Places of execution 

Somerset could be considered as a county with a much bloodier history of public executions than others, the county is famously named in the witch hunts of the 1600s and the Bloody Assizes of Judge Jeffries in Taunton and Wells are well documented. As with most counties, executions would have taken place in the marketplace or town centre in earlier times. There is evidence that the Stonegalllows in Taunton hosted executions from the mid-1500s however the first documented case was in 1625 with the murderers of the Curate of Old Cleeve. Over the years, executions tended to take place at designated areas such as Gallow fields in Ilchester but occasionally judges would order the execution to take place at the scene of the crime. This was most common when social unrest had caused rioting, as a deterrent to further trouble, or when the crime committed was considered most heinous and the judge wanted the condemned to feel shame even after his execution. There are criminals, who when sentenced to death were more anxious about being displayed in chains than the actual execution itself. When John Walford was executed at Doddington Green in Nether Stowey for the murder of his wife in 1789, he was hung in chains and hung from a gibbet for a year and a day, in a position that overlooked his families house. Executions also took place at locations such as Hamp Green in Bridgwater, three holes Down in Bath, Dodwell Green in Kingston St Mary and Ilton, Ilminster. The majority of executions took place at the following sites-

Gallow Fields, Ilchester

Gallow Fields, also referred to as Gallows Five Acres or Gallows plot was a field that sat on what is now the A37 on the Ilchester to Yeovil road. Ilchester is situated in South Somerset and originates back to the Romans. In the 12^th and 13^th Centuries, Ilchester was the county town of Somerset and base for Henry III. Ilchester held the county gaol from 1166 and the meeting place of the circuit courts. It is impossible to know how long the Gallow Fields were used as an execution site, although there are records of a town Gaol dating from 1167. Records show that between 1735 to 1810 there were an estimated 212 public executions in Gallows fields. The last execution to take place at Gallow Fields was Arthur Bailey from Bath who convicted of stealing letters in September 1811, his story can be found later in the book. There aren’t many accounts of Gallow fields and the experience of the spectator, it seems probable that the executions were carried out on wooden scaffolding with the use of a cart for the condemned to await their death.

Stonegallows, Taunton

Stonegallows is situated near the village of Bishops Hull, just over two miles outside of Taunton. It is not certain why the area is called Stonegallows, some suggest its name derives from a boulder that sat under the scaffolding while others say that the gallows were built with stone uprights and only wood as the crossbeam. The patch of land that the gallows sat on was on the boundary of the parishes of Trull, Bishops Hull and Wilton at the top of Rumwell Hill. It is believed that executions were carried out from around 1575 however the first recorded execution was in 1615 with the execution of four people for the murder of a gentleman from Old Cleeve. This story features later in the book. As with Gallow fields absence of records do not allow definite figures for all executions, but they do show that there were at least 20 executions between 1735 and 1810. Eighteen-year-old Thomas Gage was the last person to executed here on the 9^th April 1810 for the murder of his mistress, this story can also be found later in the book. In 1814 residents of Bishops Hull wrote to the paper expressing the wish for the gallows to be taken down, this was done later the same year. The spot is now commemorated with a plaque on a boulder on the place the gallows stood.

Ilchester Gaol, Ilchester

The town of Ilchester is steeped in Somerset's prison systems and executions. The town hosted many executions at Gallows field up until 1811 when the executions were moved to the roof of the prison. Ilchester prison sat on the side of the river in Northover from 1615 and for many years was the county gaol. The prison was notorious for its poor conditions and brutal treatment at the hands of governors such as William Bridle. In a letter written by politician Henry Hunt, imprisoned there in 1819 the cell was described as seven-foot wide and nine-foot wide with a stone floor and vaulted roof, Henry stated that the cells were dreary, and dark, with no windows. The flooding from the local river meant the gaol was constantly damp and the drinking water contaminated.

There are tales of the outbreaks of Typhus being so deadly at Ilchester that prisoners were not taken to assize for fear of infecting the judge. Women and children were vulnerable to the advances of the wardens and other prisons. In this letter, he told how three boys all aged under eleven had been sentenced to one month for stealing apples were imprisoned alongside hardened criminals and that these boys had been forced to become 'bedfellows' with these men. 

There were also many accounts of prisoners escaping from Ilchester prison. In 1796 convict James Remnant wrote a letter whilst onboard a transportation ship to Botany Bay to a judge in which he apologised for previously escaping and stated that the insecure state of Ilchester Prison made it simple and almost inviting. Bridle was eventually dismissed, and improvements were made with the introduction of day rooms and separate wings. The executions at Ilchester took place on the roof of the building and always attracted spectators from many miles around. Between 1813 and 1839 there were at least sixty executions at Ilchester Gaol. The last Execution was of Charles Wakely, found guilty for the murder of Eliza Payne, aged fourteen and took place on the 4^th September 1839. After this date, Wilton Prison in Taunton became the County Gaol and all executions took place here. 

Wilton Prison, Taunton

Wilton Prison, also known as Taunton County Bridewell or Taunton County Gaol was built in 1756 and sits on the upper High Street, Shuttern in Taunton. In 1839 the prison became the county gaol and replaced Ilchester Gaol as the Somerset’s place of criminal executions. The building was extended, and executions took place at the west entrance of the building. The last public execution of Somerset was George Britten, found guilty of murdering his wife, which took place at Wilton prison on the 29^th August 1867. After this date executions took place within the prison walls. Records show there were twelve executions at Wilton between 1839 and 1884, the last execution was of Charles Kite, found guilty of murder in Bath he was executed in February 1884. After this date, Shepton Mallet Prison became Somerset's place of Execution. The building continued to be used as a police station in Taunton until 2016. Older parts of the building which acted as the prison can still be seen. 

Shepton Mallet Prison

Shepton Mallett prison was built around 1610 and is the country’s oldest prisons. The prison housed prisoners from the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s and was also used to protect precious historical documents such as the doomsday book in the second world war.  Unfortunately, unlike Ilchester Gaol, there aren't stories of the conditions of the prison or what the cells were like. Shepton Mallet became responsible for Executions from 1884 and carried out only three executions between 1884 and 1926. The last one being John Lincoln for the murder of Charles Edward Richard on the 2^nd March 1926. During the Second World War, a section of the prison became a US military prison and saw the executions of eighteen American men.