Emily Chan
Other individuals with high status who were found guilty of treason or any offenses against the Crown were executed at the western edge of Trinity Square Gardens.
These included participants in rebellions, such as the Peasants’ Revolt, War of the Roses, English Reformation, and the Jacobite Uprising. Crowds would gather to watch the gory public displays.
One of the most brutal beheadings happened in 1685 at the hands of Jack Ketch, history’s bloodiest executioner.
He was notorious for his violence and inefficiency. James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, went under the axe for leading a rebellion against his uncle, King James II. He suffered through a horrific botched execution. It took seven blows and a knife to separate his head from his body.
The last public execution to take place in the country was of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, in 1747. He was found guilty of high treason for his role in the 1745 Jacobite Uprising.
Today, memorial plaques and a sculpture dedicated to those who were condemned to death are located at the site of the executions.
