About this ebook
An illustrated introduction to the death penalty and the means of capital punishment in England since Tudor times.
Executions have played a crucial if grisly and controversial part in British history and provided the bloody climax to many a life, from Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles I and Dick Turpin to untold thousands of anonymous wretches whose names are now forgotten.
With the help of numerous illustrations, this concise introduction explores the history of formal execution in Britain, examining:
- the fates of the grandest monarchs, the highest-profile gentlemen, the most learned heretics and the most petty of criminals
- the crowds, spectacle and grim pageantry that surrounded these events, helping us to understand their morbid but undeniable fascination
- the process that led to capital punishment's abolition in Britain
This is an ideal guide for anyone interested in British social history and historical crime and punishment.
Executions have played a crucial if grisly and controversial part in British history and provided the bloody climax to many a life, from Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles I and Dick Turpin to untold thousands of anonymous wretches whose names are now forgotten.
With the help of numerous illustrations, this concise introduction explores the history of formal execution in Britain, examining:
- the fates of the grandest monarchs, the highest-profile gentlemen, the most learned heretics and the most petty of criminals
- the crowds, spectacle and grim pageantry that surrounded these events, helping us to understand their morbid but undeniable fascination
- the process that led to capital punishment's abolition in Britain
This is an ideal guide for anyone interested in British social history and historical crime and punishment.
An illustrated introduction to the death penalty and the means of capital punishment in England since Tudor times.
Executions have played a crucial if grisly and controversial part in British history and provided the bloody climax to many a life, from Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles I and Dick...
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About the author
Stephen Banks is a university lecturer and director of the Forum for Legal and Historical Research at the University of Reading. His main research interests are in law, anthropology and cultural history, with a particular focus on violence and the relationship between law and honour culture. He also wrote Duels and Duelling for Shire.
Stephen Banks is a university lecturer and director of the Forum for Legal and Historical Research at the University of Reading. His main research interests are in law, anthropology and cultural history, with a particular focus on violence and the relationship between law and honour culture. He a...
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