment for theft.<ref name="oldbaileyonline.org" /><ref>Tales from the Hanging Court, Tim Hitchcock & Robert Shoemaker, Bloomsbury, pp. 301, 307</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/search.jsp?form=searchHomePage&_divs_fulltext=&kwparse=and&_persNames_surname=&_persNames_given=&_persNames_alias=&_offences_offenceCategory_offenceSubcategory=&_verdicts_verdictCategory_verdictSubcategory=&_punishments_punishmentCategory_punishmentSubcategory=death%7ChangingInChains&_divs_div0Type_div1Type=&fromMonth=&fromYear=&toMonth=&toYear=&ref=&submit.x=22&submit.y=5&submit=Search|title=Results – Central Criminal Court|website=oldbaileyonline.org|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>