Tyburn: The Story of London's Gallows by Robert Bard Read Free Book Online

he and his friends were brought by torch light through a secret way vnder ground, beginning far off from the sayde castle, till they came even to the Queenes chamber, which they by chance found open: they therefore being armed with naked swords in their hands, went forwards, leaving the King also armed with-out the doore of the Chamber, least that his mother shoulde espie him: they which entred in, slew Hugh Turpinton knight, who resisted them, Master John Nevell of Home by giving him his deadly wound. From thence, they went towarde the Queene mother, whom they found with the Earle of March readie to have gone to bedde: and having taken the sayde Earle, they ledde him out into the hall, after whom the Queene followed, crying, Belfilz, belfilz, ayes pitie de gentil Mortimer, Good sonne, good sonne, take pittie upon gentle Mortimer: for she suspected that her sonne was there, though shee saw him not. Then are the Keyes of the Castle sent for, and every place with all the furniture is yeelded up into the kings handes, but in such secret wise, that none without the Castle, except the kinges friendes, understoode thereof. The next day in the morning verie early, they bring Roger Mortimer, and other his friends taken with him, with an horrible shout and crying (the earle of Lancaster then blind, being one of them that made the showt for joy) towardes London, where hee was committed to the Tower, and afterward condemned at Westminster, in presence of the whole Parliament on Saynt Andrewes even next following, and then drawne to the Elmes and there hanged on the common Gallowes. Whereon hee hung two dayes and two nights by the kinges commaundement, and then was buryed in the Gray Fryars Church.’ ( The ruins of Grey Friars still remain ). It has been frequently said that Mortimer was the first person executed at Tyburn. The French Chronicle of London says, ‘Sir Roger Mortimer, and Sir Symon de Bereford, who was of his counsel, were drawn and hanged at London.’
    In a note Mr Riley adds that he ‘is said to have been the first person executed at Tyburn, but according to Roger of Wendover, William Fitz-Osbert, or Longbeard, was executed there in 1196’. Dr Lingard says that Mortimer ‘was executed at Tyburn, the first, as it is said, who honoured with his death that celebrated spot’. The reader now knows that not only Longbeard, but Constantine Fitz-Athulf, had certainly been here executed, and also probably others mentioned in these Annals. It may be taken for granted that the new gallows erected in 1220, and the old gallows replaced by them, had not stood idle. In the century-and-a-half during which the gallows had stood at Tyburn, hundreds, if not thousands of unrecorded executions must have taken place here.
    1347 The Scotch king, David II, the Earl of Fife, and the Earl of Menteith were captured. Fife and Menteith were sent to London and tried. From Calais Edward III sent the judgment to be pronounced on these two ‘traitors and tyrants’. In accordance with the sentence, Menteith was drawn, hanged, disembowelled. His head was set on London Bridge, and the quarters sent to various parts of England. The sentence was not carried out against Fife, as being allied to the king in blood.
    1377 Sir John Menstreworth, accused of embezzling from the king large sums allotted to him for the pay of soldiers, fled to France. About this time (April), writes the chronicler, was captured Sir John Menstreworth, a traitorous knight, who had fled to Pamplona, a city of Navarre. Brought to London, he was first drawn, then hanged: finally his body was divided into four quarters, which were sent to four principal cities of England; and his head was fixed on London Bridge, where it remained for a long time.
    1386 ‘And that yere the goode man at the sygne at the Cocke in Chepe, at the Lyttyll Condyte, was mortheryd in hys bedde be nyght, and therefore hys wyffe was brente, and iiij of hys men were hangyd at Tyborne.’ The Grey Friars