"In London, at the end of Oxford Street, more or less where Marbre Arch is now, there was a small town called Tyburn, which has sadly gone down in history because in this place capital executions by hanging were carried out that lasted for six centuries .
The first of these executions dates back to 1196. The prisoners were transported on a cart from Newgate prison, in the city of London and, passing through Holborn, St. Giles in the Fields and Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), traveling about 5 kms, in the middle of a great crowd, they arrived at the place of execution. In 1571, for practical reasons, the "individual" gallows was replaced by a "collective" one, which allowed up to 24 people to be hanged simultaneously. This gallows, formed by a horizontal triangle that supported on three feet, received the name of Tyburn Tree, Tyburn tree.
A plaque on the ground, on which you can read ‘The site of Tyburn Tree’, is all that now recalls the exact location of the gallows. This small area, at the junction of Edgware Road, Bayswater Road and Oxford Street, is bounded by three small oak trees, recently planted.
After the execution, the bodies were buried nearby and some, especially in recent times, were handed over to doctors and medical students so that, in this way, they could perform autopsies. In these cases, disorders always occurred because it was believed that dismembering the bodies would prevent their resurrection for the final judgment. This problem also existed when, and it happened often, after the executions the bodies were dismembered, smeared with fish or boiled, the pieces being successively hung in public places as an admonition or warning to others.
The executions were considered by the people as real spectacles and many people came to see them. Due to the large influx, a kind of scaffolding was also installed, as if it were a tribune, with places to sit, which offered a better ‘view’ of the show. These localities were paid and the prices could be very high, so that only the richest could afford it. Street vendors also came with articles of all kinds, with which they did good business. In more recent times, some employers gave the worker the day of leave to give him the possibility to attend the execution."
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