Talk:Caxton Gibbet

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REMOVE "LEGENDS" Because: (a) There is no source given for this. It is not in any of the written sources I have seen and I think I have seen everything there is. (b) If there is no source but is primary experience or rumour it should not be in Wikipedia. (c) These are strange ghosts as the present "gibbett" is not only a modern structure which has never been as such, but it isn't on the site of the actual gibbett, so the ghosts much have moved from there to the new site, which would certainly be a phenomena worth investigating. GBH 13:06, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

NOTE I may have broken Wikipedia rules on the use of sources here. There are many printed sources for the folk tales, but none of them cites any sources. Mossop is not a printed source, but his research into primary sources is comprehensive and authoritative. As this (ludicrous) tale appears in many place on the internet Wikipedia should contain what I hope is balanced account. GBH 23:20, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Of course. Thanks. But you can't be my best man, because I'm married, (and when I was I had a nest woman!)GBH 21:20, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

(Adopting the down-up reading order on this page) What a nice happy ending for something I feared could turn into A gruesome example of the Wikicrime variation. But what about me? I did my part to help, too. Can I be your Best Common Man? 00:00, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

Bullzeye. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm no "Mr." but you are "true gent". GBH 19:20, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

Mr. GBH: You provided precisely the research and elucidation the article needed. The tone is far more factual, NPOV, and now sources are cited, too. Wikipedia could use more editors like you. I tip my hat to you, sir. --Bullzeye 07:00, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

See also edit today to gibbet. See Gatrell for the problems of public order at executions. I have also checked Briggs, J., Harrison, C., McInnes, A., and Vincent, D., Crime and Punishment in England. Vagabonds were sometimes held in cages during a short period c.1500-1550, but these were alternatives to parish lock-ups. People were also displayed in stocks, but only for short periods. Starvation was not a punishment known to English law.

GBH 11:05, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

In response and in support of edit. 1) The original article had no sources. It made sensational gothic claims about this site. I am a lawyer qualified in England, having studied at Cambridge University with a special interest in criminology and penal history. I have never encountered any such reports, at this or any other location. I have searched reputable sources, both covering the history of Cambridgeshire, this location and execution in England. None of these support the sensationalist claims which I removed. (There are some "paranormal" websites, some of which reproduce the Caxton Gibbet entry but are also unsourced, and some of which are obviously taken from Wikipedia). I don't see any point in citing sources which contain nothing. I have therefore reduced the entry to what can be said about this location based on what is credibly known about such locations generally. (One source I have seen suggests that the gibbett erected there was a modern "memorial" and that the original place of execution for this area was actually elsewhere). Positive statements should not be made unless and until credible sources are produced. 2) I apologise if you think I have not. I'm relatively new to Wikipedia and lawyers are not always the most sensitive writers. I will bear it in mind. 3) I could have left the edit with nothing more. That might have been better. However, having edited an unsourced article I thought I should give some pointers to where some of the more gothic elements might have come from. They were not intended at ad hominim attacks but directions for further research for those interested. If you read any of the original sources on public executions in England you will know the problems which the forces of "law and order" had in controlling crowds even for a relatively short period while victims were hung. Even then when executions were carried out in batches and armed soldiers were present the crowd sometimes rescued people while they were hanging on the rope. That is one reason why public executions were abandoned and they took place inside prisons. That a criminal could be left to starve to death on a lonely crossroads is simply not credible. The amateur constables, and tything men who were the only "forces" available in rural areas could not stand over them, they had other work. I have re-edited the article in a more neutral way. If you or anyone else can produce primary sources or credible secondary sources for the practice I have removed I am happy to have it put back. In the meantime I will ask the County Record Office if they have any records of this practice at Caxton or anywhere else in Cambridgeshire. If they do I will cite those sources.

GBH 23:10, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

If you're going to massively rewrite an article, do these three things: 1) Give sources, 2) Keep NPOV, 3) Temper the tone of the new article so it doesn't sound like you're specifically ragging on how stupid the last revision was. As of right now, you've done none of these things, and the article shows it.

Bullzeye 22:08, 4 January 2006 (UTC)