On January 16, 1813, a Saturday, fourteen men were divided in their prison cells into two groups of seven. The men had been sentenced to death four days earlier for a variety of crimes, including murder and burglary, but primarily because they were accused of being Luddite agitators. The men were held at York Castle. A large body of soldiers, both on horse and foot, guarded the approach to the castle, and soldiers were also planted in front of the hanging platform.
At 11 o’clock in morning, the Under Sheriff brought out the first group of seven: John Ogden, Nathan Hoyle, Joseph Crowther, John Hill, John Walker, Jonathan Dean, and Thomas Brook. As the condemned men walked to the platform, they sang the hymn ‘Behold the Saviour of Mankind.” John Walker in a firm voice led the singing. The men prayed and some addressed the large crowd that had come to see them die. The executioner caused the platform to drop, a shriek rose from watching crowd, and the men were hanged. The bodies were left suspended for the usual time till noon and then removed.
At half-past one o’clock, the second group of seven were led from their cells to the platform: John Swallow, John Batley, Joseph Fisher, William Hartley, James Haigh, James Hey, and Job Hey. Again, the men sang as they walked to the platform before they where hanged and died.
Behold the Savior of mankind
Nailed to the shameful tree!
How vast the love that Him inclined
To bleed and die for thee!
Though far unequal our low praise
To Thy vast sufferings prove,
O Lamb of God, thus all our days,
Thus will we grieve and love.
Hark, how He groans, while nature shakes,
And earth’s strong pillars bend;
The temple’s veil in sunder breaks,
The solid marbles rend.
“’Tis done!” The precious ransom’s paid,
“Receive My soul,” He cries!
See where He bows His sacred head!
He bows His head, and dies!
But soon He’ll break death’s envious chain,
And in full glory shine:
O Lamb of God! was ever pain,
Was ever love, like Thine?
Thy loss our ruin did repair;
Death by death is slain;
Thou wilt at length exalt us where
Thou dost in glory reign.
The execution destroyed fourteen families leaving thirteen widows and fifty-seven children fatherless.
William Hartley, left seven orphaned children, their mother having died about half a year before. His eldest daughter, on the morning before his execution, was given permission to visit him. He after first did not want to meet her, but finally agreed and they met in a long farewell.
John Ogden, left a wife and two children.
Nathan Hoyle, left wife and seven children.
Joseph Crowther, left a pregnant wife pregnant, and four children.
John Hill, left a wife and two children.
John Walker, left a wife and five children.
Jonathan Dean, left a wife and seven children.
Thomas Brook, left a wife and three children.
John Swallow, left a wife and six children.
John Batley, left a left a wife and one child.
John Fisher, left a wife and three children.
Job Hey, left a wife and seven children.
James Hey, left a wife and two children.
James Haigh, left a wife, no children.
Notes
The above post is based on the excellent work and posts at Luddite Bicentenary that includes the newspaper reports from the Leeds Mercury of 23rd January 1813. The language of this post borrows heavily from the facts and sequence of these newspaper reports. The hymn can be found here. I have also used the post of ExecutedToday.com and in particular the information in this sentence: “Enjoy the full story at Luddite Bicentenary … but here’s a teaser excerpt from the January 23, 1813 Leeds Mercury‘s account of the “inexpressibly awful” sequential mass-hangings, seven upon seven, widowing 13 wives and leaving 56 children (and a 57th on the way) fatherless”.
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