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This sentance was reserved for persons convicted of High Treason, the act
encompassing was formulated in the reign of Edward III and was divided into the following sections:
1. Compassing, or imagining, the death of the king, queen or heir apparent.
2. Levying war against the king in his realm.
3. Adhering to the king's enemies, and giving them aid in the realm,
or elsewhere.
4. Killing the king's chancellor or judge in the execution of his duty.
5. Violating the queen, the eldest daughter of the kin, or the wife of the heir
apparent or the eldest son.
6. Counterfeiting the king's great seal, or privy seal.
7. Counterfeiting the king's money, or bringing false money into the kingdom.
It has been modified throughout history, but it was under section three of the
act that James Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) was prosecuted.
The sentance was pronounced thus:"That the offender be drawn to the gallow on the
ground or pavement; that he be hanged by the neck and then cut down alive;
that his entrails be taken out and burnt, while yet alive; that his head be cut
off; that his body be divided into four part; and that his head and quarters
be at the king's disposal".
Garrotting started as a form of strangulation, where the victim was placed in a chair
and a strap tied around the throat. The strap, usually made of rope, was in the form of a
torniquet, and a wooden "handle" was used to tighten the throat-strap and thus strangle
the victim. The punishment is usually associated with Spain. More modern versions have a bolt, whose
height can be adjusted to a particular person, and as the garrotte is tightened, the bolt stabs into
the neck and severs the spinal cord, as in hanging, resulting in a painful (I assume) but quick death.
Breaking on the Wheel
Breaking on the wheel was a particularly painful death. Used in medieval times, the victim
was tied to a wooden wheel, the body and limbs forming a star shape, and the executioner
would break the limbs first with a club or hammer, and eventually every bone in the body
was broken, causing death from massive internal trauma. Other forms of execution by the
wheel included rolling the wheel off the edge of a cliff or down a particularly steep hill
until the victim succumbed to massive injuries.
Stoning
Still in use in the Middle East and other Islamic countries, stoning is usually reserved
for women. The history of stoning can be traced back to Biblical times.
There are two popular variations. In the first the victim is buried in a hole up to the neck.
Stones are then thrown at the victim's head, until death occurs from head injuries. The second version
is that the victim is simply stood against a wall, and the citizenry hurl stones at the victim
until death results through massive internal haemorrage. In Iraq, the stones
are supplied by the judiciary and are described under law as "stones which are not to large, that they
will cause death immediatly, and not too small as not to be described as stones". On completion
of the sentence, the attending official will administer the mercy blow by smashing a shovel down onto the
head thus ensuring death.
The Wooden Horse
In this type of execution, the victim is literally split in half. Seated on a sharp V-shaped
wooded structure, weights are tied in increasing quantities, forcing the trunk of the body down onto
the v-shaped structure, which cuts into the body, eventually splitting the victim in half.
The Iron Maiden
A simple device, shaped in human form. The device was hinged and on the inside of the
door of the "maiden" were set iron spikes. The prisoner was placed inside the maiden and
the door was closed, forcing the spikes into the prisoner, killing him very slowly from trauma and blood loss.
Buried Alive
Used in Muslim countries, the prisoner was buried up to his chin in the
earth, and left to the mercies of the weather, eventually dying of thirst and
starvation.
Pressed to Death
Up to the reign of King William and Queen Mary, any persons
who refused to plead in the Dock, would suffer torture or pressing until either death intervened or
the person begged to be taken back to the Dock to plead. Accused persons in the 17/18 Centuries refused
to plead because if there was no plea, then they could not be prosecuted. Further, if a person died under the torture,
his estate could not be confiscated by the state, should be be found guilty and executed, the state confiscated all his
assets at the detriment of his family. This was changed by King William with the introduction of a new act.
I quote from the act the words used by the judge in the event
that the accused refused to plead: "That the prisoner should be sent to the prison from whence he came, and put into
a mean room, stopped from the light, without any litter, straw or other covering, or without any
garment about him, except something to cover his privy members. He shall lie upon his back, his head shall be covered,
and his feet shall be bare. One of his arms shall be drawn with a cord to one side of the room, and the other arm to the other
side, and his legs shall be served in the like manner. Then shall be laid upon his body as much iron or stone as he can
bear, and more. And the first day after he shall have three morsels of barley bread, without any drink; and the second day he
shall be allowed to drink as much as he can at three times, of the water that is next to the
prison-door, except running water; without any bread; and this shall be
his diet till he dies; and he, against whom this judgement shall be given, forfeits his goods to
the king". If the accused still would not plead, after the reading of this act, then they were taken
back to the prison, and the judgement was carried out. At times during the pressing the accused would indicate that
he wished to plead and asked to be taken back to court. Once pressing started, it wasn't usual to complete the sentance
with the prisoner dying. To be taken back to court to plead after this sentance was passed, was considered
a favour to the accused and was rarely granted. In 1772, this act was repealed, and in future a person who refused
to plead was considered guilty of the crime as if convicted by a jury, and sentance was passed.
In 1772 this was deemed a honourable alteration to the law in keeping with modern times!!
Burning at the Stake
This was the sentance passed for Petty Treason (usually husband-killing)
or on being convicted of witchcraft. The prisoner was chained to a stake, and faggots of wood
are placed around the feet and set alight, burning the prisoner to death. In practise, the executioner
would place a rope around the prisoner's neck, on which he would pull when the faggots were lit, thus
strangling the prisoner before the fire reached him/her. However, this did not always
work, in the case of Catherine Hayes (May 9 1726), the executioner was forced to let go of the
rope before she strangled, as he was burnt by the flames. She was seen
to try to push the wood away from her feet, as her screams of pain rent the air.
Death of a Thousand Knives
The death of a thousand knives comes to us from the history of the Middle East. The prisoner was
tied to a board and death was administered by tho following method. A box containing an
assortment of knives was made up. On each knife was a label giving a particular part of the body, i.e. left thumb,
right ear etcetera. The knives were mixed up in the box and the executioner pulled out the first
knife using the lottery method and whatever was written on the label, then that particular part
of the anatomy was either sliced off or a deep incision made into it. Thus it could be a quick death
if the first knife drawn out was labelled the heart or a slow death if the executioner drew out the
finger knives etcetera. Indeed, it was practice, should the relatives be able to afford to, to
bribe the executioner to "draw" the heart knife first, thus ensuring a quick death for the
victim.