On the 26th of June, 1604, Robert Weir, "sumtyme servande to the Laird
of Dynniepace," was brought to knowledge of an assize. He was "Dilaitit
of airt and pairt of the crewall Murthour of umqle Johnne Kincaid of
Wariestoune; committit the first of Julij, 1600 yeiris."
Verdict. The Assyse, all in ane voce, be the mouth of the said Thomas
Galloway, chanceller, chosen be thame, ffand, pronouncet and declairit
the said Robert Weir to be ffylit, culpable and convict of the crymes
above specifiet, mentionat in the said Dittay; and that in respect of
his Confessioun maid thairof, in Judgement.
Sentence. The said Justice-depute, be the mouth of James Sterling,
dempster of the Court, decernit and ordainit the said Robert Weir to be
tane to ane skaffold to be fixt beside the Croce of Edinburgh, and there
to be brokin upoune ane Row,[6] quhill he be deid; and to ly thairat,
during the space of xxiiij houris. And thaireftir, his body to be tane
upon the said Row, and set up, in ane publict place, betwix the place
of Wariestoune and the toun of Leyth; and to remain thairupoune, ay and
quhill command be gevin for the buriall thairof. Quhilk was pronouncet
for dome.
V
The Memorial before mentioned is, in the original, a manuscript
belonging to the Advocates' Library of Edinburgh. A printed copy was
made in 1828, under the editorship of J. Sharpe, in the same city.
This edition contains, among other more relative matter, a reprint of
a newspaper account of an execution by strangling and burning at the
stake. The woman concerned was not the last victim in Britain of
this form of execution. The honour, I believe, belongs to one Anne
Cruttenden. The account is full of gruesome and graphic detail, but the
observer preserves quite an air of detachment:
IVELCHESTER: 9th May, 1765. Yesterday Mary Norwood, for poisoning her
husband, Joseph Norwood, of Axbridge, in this county [Somerset], was
burnt here pursuant to her sentence. She was brought out of the prison
about three o'clock in the afternoon, barefoot; she was covered with a
tarred cloth, made like a shift, and a tarred bonnet over her head;
and her legs, feet, and arms had likewise tar on them; the heat of
the weather melting the tar, it ran over her face, so that she made a
shocking appearance. She was put on a hurdle, and drawn on a sledge to
the place of execution, which was very near the gallows. After spending
some time in prayer, and singing a hymn, the executioner placed her on a
tar barrel, about three feet high; a rope (which was in a pulley through
the stake) was fixed about her neck, she placing it properly with her
hands; this rope being drawn extremely tight with the pulley, the tar
barrel was then pushed away, and three irons were then fastened around
her body, to confine it to the stake, that it might not drop when the
rope should be burnt. As soon as this was done the fire was immediately
kindled; but in all probability she was quite dead before the fire
reached her, as the executioner pulled her body several times whilst
the irons were fixing, which was about five minutes. There being a good
quantity of tar, and the wood in the pile being quite dry, the fire
burnt with amazing fury; notwithstanding which great part of her could
be discerned for near half an hour. Nothing could be more affecting than
to behold, after her bowels fell out, the fire flaming between her
ribs, issuing out of her ears, mouth, eyeholes, etc. In short, it was so
terrible a sight that great numbers turned their backs and screamed out,
not being able to look at it.