Image courtesy of Gerri Gray @boredpanda.com

The last public beheading in London took place on Tower Hill in 1747, a tradition that dates back to 1381 when Simon of Sudbury the Archbishop of Canterbury was hacked to death by an angry mob as part of the Peasant’s Revolt. Generally speaking beheadings were for high status prisoners who had their sentences ‘commuted’ from the more barbaric sentence of being hanged, drawn and quartered, the usual punishment meted out to traitors; unless of course you were a woman, when public decency demanded that they were burned at the stake!

Public executions by hanging, often for misdemeanours such as petty theft, were not abolished until 1868, and the death sentence for serious crimes was not abolished in most of the UK until 1965.

Join Michael as he takes you on a journey around London to explore the execution sites and discover the personal stories of those who met their deaths at the hands of the executioner, including the last woman, Ruth Ellis.

This tour is NOT for the faint hearted

When is this tour?

Saturday 29th January 2021 7pm

How do I book?

This tour is available to book through Meetup

Although its not compulsory to join the Meet-up group to obtain the ticket, by doing so you would be joining many others who love to ‘Discover London with Michael’.  Its a place where you can share ideas and comment on issues.