Monday, March 3, 2014

Yarrrrr, Matey! Just Don't Do It!

   The Museum of London Docklands relates the history of the Thames River, the docks, and the dock workers that brought goods to the city. 


   One of the many fascinating exhibits is on the topic of punishment for piracy. Of course, pirates had to die for their crimes, but the extreme methods of execution were designed to deter further would-be pirates from contemplating similar acts.

This chain was found in 1920 when the the area of the Execution Dock in Wapping was dredged.  The chain was used to hang a  body from a stake in the river for three tides after the execution.  Behind the chain is a receipt for the delivery of pirates to the Execution Dock, dated 10 May 1762.


   Taken from the stake, the lifeless pirate's body was tarred (for preservation?), stood in an iron gibbet cage, and hung in the river until it rotted away. 



   Apparently, it was quite a sight to see a row of "gibbet tassles" swaying over the water.  Horrifying, I would think.


  The museum is in a sugar warehouse built in 1802 on the West India Docks, Isle of Dogs, east London.

Thank you for reading my blog.  Fair winds to ye, and yo ho ho, me blogging buckos!

17 comments:

  1. Eeks!

    Thanks for the heads up for my next return visit to the UK!

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  2. Informative and interesting post.

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  3. All very gruesome Cynthia. We've moved on a little since then?

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  4. I wonder if they considered it a successful deterrent. Paints a pretty scary image.

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  5. Fascinating post and lovely shots to support it ~ thanks,

    artmusedog and carol
    www.acreativeharbor.com

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  6. I hope that doesn't happen to my pirate. The Other Half has a patch over his eye due to cataract surgery. Ho ho ho me hearty

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  7. Brutal times back then. Fascinating.

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  8. Ah, gruesome public executions. The good old days! (I don't want to go back.) That must have been a fascinating exhibit.

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  9. Gruesome indeed! You seemed to have found some of the les well known parts of London. This is the first blower I have owned. This winter we have had more snow (and cold) than normal. We get your cold moving east and Florida moist are moving north. When they arrive together we get lots of snow and/or ice.

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  10. Oh! Very painful to even think!
    Cruelty knew no limits then.

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  11. Those gibbets are gruesome!

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  12. Fascinating post and good photos!

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  13. It scares me from ever wanting to be a pirate, that's for sure!

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  14. Thanks for that, it's a place I have been meaning to go and visit.

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  15. Wow fascinating I will visit it in June.

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  16. Yikes! That would be really scary to see!

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