Replica of medieval execution device to be replaced

A replica of a 13th Century execution device, which was an early type of guillotine, is to be replaced 50 years after it was first erected.

The non-working full size oak replica of the Halifax Gibbet, which was created in 1974, had rotted and would be replaced with an exact bespoke copy using traditional methods, according to an application to Calderdale Council.

The original gibbet pre-dated the guillotine and consisted of a large axe blade and upright oak posts, with its notoriety being echoed in the famous phrase, "From Hull, Hell and Halifax, good Lord deliver us".

The Halifax Gibbet was first used to behead criminals in 1286, with the final three victims going under its blade in 1650.

The replica of the machine is located just off Gibbet Street in Halifax, and sits on the device's original stone base which was rediscovered and preserved in the 1840s and which is Grade II listed.

According to a heritage statement in the application, the last time the gibbet was used was when John Wilkinson was executed for stealing 16 yards (14m) of cloth.

"This historic spot is noteworthy not because Halifax has a monopoly on the privilege of beheading, but because it continued so long here after it had been abandoned elsewhere," the statement said.

One of the gibbet's original axe blades can be seen in the museum in Halifax Piece Hall and a plaque nearby lists the names of the 52 people known to have been executed using the device.

The new replica would be created using green, unseasoned oak and traditional fixing methods, and would use the existing holes to attach the new structure, the council said.

Twelve months after installation, the green oak would have air dried and timber preservative could then be applied, supporting statements in the application stated.

The old structure would be removed, nuts and bolts reused where possible, and templates made from the existing sections at workshops, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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