The Tour
Judicial punishment is a vexed issue. For centuries, the law has tried to make the punishment fit the crime. This is clear to see in its struggle to deal with the death penalty.
Hanging at Newgate Prison
From the public display of execution to the fear of the afterlife, has the terror of the sentence of death really deterred the wrongdoer?
The execution of Hugh Despenser
And what of those moments when the due process of law is in a questionable position?
Impotent to act, challenged by natural justice, or made the tool of tyranny?
We hear of a pickpocket prostitute and a she-wolf, of domestic abuse and the trade in human corpses.
We visit the sites within the City of London where the law has tried to grasp the slippery serpent of crime.
N.B. This tour shares some of the locations featured in Shadows in the City, but the two tours have different priorities. While the other highlights darker aspects of punishment and execution, this tour concentrates on judicial aspects.
Details – To Make the Punishment Fit the Crime
Please go to What’s On? to see whether this tour is currently on offer, and for booking details.
MEET: outside Exit 1 (NOT the Cathedral exit) of St Paul’s Underground Station
Duration: two hours (approximately)
Finish: close to Barbican Underground Station
If you have any questions about this walk, contact me
Pictures sourced from Wikimedia Commons
