Legal Definitions - gibbet

A gibbet was a historical structure, typically a wooden post with a projecting arm, used for two primary purposes in the past: either to carry out executions by hanging or, more commonly, to display the bodies of executed criminals publicly. The gruesome display of deceased offenders served as a stark warning to deter others from committing similar crimes. It was a specific type of gallows.

A double gibbet was a variation of this structure featuring two arms extending from the top, often resembling the letter "T."

• Example 1: Public Deterrent in a Port Town

  In a bustling 17th-century port town, after a notorious pirate was captured, tried, and executed for his crimes, his body was placed upon a gibbet erected prominently near the harbor entrance.

  This illustrates the gibbet's use for displaying the body of an executed criminal, serving as a grim warning to other potential pirates and sailors about the severe consequences of maritime lawlessness.

• Example 2: Execution for Treason

  During a period of political unrest in medieval England, a nobleman found guilty of high treason was condemned and led to a prominent gibbet on a hill overlooking his former estate, where he was hanged as a public spectacle.

  Here, the gibbet is depicted as the direct instrument of execution by hanging, emphasizing its role in carrying out capital punishment and making a public example of the condemned.

• Example 3: A Chilling Landmark

  An 18th-century traveler's diary entry describes a journey through a desolate moor, noting, "As we rode, we passed a weathered gibbet, from which the iron cage containing the skeletal remains of a highwayman still swayed gently in the wind, a chilling testament to the King's justice."

  This example highlights the gibbet's long-term use for exhibiting the bodies of criminals, sometimes in cages, long after their death. It underscores its purpose as a lasting deterrent and a symbol of state power and retribution.