Tyburn: London's Fatal Tree by Brooke Alan & Brandon David

Author:Brooke, Alan & Brandon, David [Brooke, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780752495798
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

NINE

Newgate to Tyburn in the Eighteenth Century

The three miles from Newgate to Tyburn was the last journey on earth for the condemned felons. Although most are unlikely to have been noting their surroundings with any great interest – other than perhaps to look for a way of escaping – they travelled a route imbued with many interesting features. What were some of the major historical and topographical features along or close to the route from Newgate to Tyburn which could have been seen around 1783, the last year in which felons made this dismal one-way journey?

Newgate was an ancient gaol that took its name from the adjacent building of the same name, erected around AD 200. This was the nearest of London’s six landward gates to the powerful fort that the Romans had constructed in the northwestern corner of their settlement, Londinium, in about AD 120. Close by was Ludgate and the area between the two gates came to be known as ‘The Bailey’, a bailey denoting a ward or court within an enclosed space. The name ‘Old Bailey’ was applied for the first time about 1760 to a new street that resulted from the demolition of several small alleys in this area. Newgate had a turbulent history but survived until 1777, being the last of the City’s gates to be demolished. It looked rather odd in its last years because it was topped with a curious ventilating device invented by a Dr Hales.

Newgate, the prison, stood some distance to the east of the Fleet River which flowed close to the west wall of the City. Although its origins may have been earlier, it was certainly used as a prison around 1130 for housing people thought to be dangerous to the Crown. It was also the prison for the County of Middlesex and the City of London and was supervised by their respective sheriffs, they in turn appointing the keeper. It gained a fearful reputation both for the horrors of its accommodation and the corrupt and cruel behaviour of its keepers. It is therefore no coincidence that Wat Tyler’s rebels attacked and partly demolished it in 1381. Attacks aside, the fabric was frequently neglected and it had to be extensively rebuilt several times. In 1770 a massive reconstruction programme was embarked upon which was not completed before large parts of it were demolished during the Gordon Riots of 1780 when the mob let the prisoners go free. It was quickly rebuilt but with little improvement to its facilities.

Emerging from Newgate into Old Bailey, the procession turned westwards at the junction with Newgate Street and Giltspur Street. Newgate Street was once known as Blow Bladder Lane because of the butcher’s shambles in that area and the common practice of inserting the bladders of sheep into carcases in order to make them swell. They therefore looked bigger and prices could quite literally be inflated. Giltspur Street had previously been known as Knightrider Street because knights probably used this thoroughfare on their way to do mock battle at the Smithfield tournaments.

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