Olde London Punishments

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.