Execution Dock

Execution Dock

Author: Anne Perry

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2010-02-23

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0345469348

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On the bustling docks along the River Thames, Great Britain’s merchant ships unload the treasures of the world. And here, in dank and sinister alleys, sex merchants ply their lucrative trade. The dreaded kingpin of this dark realm is Jericho Phillips, who seems far beyond the reach of the law. But when thirteen-year-old Fig is found with his throat cut, Commander William Monk of the River Police swears that Phillips will hang for this abomination. Monk’s wife, Hester, draws a highly unusual guerrilla force to her husband’s cause—a canny ratcatcher, a retired brothel keeper, a fearless street urchin, and a rebellious society lady. To one as criminally minded as Phillips, these folks are mere mosquitoes, to be sure. But as he will soon discover, some mosquitoes can have a deadly sting.


Why We Love Pirates

Why We Love Pirates

Author: Rebecca Simon

Publisher: Mango Media Inc.

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 164250338X

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A historian presents “an excellent guide to how pirates became the outlaw celebrities of the high seas” (Greg Jenner, host of the You’re Dead to Me podcast). During his life and even after his death, Captain William Kidd’s name was well known in England and the American colonies. He was infamous for the very crime for which he was hanged, piracy. In this book, historian Rebecca Simon dives into the details of the two-year manhunt for Captain Kidd and the events that ensued. Captain Kidd was hanged in 1701, followed by a massive British-led hunt for all pirates during a period known as the Golden Age of Piracy. Ironically, public executions only increased the popularity of pirates. And, because the American colonies relied on pirates for smuggled goods such as spices, wines, and silks, pirates tended to be protected from capture. This is the story of how pirates became popularly viewed as “Robin Hoods of the Sea”—and how these historical events were pivotal in creating the portrayal of pirates as we know them today. “Only someone who has lived in the shadows chasing faded pirates for an age, and is blessed with creativity, can pull off a book of this high caliber.” —Wreck Watch Magazine


The History of Gibbeting

The History of Gibbeting

Author: Samantha Priestley

Publisher: Pen and Sword History

Published: 2020-03-30

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1526755211

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The history of gibbeting is the story of one of Britain’s most brutal forms of punishments, the hanging of criminals in a body shaped metal cage as a warning and as a form of justice. From the folklore of live gibbetings to the eerie historical documenting of this weird post-execution tradition, The History of Gibbeting examines how and why we dealt with murderers and other serious criminals in this way. The book uses case studies through history and takes a look at how the introduction of the Murder Act shaped our relationship with gibbeting for years to come, and how we as a society demanded the most shocking post-mortem treatment of criminals. Whether gibbeting was ever a successful deterrent, it is still a fascination today and gibbet cages remain on display in museums all over the country.


Execution

Execution

Author: Geoffrey Abbott

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2006-04-04

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 146683837X

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In his own darkly humorous style, Geoffrey Abbott describes the instruments used and their effectiveness and reveals the macabre origins of familiar phrases such as "gone west" or "drawn a blank," as well as the jargon of the underworld. He covers everything from the preparation of the victim to the disposal of the body. Execution is everything you ever wanted to know about the ultimate penalty---and a lot you never thought to ask. It includes such hair-raising categories as: · Cave of Roses: A rare Swedish method of execution in which the victim was confined to a cave full of snakes and poisonous reptiles. · Bastinado: Involved the victim being caned gently and rhythmically with a lightweight stick on the soles of the feet until the mental collapse and eventual death of the victim. · Sewn in an Animal's Belly: A living person is sewn into the belly of an animal and left to die. · The Spanish Donkey: This method of torture consisted of seating a victim on top of a wall that resembled an inverted "v" with weights attached to the ankles, the weights slowly increased until the victim's body split in two. · Iron Chair: The victim is tied to an iron armchair and pushed nearer and nearer to a blazing fire. · Sawn in Half: Victims are secured in a standing position, pinned between two wide boards fixed between a stake driven deep into the ground while two executioners (one on each side) would wield a long, two-handled saw downwards through the boards. Execution is a unique fascinating look at the grim and gritty history of sanctioned death.


The History of Piracy and Navigation

The History of Piracy and Navigation

Author: Dr. Suk Kyoon Kim

Publisher: novum publishing

Published: 2020-05-13

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1642681369

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Various types of pirates have existed throughout history, reflecting the social circumstances of their times. The product of international politics among maritime powers, they were more than merely outlaws who disturbed maritime trade, threatened the safety of shipping and committed brutal crimes. They have occasionally served as a proxy of state power or as resistance to oppressive state authority and exploitative social structures. Pirates were also an outcry for freedom against oppressive authority and brutal violence in the maritime world. Despite their social and historical context, however, the nature of pirates has remained unchanged: They are brutal and heinous criminals who plunder ships and inflict terrifying violence at sea.


Enemy of All Mankind

Enemy of All Mankind

Author: Steven Johnson

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0735211612

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“Thoroughly engrossing . . . a spirited, suspenseful, economically told tale whose significance is manifest and whose pace never flags.” —The Wall Street Journal From The New York Times–bestselling author of The Ghost Map and Extra Life, the story of a pirate who changed the world Henry Every was the seventeenth century’s most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular—and wildly inaccurate—reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every’s most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event—the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew—and its surprising repercussions across time and space. It’s the gripping tale of one of the most lucrative crimes in history, the first international manhunt, and the trial of the seventeenth century. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Every and his crimes to explore the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. How did this unlikely pirate and his notorious crime end up playing a key role in the birth of multinational capitalism? In the same mode as Johnson’s classic nonfiction historical thriller The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration.


London: The Executioner's City

London: The Executioner's City

Author: David Brandon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2022-06-30

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1803991623

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Tyburn Fields is the best known site of execution in London, but London may be aptly named the executioner's city, so many were the places where executions could and did occur. This book reveals the capital as a place where the bodies of criminals defined the boundaries of the city and heads on poles greeted patrons on London Bridge.


Treasure and Intrigue

Treasure and Intrigue

Author: Graham Harris

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2002-09

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1550024094

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Before he was hanged, Captain Kidd claimed to have hidden a vast fortune in the Indies. Harris concludes there is much to justify his claim.