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Posted by Adele Young, 1st Apr 2006
The Tyburn is a stream in London, which runs underground from its source at a spring in South Hampstead through St. James's Park to meet the River Thames at Vauxhall.
Before it was covered over, the Tyburn originally arose from the confluence of two precursor streams from the hills of Hampstead. At what is now St. James's Park, it split into three branches, two of which formed the island of Thorney on which Westminster Abbey was built.
The Tyburn gave its name to the village of Tyburn, originally a manor of Marylebone, which was recorded in the Domesday Book and which stood approximately at the west end of what is now Oxford Street. It also gave its name to the predecessors of Oxford Street and Park Lane, which were formerly called Tyburn Road and Tyburn Lane respectively.
Tyburn gained notoriety as the site of the Tyburn Hill gallows, which was the principal place of execution in the county of Middlesex from the 12th century to the 18th century. The gallows were originally situated next to the Tyburn stream but , in 1571 the "Tyburn Tree" was erected near the modern Marble Arch.
This was a device consisting of 3 upright supports on which rested a triangular arrangement of beams. This allowed for mass executions to take place. The triangular structure had the nicknames of the “3 legged mare” and the “3 legged stool”.
The Tyburn is now completely enclosed and flows through underground conduits for its entire length.
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