Justice On Display

The historiography of public justice reveals the drama unfolding at and around the gallows in the long 18th century was not just about the criminal on stage. Rather, it was a socially grounded dark event incited by an evolving display of theatricality and commerciality. For many events, the crowds swelled around the execution stage while crudely singing and chanting, mixing the air with laughter and cries to form what has been called scenes of obscene jollity. The crowd’s excitement, often hazardous for the actors on stage – the condemned, executioner and authorities – was arguably their refusal to play their expected role of passive participants under the direction of the magistrates. And for those who were unable to partake in the jollity, the Press intricately reported every detail of the dark event. Drawing on primary and secondary texts that describe these dark event scenes, this chapter addresses the unfolding scenes of the Tyburn Fair and situates these happenings within the spectrum of dark events. As not all public executions resulted in such obscene theatrics, this chapter highlights specific cases to demonstrate the often-excited scenes that unfolded at and around the gallows in the long 18th century.