Gibbet Lane, Horsmonden, once the site of many a grisly execution
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Gibbet Lane, Horsmonden, once the site of many a grisly execution by D Gore as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Gibbet Lane, Horsmonden, once the site of many a grisly execution
Image: © D Gore Taken: Unknown
In common with other Wealden villages, 18th century Horsmonden was in smuggling country and, being astride the Tonbridge road, was also the haunt of highwaymen. The most notorious smugglers of that time were the Hawkhurst Gang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkhurst_Gang who used to terrorise the locality. It is said that the cellars of Image, and secret passages leading from them, were used for their contraband. In 1747, seven members of the gang, including its leader Richard Kingsmill, were cornered nearby after a shoot out with militia. They were duly hanged here and, as a warning to the parish, the bodies of two of them, Gore and Fairall by name, were displayed in Horsmonden chained up to a post in Gibbet Lane, perhaps this one - full article about the village history http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2_ZstVBZSfIC&lpg=PA1&pg=PA99#v=onepage&q=&f=true Also see Gallery at: http://www.geograph.org.uk/gallery/the_history_of_horsmonden_8738
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.140713
Longitude
0.427619