Is the act of 'beheading' still a punishment in the UK?

Question

If not, when was it banished?

Answer 1

Most definitely. The BBC has a regular television broadcast of the weekly beheadings. I think it's on BBC 4 just after Coronation Street so the queen can watch.

Answer 2

Capital punishment wasn't fully abolished until 1998 or 1999 - not when the UK joined the EEC - though that was only for a few crimes, and even before its abolition for other crimes in 1967 it had not been used for awhile. Lord Lovat, the Jacobite rebel who sought to restore the Stuarts to the throne, was the last person to be beheaded, around 1746.

However France used the guillotine until 1981, when it was abolished by Socialist president Mitterand. Beheadings had been public until 1939, and the chamber where beheadings were carried out after that was later rented out for parties.

Answer 3

ALL forms of capital punishment were abolished in the UK in the late 1960s. Even before then, beheading, which was only ever inflicted on members of the aristocracy, was quite a rare form of execution. As far as I am aware no one was beheaded since the late 1700s. We got rid of hanging in the 1960s, thank goodness. Pity some other countries can't follow our example!

Answer 4

It is certainly a punishment old bean, I can think of no-one who would do it for pleasure.
Last used in 1747 it was only for the execution of those of noble birth. Obviously it was not good enough for us plebs. I think it was finally taken off of the statute books as a means of punishment late in the 19th Century.
I am not sure about the Military, they may have used it for traitors and the like and maybe still do.
Norway used it way into the 20th Century, well 1905.

Answer 5

Capital Punishment is not legal at all in the UK since about 1967 although for a while after that you could still be sentenced to death for treason but that is not legal now either!Capital Punishment was abolished when Britain joined the European Union!

Answer 6

No beheading is no longer a punishment in UK. In Britain, beheading was introduced during the reign of William the Conqueror for the execution of Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland in 1076. It was confined to those of noble birth who were convicted of treason, or in a very few cases murder. Several members of Royalty were beheaded, including Charles 1st, Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scots and Lady Jane Grey. Many other Earls, Lords and Knights, including Sir Walter Raleigh, and even some Bishops were beheaded.
The majority of English beheadings took place at the Tower of London. Seven were carried out in private within the grounds, of which 5 were of women and just over 150 on Tower Hill outside the walls of the Tower, where there stood a permanent scaffold from 1485. Only a very small number of beheadings were carried out elsewhere, as the Tower was the principal prison for traitors. It should be noted that treason often meant displeasing the monarch, rather than in any way betraying the country.
The spot indicated as "The site of the scaffold" on Tower Green which visitors can see today was not used for all of the 7 private beheadings although the plaque implies this.
Those beheaded in private on Tower Green were Lord Hastings in 1483, Anne Boleyn on the 19th of May 1536, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury on the 28th of May 1541, Catherine Howard on the 13th of February 1542, her Lady in Waiting, Jane, Viscountess Rochford was beheaded on the same day, Lady Jane Grey on the 15th of February 1554 and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex on the 25th of February 1601.
At various times both the low block and the high block have been used . The axe was the normal implement of execution in Britain, although Anne Boleyn was beheaded with a sword (see below).
A replica of the scaffold used for the 1601 execution of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex has been constructed for exhibition in the Tower. The original was set up in the middle of the Parade Ground and was made of oak, some 4 feet high and having a 9 feet square platform (1.2 m high x 2.75 m square) with a waist high rail round it. The prisoner mounted it by a short flight of stairs and was not restrained throughout the execution as it was expected that people of noble birth would know how to behave at their executions! Devereux lay full length on the platform and placed his neck on the low block with his arms outstretched. It is recorded that three strokes of the axe were required to decapitate him. Straw was spread on the scaffold to absorb the blood.
Beheading in public on Tower Hill was used when the government of the day wished to make an example of the traitor (or traitors). Double beheadings were rare, although not unknown, and were carried out in order of precedence of the victims, as occurred with the Jacobite Earls, Kilmarnock and Balmerino, executed in 1746 for treason after the battle of Culloden.
Simon Lord Lovatt became the last person to be beheaded on Tower Hill when he was executed for treason on April 9th, 1747. The high block used for Lord Lovatt together with the axe were on display in the Tower. (see photo). It was normal for the executioner to pick up the severed head and display to the crowd proclaiming, "Behold the head of a traitor!"

Answer 7

No. The last person to be beheaded was Lord Lovat in England, on April 9th 1747. http://www.geocities.com/clansimidh/simon.htm

Answer 8

No, all capital punishment, was stopped in the 1950's I think, but by that time they hung people rather than decapitating them. I have a feeling that you can still get capital punishment for treason, but I think its a law that exists but is never used now.

Answer 9

Britain stopped beheading people in the 17th Century

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beheading#England

Answer 10

It would be a punishment were it still carried out but UK no longer have capital punishment.