Gibbeting of James Cook

Replica of Cook's iron gibbet cage at Leicester GuildhallThe gibbeting of James Cook took place on 11 August 1832 on the edge of Leicester, on the Saffron Lane-Aylestone Road junction near the Aylestone tollgate. Cook was a 21-year-old bookbinder who was convicted of murdering John Paas, a brass instrument manufacturer to whom Cook owed money. Cook was convicted of the murder on 8 August, hanged on 10 August and gibbeted (also known as hanging in chains) the next day. The execution saw around 40,000 onlookers and the gibbeting was watched by over 20,000. The gibbeting was derided in the press.

Cook's body was taken down four days later by executive order from the Home Secretary, also issued on 11 August. He was then buried in the gibbet cage on the same spot. The outlawing of the practice of gibbeting in 1834 made Cook the last man to be gibbeted in England. In the 20th century the gibbet was dug up, eventually making its way to the Nottingham Galleries of Justice.

Murder and trial Cook was a 21-year-old bookbinder. He was convicted of the murder of John Paas, a brass instrument manufacturer to whom he owed money; this crime was discovered when neighbours of Paas saw light and smoke coming from Paas's house, finding that Cook was attempting to burn Paas's dismembered body so as to destroy evidence of the crime.

Cook was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death on 8 August 1832.

Execution and gibbeting Cook was executed outside Leicester gaol on 10 August. Crowds at the execution numbered about 40,000.

Cook was gibbeted on the junction of Saffron Lane and Aylestone Road on the edge of Leicester, The site was "on a piece of waste ground," chosen to be "so secluded as not to be discernable" by anyone until they were "within a few yards of it".

Burying of the gibbet The revocation of Cook's body being hung in chains was ordered through an executive order from the Home Secretary, signed on 11 August, the same day Cook was gibbeted. This order was not issued for the gibbet holding Jobling's body in Durham; one newspaper from Durham criticised this, asking "Was his case so much worse, or is gibbeting supposed to be more effective in Durham than it is in Leicester?"

When authorities at Leicester received the order, Cook's gibbet was removed four days after he was first suspended. The gibbet was then buried at the place where it had stood, with his body still inside.

The decision to remove the gibbet was praised in the press. Newspaper commentary suggests that the removal was motivated by the very large crowds, a possibility for disorder, and a general distaste for the exhibition of cadavers. The crowds also caused disruption to travel and trade of Leicester. A journalist for the Leicester and Nottingham Journal 's 18 August 1832 issue wrote of this dismantling:

Another passage from the same journal reads as such:

The Royal Cornwall Gazette wrote that "Even this tardy repeal is creditable to the feeling of the King".

The practice of gibbeting was outlawed in 1834, making Cook the last man to be gibbeted in England.

Museum display of gibbet In the 20th century, Cook's gibbet was dug up by workmen carrying out improvements to the junction. The cage was then donated to the H. M. Prison Service museum, and later passed to the Nottingham Galleries of Justice, where it remained . A replica exists at Leicester Guildhall.