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Saint Andrews, Scotland

George Wishart Memorial Stones

The initials "GW" mark where one of Scotland's most important Protestant martyrs was burned at the stake.
The man known as Monsieur de New York sort of kept his identity secret, as executioner was not exactly a position of renown.
crime

The Mystery of Monsieur de New York, Celebrity Hangman

Considered an artist of the gallows, his true identity is shrouded in myth and hyperbole. 
Nina Strochlic February 28, 2024
Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.
witchcraft

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.
Sarah Durn October 31, 2023
George Jacobs, whose witchcraft trial is shown here in Thomkins H. Matteson's 1855 painting, was one of 19 people hanged as a witch during the 1692 Salem witch trials.
murder

The Salem Witch Trials Actually Happened in Danvers, Massachusetts

Tensions between Salem and Danvers were there from the start—contributing to the ensuing witch hysteria.
Theresa McKinney October 26, 2023
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Molly McGuire Memorial

A monument to an Irish secret society thought to be responsible for a string of violent attacks in Pennsylvania coal mines.
Stockholm, Sweden

Galgbacken (Gallow Hill)

The site of Stockholm's last public execution.
London, England

Tower Hill Execution Site

A memorial for public executions that dates back to the 14th century.
Guy Fawkes is the most notorious member of England’s 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a Catholic conspiracy to blow up Westminster Palace and assassinate Protestant King James I.
murder

How a Threadbare 'Bag of Secrets' Led to Guy Fawkes's Gruesome Execution

The documents that convicted the infamous traitor were all kept in this unassuming leather pouch.
Kavitha Rao May 19, 2023
Framingham, Massachusetts

Learned Pond

The notorious pirate William Kidd might have buried his treasure around this local pond.
Old High Church Kirkyard
Inverness, Scotland

Old High Church Kirkyard

The oldest church in Inverness witnessed the brutal executions of many Scottish soldiers.
objects of intrigue

Was This King Charles I’s Death Vest?

It is said the English monarch wore the sleeved waistcoat at his public execution in 1649.
April White November 17, 2022
The footbridge was used to take prisoners from the City gaol on site of No.1 Upper Northgate Street (qv) to the former Chapel of St John in the south wing of the Bluecoat School.
Chester, England

Bridge Of Sighs

Once the last route taken by condemned prisoners.
In the late 16th century, the quaint coastal town of North Berwick, Scotland, depicted here in a 1591 print, became an early hotbed of witch accusations. Some 60 people were accused, both nobles and servants, and many were executed.
witchcraft

Why Is Scotland Apologizing Now for Witch Trials 300 Years Ago?

The gender politics of attempting to right a historic wrong.
Sarah Durn March 24, 2022
Mounting Block.
York, England

York Tyburn

After public executions took place at this location, attendants would also attend a local horse race.
Site of the Porteous Riots
Edinburgh, Scotland

Site of the Porteous Riots

The location of a citizen uprising that led to a gruesome act of mob justice.
Tarpeian Rock
Rome, Italy

Tarpeian Rock

In the early Roman Empire, people deemed traitors and criminals were tossed to their deaths from this rock.
The original (now empty) grave of Yoshida Shōin.
Tokyo, Japan

Kozukappara Execution Grounds

This infamous execution site inspired the beginning of Japan's modernization in the late 18th-century.
Suzugamori Iseki execution ground
Tokyo, Japan

Site of Suzugamori Execution Grounds

A site where ten to twenty thousand Edo-era prisoners were put to death.