SHERBORNE'S GRUESOME PAST

from Sherborne Times June 2023

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Hanging was practised in Anglo-Saxon

Britain as early as the fifth century and by the 1700s more than 200 crimes were punishable by death. Physical punishments and public humiliation became social events and were carried out in most towns, often on market days or public holidays, when many of the townsfolk were present. Throughout the country, 7,000 men and women were executed on scaffolds, often watched by excited crowds. For centuries public executions were one of the most popular forms of entertainment, and Sherborne had its fair share. These spectacles attracted eager audiences and people flocked to watch the condemned writhe in agony at the end of a rope. Gallows Plot, which is high above the terraces playing fields on Gainsborough Hill, was where the hangings took place. The macabre ceremonies attracted hundreds of people, as this was one of the main routes into Sherborne. Hawkers joined the throng selling their wares to the spectators, many of whom would have been drunk on cheap gin.

Victims did not die easily, often screaming, urinating and defecating, as they choked and kicked until the end. Some would have jerked helplessly for many minutes, or even hours, slowly strangulating, unless a sympathetic bystander added their weight by grasping and hanging onto the writhing legs. As the hanged man took his last breath many people pressed forward hoping to brush with the body. Thomas Hardy capitalised on this in his story The Withered Arm, where Gertrude, after seeking advice from the Conjurer, was told that her only hope of a cure was to place her disfigured arm on the neck of a newly hanged victim. A common belief was that the hanged man’s hand possessed healing powers. Barren women came in the hope that the ‘magic hand’ of the corpse would make them conceive. Mothers took children to the foot of the gibbet to stroke the hand of the dead man believing this would ensure lifelong good health. Some brought their children to teach them a lesson for life - and flogged them afterwards to ensure the message hit home. Some hangmen even charged people to touch the swaying body and sometimes they severed a hand to sell to the highest bidder in the crowd. The hangman’s rope was also in demand, as many believed that if they owned a piece of the rope they would never be hanged, and placing the rope on their head was thought to cure persistent headaches.

After hanging, the bodies were often left suspended as a warning to others, and the sight of a prominently displayed corpse at a crossroads became commonplace.

Carcasses, silhouetted against the sky, creaking and swinging in the wind, were a disturbing sight for some travellers who would take detours to avoid the lurid spectacle. Sometimes, the sentence involved the prisoner being hung in chains whilst still alive and left to die of thirst or exposure. It was illegal to offer food or water to the condemned man, however some, coming across the poor wretch, might put an end to his misery by running him through with a knife.

During the second half of the 18th century, campaigners successfully pleaded for the ‘drop’, which involved a longer rope resulting in a broken neck and quicker death. By 1868, the Government ordered all hangings to be carried out within the prison walls and so the era of this grotesque public spectacle was over.

But, should you still want a taste of the macabre then visit Bow Arch next to Sherborne Museum. This 15thcentury gateway, which still had its huge oak gate until 1805, gave entrance from the marketplace to the Abbey precincts and was the site of even more hangings.

On 15th September 1685, the marketplace witnessed the hangings of 12 local supporters of the Monmouth Rebellion who were rounded up after the bloody Battle of Sedgemoor and brought to Sherborne for execution. The names of these poor unfortunates are recorded and the method of death was by hanging, drawing and quartering. This grisly practice was the highest punishment for treason until 1870. The prisoner was hanged by the neck and brought to the very brink of death. He would then be cut down and laid on a table where his abdomen was cut open for disembowelling. In the hands of a skilful executioner, he would still be alive as he watched his entrails and genitalia taken from him and burned. Only then would he be allowed to die, as the still-beating heart was carefully extracted from his traumatised body. They were then beheaded and the body butchered into four parts. The resulting five parts were treated with salt and pitch to preserve them and then put on public display in the town, and distributed around the neighbouring villages, as a warning to others. There is a record of a gruesome quarter being displayed in Bishop’s Caundle.

Change Of Focus

Richard Bromell ASFAV, Charterhouse Auctioneers

At Charterhouse we have always enjoyed being up-to-date with the latest tech. We were early adopters of live online bidding – happy to use 21st-century technology whilst some firms seemed to be stuck in the 20th century or even earlier!

In the early days of web development and live bidding, I used a digital camera to take images. I liked the speed at which we could send information to the client which was the polar opposite when I started work as an auctioneer in 1985. Back in 1985, if you were interested in bidding on a lot, you could request a photograph. The quickest way for us to send you a photo generally was with a Polaroid camera as opposed to taking images on an SLR 35mm camera and having the roll of film developed and then posted to you via snail-mail.

Moving forward to the very early 2000s and I moved on to a digital camera. I think my first digital camera came with a 1.2mp (megapixel) capacity – untenable by today’s standards. My mobile phone at the time (the legendary Nokia 6310) was only really up to the task of making calls and texting.

Moving forward to the 2020s and I have an Apple Pro phone thingy, which unlike my trusty old Nokia 6310, comes with a 28mp camera. It really is an amazing piece of kit which enables me to WhatsApp or email images and information to clients instantaneously. No more out-offocus and expensive Polaroid photos or popping down to Boots to get a roll of film developed to be posted and probably arrive through the letter box after the auction has taken place.

Then again, there are plenty of photographers who, whilst they embrace and enjoy digital technology, prefer good old dependable traditional cameras with film. These are generally not your old Kodak box Brownies, which were available to the masses, but often, technical highend cameras such as Leica’s. In our 1st June auction, we will be holding a specialist auction of cameras, photography, and related items.

Already consigned for this sale is a fabulous collection of Leica and other cameras estimated at £7,000-£10,000. Entered into the auction from a collector in Swanage who recently passed away there has already been a lot of interest in his and the other cameras we have at our sale-rooms.

I seem to have amassed over 16,000 images in the cloud and on my phone. Many are of my family, friends, holidays, and animals. Although I do not look at them all of the time, I am quite relieved I have not printed them all off – they would certainly fill a few photo albums, but having handled the Leica collection I am tempted to go back to a traditional camera. Now where to build that dark room..?

On The Hunt

Sourcing Furniture And Artefacts For The Sherborne

I’ve always been interested in antiques as my great grandfather and great uncle were antique dealers, but I never thought it would be my career. At university, I studied medieval history and afterwards wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. So, I started working at Phillips auctioneers in London as a porter in their furniture department. After a while, I ended up in Sherborne as they also owned the auction rooms in Long Street. I moved down here as a cataloguer for them in 1984.

After Phillips, I worked for Sotheby’s as their agent down here, until 1990 when I set out on my own. I’ve been trading as Macintosh Antiques ever since. To start with I had a shop in Marlborough and used to sell stuff in London, including at the big shows, which I still attend today. Then, twenty-one years ago, I got my premises in Sherborne. The building was originally the mews to Sherborne House – which is a nice link to the current restoration project and partly why I feel emotionally connected and so proud to be part of the renovation.

In 1850 they separated the buildings, putting the wall around Sherborne House and establishing a literary institute – the first working man’s literary institute outside any industrial city in the British Isles, it was opened by Charles Dickens in 1851.

My part in this project started a few years ago when I met Michael Cannon, the Founder of the Trust for The Sherborne. He popped into Macintosh Antiques one afternoon and since then, not only have we become friends, but he has tasked me with the important job of furnishing the more formal rooms of the historic house.

I specialise in English country house furniture with a comfortable, relaxed feel, and mirrors. I also do a lot of library furniture and ‘gentleman’s furniture’, too – all of which will be great for next door.

Some areas of The Sherborne call for quite grand, period pieces such as the entrance lobby. I’ve also just bought an amazing 1930s counter which will go in the shop. It has to be restored first, but it’s all brass and glass and will be great for a display.

So far, we’ve bought two club fenders for the large fireplaces, allowing visitors to sit by the fire. I will need four in total, so I’m still very much on the hunt. The whole process is a treasure quest. How it works is that I create a wish list with the client – items they would like to see and which I feel would be good for the rooms – then, it’s a case of finding them. Some of the items still on my list are the remaining club fenders, a nice Georgian over-mantle mirror, and library bookcases or sideboards for practical use in the dining areas.

What’s important when sourcing furniture for a historical building is authenticity first and foremost – it’s got to look good in its setting. But it also has to be practical and hardwearing –it’s going to get a lot of use.

Once the furniture is sourced, we will select and upholster in fabrics that the client and interior designers have helped choose. This all takes time and the restoration must happen first. It should be fairly easy logistically, as we are neighbouring businesses. I plan on popping around to try furniture out in the actual space as we progress.

One of the challenges is time. We may have a wish list, but if we don’t source exactly what we are looking for, we will need to come up with a secondary plan. We might have to compromise a little. We may need to temporarily put something in place and then switch – but hopefully that will not happen. It’s not like ordering a set of modern bistro chairs for a café –you can do that easily because you just order off-spec, and it’s all sorted. This job is difficult as some of the items on the wish list are tricky to find.

Something else on my ‘search list’ is a set of caricatures and prints. I am looking for the sort of Hogarth and Gillray satirical ones – quite savage depictions of regency gentlemen, as well as quirky, fun, engravings like William Pitt carving up the world. They’re not something I deal with normally, so there’s a little bit of pressure, and they are proving to be a tad difficult.

I am feeling confident about the rest of what’s planned. Part of the challenge is buying things blindly. Antique dealers spend a lot of time looking for something specific, and we’re on the road a fair bit. Because I have been doing it for so long, I have a really good network in the trade. People know I’m currently looking for fenders, so I get sent regular tip-offs. I’ll receive condition reports and photographs for items I can’t see in person.

It will all be worth it in the end. This renovation is great for the town. I’ve always thought Sherborne House was a wonderful building and I have worried about what may happen to it. I like the fact that it will be a blend of old and new – the back reminds me of the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Having the arts focus will be great for the town. The building has a whole range of different parts to it and opening up the Sir James Thornhill staircase will be so special. I’m really happy to help wherever I can. thesherborne.uk macintoshantiques.co.uk

Forthcoming Auction Programme

Silver, Jewellery & Watches