The authors of London: City of the Dead and London: The Executioners City expand their history of grim, ancient punishments into the realm of the "social" punishments used in workhouses, churches, and schools All manner of vile punishments from London's long and bloody history are collected here. Over the centuries, many hundreds have expired inside dank, rat-infested cells, or while "dancing the Tyburn jig" at the end of a swinging rope, and many of the sites have become bywords for infamy. From the Tower and Newgate prison to the Clink and the Fleet, this book explores London’s criminal heritage; including the stocks and pillories that lie, almost forgotten, in churchyards and squares across the city, it is a heartbreaking survey of the nation’s penal history. Richly illustrated and filled with victims and villains, nobles, executioners, and torturers, it will delight historians, travelers, and armchair travelers alike.

This book contains all manner of grim and ancient punishments from London's long and bloody history. Over the centuries, many hundreds have expired inside the capital's dank, rat-infested cells, or whilst 'dancing the Tyburn jig' at the end of a swinging rope, and many of the sites in this book have become bywords for infamy. From the Tower and Newgate prison to the Clink and the Fleet, this book explores London's criminal heritage; also including the stocks and pillories that lie, almost forgotten, in churchyards and squares across the City, and the many shocking punishments exacted inside the region's churches, workhouses and schools, it is a heart-breaking survey of our nation's penal history. Richly illustrated, and filled with victims and villains, nobles, executioners and torturers, it will delight historians, residents and visitors alike.

With almost 2000 years of continuous habitation, it is no surprise that the city of London can boast a fascinating array of strange events and paranormal occurrences. From sightings of big cats such as the Southwark Puma and the Cricklewood Lynx to the terrifying tales of the Highgate Vampire and Spring-Heeled Jack, along with stories of mermaids, dragons, fairies and alien encounters, this enthralling volume draws together a bizarre and intriguing collection of first-hand accounts and long-forgotten archive reports from the capital's history. Richly illustrated with over sixty photographs, Paranormal London will invite the reader to view the city in a whole new light and will delight all those interested in the mysteries of the paranormal.

London abounds with all manner of ludicrous laws, and not all of these curious statutes have been relegated to the past. Despite the efforts of the Law Commission there are medieval laws that are still in force, and the City of London and its livery companies have their own legal oddities. Laws are made in the capital because parliament is here; so are the Old Bailey, the Law Courts, the House of Lords and, now, the Supreme Court. The privy council, which sometimes has to decide cases, also sits in London, and there were other courts that used to sit in London, from prize courts concerning war booty to ecclesiastical courts. Having maintained its 'ancient rights and freedoms' under Magna Carta, the City felt free to enact its own laws, many of which seem to have had to do with what people could wear. Until quite recently, for example, a man could be arrested for walking down the street wearing a wig, a robe and silk stockings - unless he was a judge. And all human folly has been paraded through the law courts of London, to the extent that it is difficult to know where the serious business of administering justice ends and where farce begins. As law is made in the courtroom as well as in parliament and elsewhere, judges like to keep a firm hand, but sometimes so-called jibbing juries will simply not do what they are told. All sorts of oddities get swept up into the law. Legislators particularly love to pass Acts about sex. If sexual services are being offered in a London massage parlour, for example, a police officer must then search the premises for school children. According to The Children and Young Persons Act of 1933 it is against the law for children and 'yowling persons' between the age of four and sixteen to frequent a brothel. A writ was introduced under both Edward III and Henry IV to ban lawyers from parliament as there were too many of them, the reason being that it was easier for a lawyer to spend his time in London attending parliament that it was for a knight of the shires. But because parliament was already packed with lawyers it was difficult to make any such rule stick. Then an effective way of excluding them was found. They were denied the wages paid to members in those days. Sadly, these days, parliament and the government are packed with lawyers once again. And they are being paid. A law passed in 1540 - and still in force today - makes it illegal for barbers in the City of London to practise surgery; with impeccable impartiality, the Act also forbids surgeons to cut hair. Finally, never forget that under the Vagrancy Act of 1824, you can be convicted of being 'an idle and disorderly person, or a rogue, vagabond, or incorrigible rogue'. The same act also outlaws people 'professing to tell fortunes', including 'palmistry'. Under the Act, it is an offence merely to be suspected.

A history of the iconic London prison, featuring insights on daily life, the evolution of prison systems, and famous inmates. As the place where prisoners, male and female, awaited trial, execution, or transportation Newgate was Britain’s most feared gaol for over 700 years. It probably best known today from the novels of Charles Dickens including Barnaby Rudge and Great Expectations. But there is much is more to Newgate than nineteenth century notoriety. In the seventeenth century it saw the exploits of legendary escaper and thief Jack Sheppard. Among its most famous inmates were author Daniel Defoe who was imprisoned there for seditious libel, playwright Ben Jonson for murder, and the Captain Kidd for piracy. This book takes you from the gaol’s 12th century beginnings to its final closure in 1904 and looks at daily life, developments in the treatment of prisoners from the use of torture to penal reform as well as major events in its history. Praise for The History of Newgate Prison “An amazing, entertaining and informative book!” —Books Monthly “This is a highly readable and accessible account, not only of the iconic institution, but also of the history of crime and punishment. It is packed full of evocative detail and is essential reading for all those interested in crime history.” —Who Do You Think You Are? magazine

Tyburn Fields is the best known site of execution in London, but London may be aptly named the executioner's city, so many were the places where executions could and did occur. This book reveals the capital as a place where the bodies of criminals defined the boundaries of the city and heads on poles greeted patrons on London Bridge.

Discover the London lost in the Great Fire