Precisely upon
the spot where the shiny new University Hospital of North Durham now sits (the
old Dryburn Hospital ) is the site of Durham ’s old gallows. The venue dedicated to the saving of lives these past
several decades was, strangely, once the setting for the violent dispatch of life for many a year. It is
perhaps doubly ironic that the site is also opposite County Hall, the centre of
present-day local government.
The older part
of the now largely modern hospital complex was once Dryburn House (or Hall),
and in its grounds was located the gruesome place of execution for local ne’er-do-wells.
All sorts of folk were sent to their deaths there, including some accused of
witchcraft – and others of being gypsies! Much of this happened during the
tough old days of the sixteenth century, and one execution in particular stands
out from the rest.
It concerns a
troublesome Catholic priest by the name of John Boste, who had for years made a
damn nuisance of himself by preaching secret masses and making a second home
for himself of various priest-holes across the land. Eventually he was collared
near Durham City , and sentenced to hang at Dryburn on 24th July 1594 – not before, however, a spell on the rack in the Tower of London , where
he refused to renounce his Popish beliefs.
He was to be
hanged, drawn and quartered, of course, but could not have imagined the
horrendous nature of his eventual death. As is often the case with botched
hangings, the ‘drop’ was pitifully insufficient, and the poor cleric hung for
some time kicking and twisting on the end of the rope – until the executioner
cut it and he fell to the ground. As he stood there, gasping for breathe, the
hangman pounced on him. He was first castrated, then his abdomen was slashed
open, allowing his insides to spill out – and was then polished him off by
having his heart cut out. Oh, then his head was removed and displayed to the
watching throng.
Then there was
the quartering to sort out, too, of course.
Boste was
canonised in 1970, and pilgrims still visit the nearby Durham Martyrs’ memorial,
which was erected to the memory of Boste and two of his similarly executed
comrades.
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