#tyburn tree

[j-august]

Since Laws were made for ev'ry Degree, To curb Vice in others, as well as in me, I wonder we han't better Company, Upon Tyburn tree! But Gold from Law can take out the Sting; And if rich Men like us were to swing, 'Twou'd thin the Land, such Numbers to string, Upon Tyburn Tree!

John Gay, The Beggar's Opera

[theoutcastrogue]

Dead Rat Orchestra - Tyburn Tree

To the tune of Greensleeves etc., 1728 [N.B. That’s the year of The Beggar's Opera, which features the song with only the two first stanzas, the rest are later additions]

Since laws were made for every degree, To curb vice in others, as well as me, I wonder we hadn't better company
 Upon Tyburn Tree But since gold from law can take out the sting; And if rich men like us were to swing, 'Twould thin the land, such numbers to string Upon Tyburn Tree The barrister, brimful of justice and law
 That creeps into your bosom your bowels to gnaw, Let him mount, and report, if he finds out a flaw, Upon Tyburn Tree The man that for money would cut Britain's throat, That sees dirty scribblers to fib for a groat, Make room for his honour to vote his last vote Upon Tyburn Tree Should all swing in halters that say and unsay, That for sixpence would swear, and belie, and betray, Some dozens I think might be ty'd up one day Upon Tyburn Tree Far off from the few honest folks that despise The flummery of fashion, the whip cream of lies, May the riff-raff remove that subsist on disguise Upon Tyburn Tree

[londiniumlundene]

Tyburn Convent

Visiting the Shrine of the Martyrs at Tyburn Convent ranks among the more unusual experiences I have had in my explorations around London. Founded in 1903, the convent commemorates the 105 Catholics who were hanged at the nearby Tyburn Tree gallows, and fulfils a prediction given in 1585 that a religious house would be founded in Tyburn. The convent is home to around two dozen nuns, who live a cloistered life, only leaving in cases of medical emergency. They maintain a constant vigil in the chapel and spend most of their time in silence.

When I first arrived at the convent, entering through the most prominent door, I found myself in the chapel, in which the nuns and altar were separated from the public by high metal bars. After finding the less obvious entrance to the reception, I rang the doorbell, expecting the office door to be opened, but was rather surprised when a nun suddenly peered out through a hatch in the wall. I explained I was there to see the crypt, and I was asked to wait for a sister who would show me around.

Some minutes later, waiting by the stairwell, the sister ascended from the gloom, and took me to see the relics and shrine. To some, it might have seemed a rather gruesome affair – a replica gallows over the altar, and bits of bone, fingernails, hair, dried blood, and stained clothing kept in gilded reliquaries on the walls – but the sister explained to me that they had great respect for the martyrs. These were people who witnessed to their faith by laying down their lives for their beliefs, and faced their deaths with dignity.

Whether or not one shares the viewpoint of the sisters at Tyburn Convent, it is certainly an interesting place to visit – the history associated with it is more than I can write here. Tours are held daily, and the though they don’t often leave their residence, the nuns do appreciate all visitors, and like to hear about the outside world.

[theoutcastrogue]

Shirley Collins - Tyburn Tree

Since laws were made for every degree To curb vice in others as well as me I wonder there's no better company On Tyburn Tree

But since gold from laws can take out the sting And if rich men like us were to swing It would rid the land their numbers to see Upon Tyburn Tree

[burlveneer-music]

John Harle & Marc Almond - Fortress (by John Harle & Marc Almond)

Echoes of Woodkid in the visual style and the rich, martial-inspired arrangement.

[oldtyburnsglory]

Guess where admin went today...

[theossuary]

Article from The Chirurgeon's Apprentice on the "Tyburn Tree," notorious site for public hangings in what is today London:

Beginning in the 18th century, Tyburn became a battleground between the surgeons who needed to procure corpses for dissection and the mob who fought ferociously to protect the dead from this indignity.

Read the whole thing.

[nobleruin]

I Have heard sundry men oft times dispute Of trees, that in one year will twice bear fruit. But if a man note Tyburn, 'will appear, That that's a tree that bears twelve times a year. I muse it should so fruitful be, for why I understand the root of it is dry, It bears no leaf, no bloom, or no bud, The rain that makes it fructify is blood. I further note, the fruit which it produces, Doth seldom serve for profitable uses: Except the skillful Surgeons industry Do make Dissection of Anatomy. It blooms, buds, and bears, all three together, And in one hour, doth live, and die, and wither.

John Taylor (the Water-Poet) from The Description of Tyburn 1630