The gibbet in Halifax continued to survive for centuries after others had disappeared elsewhere. Why? The most commonly held theory is that it was a powerful deterrent due to the large amounts of cloth being produced in the area; the textile trade being especially vulnerable to thieves due to it being an easily transportable commodity. This and the fact that use of gibbets was not governed by any Acts of Parliament meant it was a local decision whether its use was continued. However, by 1650 beheading was starting to be considered an excessive punishment for petty theft and Oliver Cromwell spoke out in Parliament forbidding its use.
Although the actual installation date is not known, it is thought that it dates back as far as 1286 however, the first recorded victim is Richard Bentley from Sowerby on 20 March 1541. The last two victims were Anthony Mitchell and John Wilkinson who were found guilty of stealing cloth valued at 9 shillings, and two colts valued at £5 8shillings – they were executed on 30 April 1650. Records are patchy but it is thought that 53 people were executed between 1541 and 1650 for what we today would describe as petty crimes.
There was a system of trial by jury whereby the accused would be brought before the court along with the accuser and the stolen items. If the jury acquitted the accused, then the individual was at liberty after paying their fees. However, if condemned execution would be immediate if it was a principal market day otherwise, they would be kept in the stocks until the next.
The gibbet employed a unique method of decapitation whereby a horse was attached by string to the safety pin and would trigger the blade by moving forwards and removing the pin. This enabled the heads to be removed without the direct intervention of human hands.
The whole device weighted 7lbs 12oz and was rediscovered in 1840 when it was fenced off and became overgrown with time. On Feb 1974 a non-working replica was erected on the site. The Gibbet’s original blade has been preserved and is on display at Bankfield Museum, Halifax.
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