Gallows

A gallows is a wooden frame or an elevated beam.

While many people today use this word to describe a tool for execution, it originally had many different uses. In the past, gallows were used as frames to suspend heavy objects for weighing. Markets used them to weigh large sacks of grain or minerals. Ships also used a similar framework to raise anchors. This process is called "weighing the anchor." It helped sailors lift the anchor without hitting the ship's hull.

The word "gallows" comes from a Proto-Germanic word, galgô. This word means a pole, a rod, or a tree branch. In the 4th century, a man named Ulfilas used a similar word in his Gothic Testament. He used it to refer to the cross of Christ. Eventually, the Latin word "crux" became more common for that purpose. Over time, the meaning of gallows shifted toward its modern usage. It became almost exclusively associated with a scaffold or gibbet used for hanging.

There are several different shapes and forms that a gallows can take. The simplest design looks like an inverted "L." This shape has one upright post and one horizontal crossbeam. This beam is supported at both ends to hold a rope noose. Other designs were much larger and more complex. The Tyburn gallows in England was known as the "Tyburn Tree." It had a triangular plan with three uprights and three crossbeams. This large structure allowed up to 24 people to be executed at the same time.

Gallows can be categorized as either permanent or temporary structures. Permanent gallows often served as a symbol of justice. In France, the word for gallows is "potence." This comes from the Latin word "potentia," which means power. In old European cities, these structures were often built on prominent hills. They were frequently placed near a castle or a seat of justice. In the modern era, permanent gallows are usually found inside prisons. They might be built into a prison wing or placed in a special execution suite.

Temporary gallows were different because they could be moved to specific locations. Sometimes, people moved the gallows to the site where a crime occurred. In England, pirates were often executed at low tide in the intertidal zone. This meant the high tide would eventually wash over them. In 1777, a man named John the Painter was hanged from a ship's mast. This was the highest temporary gallows ever used in British history. Other portable gallows were set up on the roofs of jail gatehouses.

The mechanism used for hanging has changed significantly over history. Early methods were often very slow. Sometimes a person stood on a ladder or a horse-drawn cart. Once the ladder or cart was removed, the person would hang by the neck. This led to death by strangulation or asphyxiation. For example, a man once struggled for forty minutes before dying this way. In 1780, a British spy named John André was executed using a horse and cart.

Later, inventors developed the "New Drop" design to make the process faster. This method uses a scaffold with a trapdoor. When the trapdoor is sprung, the person drops down quickly. This drop was intended to break the neck cleanly. This was a major change from the slow process of strangulation. One surviving example of a New Drop gallows is held in the Rutland County Museum. These different designs show how technology and ideas about justice have changed over many centuries.