The Halifax Gibbet

The Halifax Gibbet

From Tales of History and Imagination by Simone Whitlow

October 27, 2025 · 10 min · Season 5

About this episode

This episode explores the Halifax Gibbet, a historical solution to petty thievery in Halifax, England.

This week On Tales we take a slight detour from the Polaris Expedition: I think where that Tale goes IS shocking, but not terribly in a Halloween horror kind of way… So this week we’re taking a ride to the town of Halifax, England to meet The Halifax Gibbet - someone’s wild solution to petty thievery. We’ll return to The Polaris in a fortnight. Content warnings: Beheadings. Sources Include: Daniel Defoe’s A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain.Samuel Midgley & William Bentley’s Halifax and It’s Gibbet Law Placed in A True Light Support Tales on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial. Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly. Tales of History and Imagination can be found on… | Facebook |TikTok | Threads | YouTube | Bluesky |

People in this episode

Host: Simone Whitlow

Topics covered

  • history
  • punishment
  • society
  • culture
  • theft
  • beheadings

Keywords

  • Halifax Gibbet
  • beheadings
  • petty thievery
  • Daniel Defoe
  • history
  • England

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, Halifax and It’s Gibbet Law Placed in A True Light

Places: Halifax, England

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