Tyburn: London's fatal tree

by David Brandon

This work tells the story of how Tyburn came to be the place of execution and of the rituals and spectacle associated with the deaths of so many people, both famous and obscure.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, London, Medieval, Tudor Period

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply interesting look at a small part of London.

Today, Marble Arch is probably the busiest area of road in London, but back in the 12th century, it was well outside London's walls and known as Tyburn. Close to the major road into London. It was there that the authorities elected to carry out the executions of criminals.

From the late 12th century until 1783 Tyburn was synonymous with death. Yes, there were other places of execution, such as Smithfield and Tower Hill, but the word Tyburn sent fear through all who heard it.

This fascinating little book looks at the history of the place, some of the people who ended their lives there, and the men who sent them there.

An absolute must for anyone interested in London's history, or the history of criminal justice.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read for an ex-London guide like me...a lively, written execution of historical facts & fictions to celebrate one of London's most famous 'landmarks', Tyburn, the site of the legendary gallows and more!
My father's Christian name derived from a certain Derrick, a hangman, who gave his name to the tower-shaped erections above oil drills...though his London erection was more about blood & other liquids expelled in the throes of a death by rope on the edge of one of the most crime-ridden cities in history. Nothing changes there...though public, legal executions no longer take place.
Today's regular executions on the bloody streets of London are private & illegal!...& use guns & knives not rope!)
Bring back Tyburn Tree? /\? You can get away with murder in London these days! (Ask Sadiq Khan!...who certainly can!)
(My middle name is Derrick...& my surname sounds like Holborn (& Tie-byrne!)...if you drop your aitch!...& the road from Newgate Prison to Tyburn passed through that famous district...past St Andrew's, Holborn...& the condemned (almost exclusively men!) rode in a cart on the 3-mile trip to meet their maker! What's in a name, eh?).

[Barry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a dozen or so years ago, and what an intriguing read it is. It's chilling to think how savage and bloodthirsty the polite, well-mannered Brits were back in the past, and on an institutional level. Every time I reach the end of Oxford Street and see Marble Arch and the plaque which marks where the Tyburn tree used to be, the gallows where 50,000 were hanged, drawn, and quartered over five centuries, I think of what horrors used to be perpetrated in the name of justice on this very spot.By turns horrific, revelatory and thought provoking, this is a fascinating read.

[The Logophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is difficult for me to review. I was inspired to read it because of another book I read about famous executioners in France (Sanson Family). It was filled with colorful tales about victims & all of the locations are pretty famous thanks in large part to the French Revolution. I'd say 60% of the book lived up to my hopes & expectations. Unfortunately, the other 40% was incredibly boring & repetitive. Having said that the author knows his stuff & it was an easy read. Perhaps this location in London is just not as exciting as the city of Paris is as a whole.

[Berita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I love to read about old history and this satisfied my interest. A bit disorganized writing, jumping back and forth in telling made it a bit strugglesome to read - but mostly a good book. I've learned quite a lot about Tyburn, as was my incentive to read this book anyway.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough history of Tyburn over the years and description of life in those times.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2004 account of the once famous site for public hangings at Tyburn. Since this process often included castration, envisceration, beheading and quartering it appears to have been quite a spectacle by the barbaric standards of those times. Much of this information has appeared in print and in tv documentaries before, but it still made quite an impact just because of the focussed way in which the subject was approached. That said, it still amounts to a somewhat repetitive list of the circumstances of individual cases, the results and the crowd reaction where known - there is also a lot of duplication of details of individual cases in different chapters. There is, perhaps, a great reliance on apocryphal anecdotes as well as some glaring contradictions. The strength of the text lies in its conclusions about the deterrent affect of these executions, or lack of... I was intrigued by the concept of a triangular scaffold capable of taking up to 24 victims, as this seems to dwarf the scaffold used by Judge Parker in Fort Smith in the late 19th century - however, unlike the scaffold at Fort Smith, the Tyburn scaffold could not do all of its executions simultaneously. Some of the chapters are nothing but a travel of the district, and sound more like the drivel in booklets at Tourist Information and there fore detract from the text. Morbid, but interesting.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book contains lots of interesting stories, facts, anecdotes of Tyburn, (Marble Arch) of some of the 50,000 folk executed between the twelth century and up to 1783.
Here was the capital's holiday destination, as well as the three mile procession from Newgate Prison for the vast crowds to flock and enjoy.
Lots of little known snippets of information on crime and punishment and social history, with the personalities of around six hundred years of nefarious goings on, when most of it was all fields.
Hangings, hanging drawing and quartering, beheadings, burnings at the stake. All for the public to view, all the fun of the fair.
The book also provides a modern day journey from Newgate to Tyburn with a history of the sites from Holburn and Oxford Street to Hyde Park.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c2004. I was wondering how the authors were going to manage to fill 246 pages dedicated to Tyburn. The trick is, of course, to link it to other historical things like 'Changing Methods of Punishment: 1500 to 1800' and 22 pages of an Appendix and Bibliography. There were some interesting parts but it must be hard to find various ways to state the obvious as in - being drawn to the gallows, then hanged or worse. Recommended to those who find anything about historical London interesting. "It is still possible to follow the historic route between Newgate and Tyburn, said to be approximately three miles./The walk, which can easily be completed in three to four hours, is best done early on a Sunday morning.

[Maria Bonham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but a bit tedious at times. Attention tended to drift.