Executions: 700 Years of Public Punishment in London

The book explores the history of public executions in London from 1196 to 1868, featuring objects, paintings, and documents from the Museum of London's collections. It reveals the role of Londoners as both spectators and participants in this demonstration of state power over the life and death of its citizens.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2022
Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd

London and Londoners have been profoundly shaped by nearly 700 years of public executions, which were more frequent in the city than in any other city or town in Britain. These morbid spectacles attracted tens of thousands of onlookers at locations across the capital and were a major part of Londoners' lives for centuries. From Smithfield to Kennington, Tyburn to Newgate Prison, public executions became embedded in London's landscape and peoples' lives. Even today, hints of this dark chapter in London's history can still be seen across the city.

This book tells the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events, featuring the lives and legacies of those who died or who witnessed public executions first hand from 1196 to 1868. It includes a range of fascinating objects, paintings and documents, many from the Museum of London's collections, such as the vest said to have been worn by King Charles I when he was executed, portraits of 'celebrity criminals, and last letters of the condemned.

From the sites of execution to the thriving 'gallows economy, the book reveals the role that Londoners played as both spectators and participants in this most public demonstration of state power over the life and death of its citizens.

Weight: 576g
Dimension: 199 x 248 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781781301081