expected that most of the condemned, before their death, before commending their own souls to God, would admit their guilt. It is reported that the majority of the condemned did so. A noose was then placed around their neck and the cart pulled away, leaving them hanging. Instances of pickpocketing have been reported in the crowds of executions, a mockery of the deterrent effect of capital punishment, which at the time was considered proper punishment for theft. Social aspects Sites of public executions were significant gathering places and executions were public spectacles. Scholars have described the executions at Tyburn as "carnivalesque occasion[s] in which the normative message intended by the authorities is reappropriated and inverted by an irreverent crowd" that found them a source of "entertainment as well as conflict." This analysis is supported by the presence of shouting street traders and food vendors and the erection of seating for wealthier onlookers. Additionally, a popular belief held that the hand of an executed criminal could cure cancers, and it was not uncommon to see mothers brushing their child's cheek with the hand of the condemned. The gallows at Tyburn were sources of cadavers for surgeons and anatomists. Executioners "The hangman of London " Cratwell – 1 September 1538 Thomas Derrick Gregory Brandon 1625 (or earlier) – ?, after whom the phrase the "Gregorian tree" was coined. Robert Brandon – 1649 "Young Gregory" alongside his father at least part of the period. Edward Dun Jack Ketch 1663 – early 1686, reinstated briefly in late 1686 Paskah Rose 1686 – 28 May 1686 Richard Pearse (?) 1686–? Unknown or unknowns John Price 1714–16 William Marvell 1716 – November 1717 John Price 1717–18 William Marvell (?) 1718 Bailiff Banks ?–1719 Richard Arnet 1719 – John Hooper ? – March 1735 John Thrift March 1735 – May 1752 Thomas Turlis 1754–1771 Edward Dennis 1771 – 21 November 1786 Notable executions See also Thomas Derrick an executioner at Tyburn. Carthusian Martyrs of London Last dying speeches Ordinary of Newgate's Account Notes References External links Connected Histories Areas of London Execution sites in England History of the City of Westminster London crime history