Somerset: A Chilling History of Crime and Punishment

How times have changed! The number of punishments meted out during the 17 - 19th centuries in Somerset were almost as varied as the crimes themselves. There were stocks and pillories, ducking stools and whipping posts and, for the more serious crimes, public executions and transportation to Australia. Public executions or Hanging Days as they were called drew huge crowds - anything up to 20,000 people would come from miles around. Highway robbery and smuggling were rife.