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Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet

Submitted by rgsmith on Wednesday, 11 August 2004  Page Views: 10147

Neolithic and Bronze Age

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While travelling back from holiday in Northumberland, we came across this site on the edge of Harwood Forest, near a tiny village called Elsdon. The location is NY 96183 90784, but unfortunately due to atrocious weather, I didn't get a photo of the site at the time.
Apparently, there is a stone that is all that remains of a Saxon cross that once marked an ancient drove road, but the thing that you notice right away is the gruesome gibbet that stands in the same place, complete with fake wooden head.

(Is that all that remains of a dummy, perhaps?). This was erected on the site of an original gallows where the murderer William Winter was hung in the late 18th century, seemingly in sight of the place where he killed an old widow.

Has anyone else come across this site, or has any further information?

Graham Smith
Contributor Bio for rgsmith: Based in Manchester, contributing since 2004. Favourite site: Avebury. Occupation: Educator.

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"Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by Anonymous on Saturday, 19 August 2017
Winters Gibbet now is not the original site of the gibbet, Red path st Oswalds way crossroads was the original site.
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by Anonymous on Friday, 07 November 2008
Mary Crozier, his victim was murdered in the upstairs room of Raw Bastle (Bastle - fortified farm), Billsmoor off the B 6341 between Hepple and Elsdon, possibly within site of Winter's final "hanging" place.Dates vary between 1791 and 1792 of the gruesome deed.
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by Anonymous on Monday, 16 June 2008
i happen to know that william winters was acumpanied by two girls who got disected sunderland hospital
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by Anonymous on Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Drove past it last Friday and wondered what it was all about - so grateful for your information. It was quite common to hang felons until dead at a jail and then return their bodies to hang in chains where the crime was committed, as a warning to putative murderers. These bodies were not removed, just left to the crows etc. This happened to the Cragg Vale Coiners convicted of murdering an exciseman - their bodies were returned to Beacon Hill Halifax, by night (because the locals weren't keen on the idea and might have tried to prevent it), then hung in chains on the gibbet with their arms pointing in the direction of the scene of their crime. I wonder if this was actually what happened with Winter, rather than him being executed at the site of the gibbet.
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by aj on Thursday, 12 August 2004
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There's some info on the gibbet and the carvings of heads that have been hung on it here

http://pmsa.courtauld.ac.uk/pmsa/NE/NOPU0.htm

The gibbet and the cross do indeed stand on an old drove road. If you head further down the modern road away from Elsdon towards the village of Cambo you pass an isolated group of trees in a field on the south side of the road. These mark an area where cattle being driven south were rested.

There's a bridle path (or was - it was badly mashed by forestry activity the last time I walked it) that runs roughly south west from the Gibbet towards Ottercops Moss moor across a hill called Tod Crag. The "crag" is actually a flat topped sandstone boulder which has a series of beautifully carved cup and ring marks on it arranged in a graceful arc across its surface. Some pics here (don't be put off by the comments it's well worth looking for)

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/2921
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Re: Steng Cross / Winter's Gibbet by Thorgrim on Wednesday, 11 August 2004
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English Heritage on PastScape describe it as the stump of a Medieval wayside cross. See http://www.pastscape.org/homepage/index.html
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