Knowledge

Crushing (execution)

Source 📝

206:
and fasten'd to the several Quarters of the Room. This done, he has a great Weight of Iron and Stone laid upon him. His Diet, till he dies, is of three Morsels of Barley bread without Drink the next Day; and if he lives beyond it, he has nothing daily, but as much foul Water as he can drink three several Time, and that without any Bread: Which grievous Death some resolute Offenders have chosen, to save their Estates to their Children. But, in case of High Treason, the Criminal's Estate is forfeited to the Sovereign, as in all capital Crimes, notwithstanding his being pressed to Death.
48: 211: 193:
in 1772, and the last known use of the practice was in 1741. In 1772 refusing to plead was deemed to be equivalent to pleading guilty. This was changed in 1827 to being deemed a plea of not guilty. Today in all common-law jurisdictions standing mute is treated by the courts as equivalent to a plea of
251:
In medieval Europe the slow crushing of body parts in screw-operated ‘bone vises’ of iron was a common method of torture, and a tremendous variety of cruel instruments was used to savagely crush the head, knee, hand and, most commonly, either the thumb or the naked foot. Such instruments were finely
232:
in her house. She died within fifteen minutes under a weight of at least 700 pounds (320 kg). Several hardened criminals, including William Spigott (1721) and Edward Burnworth, lasted half an hour under 400 pounds (180 kg) before pleading to the indictment. Others, such as Major Strangways
197:
The elaborate procedure was recorded by a 15th-century witness in an oft-quoted description: "he will lie upon his back, with his head covered and his feet, and one arm will be drawn to one quarter of the house with a cord, and the other arm to another quarter, and in the same manner it will be done
205:
For such as stand Mute at their Trial, and refuse to answer Guilty, or Not Guilty, Pressing to Death is the proper Punishment. In such a Case the Prisoner is laid in a low dark Room in the Prison, all naked but his Privy Members, his Back upon the bare Ground his Arms and Legs stretched with Cords,
180:
Many defendants charged with capital offences nonetheless refused to plead, since thereby they would escape forfeiture of property and their heirs would still inherit their estate; but if defendants pleaded guilty and were executed their heirs would inherit nothing, their property
162:("stood mute") would be subjected to having heavier and heavier stones placed upon his or her chest until a plea was entered, or as the weight of the stones on the chest became too great for the condemned to breathe, fatal 201:"Pressing to death" might take several days, and not necessarily with a continued increase in the load. The Frenchman Guy Miege, who from 1668 taught languages in London says the following about the English practice: 228:, who, in order to avoid a trial in which her own children would be obliged to give evidence, was pressed to death on March 25, 1586, after refusing to plead to the charge of having harboured Catholic 248:, after he refused to enter a plea in the judicial proceeding. According to legend, his last words as he was being crushed were "More weight", and he was thought to be dead as the weight was applied. 453: 33:
that has a history during which the techniques used varied greatly from place to place, generally involving placing heavy weights upon a person with the intent to kill.
173:. They considered themselves to lack jurisdiction over a defendant until he had voluntarily submitted to it by entering a plea seeking judgment from the court. Since a 997: 603:
McKenzie, Andrea. "'This Death Some Strong and Stout Hearted Man Doth Choose': The Practice of Peine Forte et Dure in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century England".
123:
Due to religious beliefs, it was at times viewed as better to execute prisoners without the shedding of blood. The means with which it could occur would vary.
624: 404:
Law, Litigants, and the Legal Profession: Papers Presented to the Fourth British Legal History Conference at the University of Birmingham 10–13 July 1979
177:
system that tried and punished only those who volunteered for trial and punishment was practically unworkable, this was the means chosen to coerce them.
233:(1658) and John Weekes (1731), refused to plead, even under 400 pounds (180 kg), and were killed when bystanders, out of mercy, sat on them. 930: 731: 671: 654: 513: 430: 273:, the screenplay also written by Arthur Miller, Corey is crushed to death for refusing to reveal the name of a source of information. 314: 608: 555: 252:
threaded and variously provided with spiked inner surfaces or heated red-hot before their application to the limb to be tortured.
1002: 406:
ed E. W. Ives & A. H. Manchester, 116-125. Royal Historical Society Studies in History Series 36. London: Humanities Press.
977: 582: 1007: 99:
in exchange for what she thought would be a reward of jewelry. She was instead crushed to death and her body cast from the
480: 619: 494: 444: 269:(1953), where Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead "aye or nay" to the charge of witchcraft. In the 462: 647: 322:
method of crushing, therefore becoming the ‘crushed demon’ that stalks his reincarnation, John, later in the game.
982: 64:
A common method of death throughout South and Southeast Asia for over 4,000 years was crushing by elephants. The
925: 542: 852: 640: 528: 495:"Drug Control and Asset Seizures: a review of the history of forfeiture in England and colonial America" 198:
with his legs; and let there be laid upon his body iron and stone, as much as he can bear, or more ..."
1028: 992: 689: 448: 559: 416: 277: 270: 190: 795: 701: 822: 810: 684: 331: 42: 950: 8: 827: 815: 744: 319: 132: 163: 987: 899: 755: 663: 475: 379: 336: 294: 245: 225: 30: 458: 1033: 780: 775: 765: 696: 174: 73: 56: 962: 879: 556:"Mackenzie, The Practise of Peine Forte et Dure in 16th and 17th Century England" 335:
the public execution by crushing of the fictional Lady Dorothy Dibdale (based on
65: 51: 904: 800: 770: 706: 529:"The enterprising and tenacious Guy Miège: four dictionaries from 1677 to 1688" 358: 298: 286: 281: 219: 1022: 955: 805: 498: 306: 100: 85: 214:
Giles Corey was pressed to death during the Salem witch trials in the 1690s.
716: 353: 265: 170: 112: 69: 945: 785: 760: 750: 711: 241: 394:
Summerson, Henry (1983). "The Early Development of Peine Forte et Dure."
305:
uses crushing to torture Lange's character after she inherits a haunted
909: 873: 867: 862: 857: 847: 290: 210: 169:
The common law courts originally took a very limited view of their own
151: 143: 967: 940: 842: 632: 155: 111:
Crushing is also reported from pre-Columbian America, notably in the
972: 884: 47: 894: 889: 837: 832: 721: 679: 348: 326: 182: 147: 88: 318:
one of the flashback victims Joseph Lambert is subjected to the
229: 222: 96: 935: 583:"The bloody truth – why BBC's Gunpowder had to be so violent" 302: 244:, who was pressed to death on September 19, 1692, during the 431:"Dining with the Mongols — One of the Cruelest Ways to die" 159: 92: 998:
Resolutions concerning death penalty at the United Nations
512:
Tait, William; Johnstone, Christian Isobel (11 May 1851).
417:"How the Mongols Executed Enemies with No Blood Spilled…" 218:
The most famous case in the United Kingdom was that of
146:
for "forceful and hard punishment") was a method of
106: 263:is referred to in Arthur Miller's political drama 1020: 607:, Summer 2005, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 279–313. 581:Greig, Hannah; Cooper, John (31 October 2017). 628:Reference Number: t16760823-6 (23 August 1676) 543:The present state of Great-Britain and Ireland 648: 511: 118: 126: 95:maiden who betrayed the city of Rome to the 580: 54:described this Central Indian execution in 655: 641: 620:Forfeiture in England and Colonial America 526: 381:Roman historical sources and institutions 276:In the 1970 American made-for-television 388: 315:The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope 209: 46: 1003:Capital punishment for drug trafficking 377: 36: 1021: 662: 457:, v. 2, pp. 650–651 (Cambridge; 1968; 636: 255: 1008:Capital punishment for homosexuality 516:. W. Tait – via Google Books. 481:Commentaries on the Laws of England 397: 76:also used this method on occasion. 13: 626:The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 597: 14: 1045: 931:Most recent executions by country 613: 107:Crushing in pre-Columbian America 240:in American history was that of 983:Religion and capital punishment 574: 548: 535: 520: 79: 505: 487: 468: 437: 423: 409: 371: 339:) is shown in graphic detail. 271:1996 film version of this play 1: 926:Enforcement or use by country 527:Francoeur, A. (11 May 2010). 364: 86:early history of ancient Rome 484:(1769), vol. 4, pp. *319-324 103:, which now bears her name. 7: 853:Hanged, drawn and quartered 514:"Tait's Edinburgh Magazine" 384:. Macmillan. pp. 1–47. 342: 10: 1050: 454:The History of English Law 130: 119:Crushing under Mongol rule 40: 918: 730: 670: 531:– via ora.ox.ac.uk. 449:Frederic William Maitland 154:legal system, in which a 127:Crushing under common law 672:Current judicial methods 278:supernatural horror film 605:Law and History Review 215: 208: 61: 226:St Margaret Clitherow 213: 203: 150:formerly used in the 50: 43:Execution by elephant 545:" London 1715, p.294 378:Sanders, H. (1904). 37:Crushing by elephant 816:Republican marriage 745:Damnatio ad bestias 433:. 27 November 2022. 320:peine forte et dure 261:Peine forte et dure 238:peine forte et dure 187:Peine forte et dure 139:Peine forte et dure 133:Peine forte et dure 16:Execution technique 988:Wrongful execution 900:Suffocation in ash 756:Blowing from a gun 664:Capital punishment 476:William Blackstone 337:Margaret Clitherow 256:In popular culture 246:Salem witch trials 236:The only death by 216: 62: 1029:Execution methods 1016: 1015: 993:Botched execution 501:on 28 April 1997. 445:Frederick Pollock 189:was abolished in 1041: 702:Nitrogen hypoxia 697:Lethal injection 657: 650: 643: 634: 633: 591: 590: 587:The Conversation 578: 572: 571: 569: 567: 562:on 1 August 2012 558:. Archived from 552: 546: 539: 533: 532: 524: 518: 517: 509: 503: 502: 497:. Archived from 491: 485: 472: 466: 441: 435: 434: 427: 421: 420: 413: 407: 401: 395: 392: 386: 385: 375: 175:criminal justice 57:Le Tour du Monde 1049: 1048: 1044: 1043: 1042: 1040: 1039: 1038: 1019: 1018: 1017: 1012: 978:List of methods 963:Final statement 914: 735: 733: 726: 666: 661: 616: 600: 598:Further reading 595: 594: 579: 575: 565: 563: 554: 553: 549: 540: 536: 525: 521: 510: 506: 493: 492: 488: 474:See generally, 473: 469: 442: 438: 429: 428: 424: 419:. 10 July 2018. 415: 414: 410: 402: 398: 393: 389: 376: 372: 367: 345: 258: 158:who refused to 135: 129: 121: 109: 82: 52:Louis Rousselet 45: 39: 29:is a method of 17: 12: 11: 5: 1047: 1037: 1036: 1031: 1014: 1013: 1011: 1010: 1005: 1000: 995: 990: 985: 980: 975: 970: 965: 960: 959: 958: 953: 943: 938: 933: 928: 922: 920: 919:Related topics 916: 915: 913: 912: 907: 905:Upright jerker 902: 897: 892: 887: 882: 877: 870: 865: 860: 855: 850: 845: 840: 835: 830: 825: 820: 819: 818: 808: 803: 801:Disembowelment 798: 793: 788: 783: 778: 773: 771:Breaking wheel 768: 763: 758: 753: 748: 740: 738: 734:post-classical 728: 727: 725: 724: 719: 714: 709: 704: 699: 694: 693: 692: 682: 676: 674: 668: 667: 660: 659: 652: 645: 637: 631: 630: 622: 615: 614:External links 612: 611: 610: 599: 596: 593: 592: 573: 547: 534: 519: 504: 486: 467: 436: 422: 408: 396: 387: 369: 368: 366: 363: 362: 361: 359:Crush syndrome 356: 351: 344: 341: 299:John Carradine 287:Walter Grauman 285:, directed by 282:Crowhaven Farm 257: 254: 220:Roman Catholic 185:to the Crown. 131:Main article: 128: 125: 120: 117: 108: 105: 81: 78: 41:Main article: 38: 35: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1046: 1035: 1032: 1030: 1027: 1026: 1024: 1009: 1006: 1004: 1001: 999: 996: 994: 991: 989: 986: 984: 981: 979: 976: 974: 971: 969: 966: 964: 961: 957: 956:Scharfrichter 954: 952: 949: 948: 947: 944: 942: 939: 937: 934: 932: 929: 927: 924: 923: 921: 917: 911: 908: 906: 903: 901: 898: 896: 893: 891: 888: 886: 883: 881: 878: 876: 875: 871: 869: 866: 864: 861: 859: 856: 854: 851: 849: 846: 844: 841: 839: 836: 834: 831: 829: 826: 824: 821: 817: 814: 813: 812: 809: 807: 806:Dismemberment 804: 802: 799: 797: 794: 792: 789: 787: 784: 782: 779: 777: 774: 772: 769: 767: 764: 762: 759: 757: 754: 752: 749: 747: 746: 742: 741: 739: 737: 729: 723: 720: 718: 715: 713: 710: 708: 707:Electrocution 705: 703: 700: 698: 695: 691: 688: 687: 686: 683: 681: 678: 677: 675: 673: 669: 665: 658: 653: 651: 646: 644: 639: 638: 635: 629: 627: 623: 621: 618: 617: 609: 606: 602: 601: 588: 584: 577: 561: 557: 551: 544: 538: 530: 523: 515: 508: 500: 496: 490: 483: 482: 477: 471: 464: 463:0-521-07062-7 460: 456: 455: 450: 446: 440: 432: 426: 418: 412: 405: 400: 391: 383: 382: 374: 370: 360: 357: 355: 352: 350: 347: 346: 340: 338: 334: 333: 328: 323: 321: 317: 316: 310: 308: 307:Massachusetts 304: 300: 296: 292: 289:and starring 288: 284: 283: 279: 274: 272: 268: 267: 262: 253: 249: 247: 243: 239: 234: 231: 227: 224: 221: 212: 207: 202: 199: 195: 192: 191:Great Britain 188: 184: 178: 176: 172: 167: 166:would occur. 165: 161: 157: 153: 149: 145: 141: 140: 134: 124: 116: 114: 104: 102: 101:Tarpeian Rock 98: 94: 90: 87: 77: 75: 74:Carthaginians 71: 67: 59: 58: 53: 49: 44: 34: 32: 28: 24: 19: 890:Slow slicing 872: 790: 743: 690:firing squad 625: 604: 586: 576: 564:. Retrieved 560:the original 550: 537: 522: 507: 499:the original 489: 479: 470: 452: 439: 425: 411: 403: 399: 390: 380: 373: 354:Cement shoes 330: 325:In the 2017 324: 313: 311: 309:farm house. 280: 275: 266:The Crucible 264: 260: 259: 250: 237: 235: 217: 204: 200: 196: 194:not guilty. 186: 179: 171:jurisdiction 168: 138: 137: 136: 122: 113:Aztec Empire 110: 83: 80:Ancient Rome 63: 55: 26: 22: 20: 18: 946:Executioner 786:Crucifixion 761:Brazen bull 751:Blood eagle 732:Ancient and 712:Gas chamber 541:Miege, G.:" 242:Giles Corey 164:suffocation 1023:Categories 910:Waist chop 874:Mazzatello 868:Ishikozume 863:Impalement 858:Immurement 848:Guillotine 796:Decimation 365:References 295:Paul Burke 291:Hope Lange 183:escheating 152:common law 144:Law French 968:Last meal 941:Death row 843:Gibbeting 717:Beheading 332:Gunpowder 156:defendant 66:Sasanians 31:execution 21:Death by 973:Penology 885:Scaphism 823:Elephant 811:Drowning 791:Crushing 685:Shooting 343:See also 60:in 1868. 27:pressing 23:crushing 1034:Torture 895:Stoning 838:Garrote 833:Flaying 828:Falling 781:Burning 766:Boiling 736:methods 722:Stoning 680:Hanging 349:Stoning 329:series 327:BBC One 230:priests 148:torture 97:Sabines 89:Tarpeia 84:In the 880:Sawing 776:Burial 566:29 May 461:  223:martyr 91:was a 72:, and 70:Romans 936:Crime 303:coven 160:plead 93:Roman 951:list 568:2009 459:ISBN 447:and 443:Sir 301:, a 297:and 312:In 25:or 1025:: 585:. 478:, 451:, 293:, 115:. 68:, 656:e 649:t 642:v 589:. 570:. 465:) 142:(

Index

execution
Execution by elephant

Louis Rousselet
Le Tour du Monde
Sasanians
Romans
Carthaginians
early history of ancient Rome
Tarpeia
Roman
Sabines
Tarpeian Rock
Aztec Empire
Peine forte et dure
Law French
torture
common law
defendant
plead
suffocation
jurisdiction
criminal justice
escheating
Great Britain

Roman Catholic
martyr
St Margaret Clitherow
priests

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.