Executing Question

[StrangeBayPirate]

A question on an action used during the execution of Caption Kidd.

Taken from the book "Pirates", by Douglas Botting, from the Time-Life series "The Seafarers" ... "When he had stopped twitching, the executioner cut him down and chained his body to a post and left it there until the tidal waters of the Thames had ebbed and flowed over it three times, as Admiralty law prescribed." page 127

I do not know why such things strike my wonders but for anyone that might have an answer. Why did "Admiralty law" prescribe such a three day tidal water practice?

Steven St'ar

[William Brand]

Sometimes present whims evolve into unexplainable traditions, but I'd hazard a guess that it is a formality to ensure that death is absolute. Of course, it is a bit overboard to drown someone three times under a tide, but that may only be a symbolism of religious meaning.

Okay, now that I've pulled that haphazard reasoning out of my hat someone else needs to post the real answer.

EDIT: I found some more on the tides, but no additional explanation apart from the public display of the bodies. Much like a crow's cage the prupose may have been to show the stark and final end given to all pirates...

"Anyone condemned in England for crimes committed at sea were hung at Execution Dock.

Near the end of the 14th century the river was infested with pirates and those inhabitants on land in the Wapping area put chains and barriers across the river inlets to protect themselves.

Stow told of the deaths of these pirates at Execution Dock, Wapping and the Tunnel Pier marks the site. It lay between Wapping New Stairs and Wapping Dock Stairs.

The gallows, two posts and a cross-beam, was erected on the shore and afterwards the bodies were chained to a stake at the low water mark and left there until usual three high tides had covered them. Their bodies were then smeared with pitch and hung on the gibbets on the Isle of Dogs and left to rot! Some were taken from Wapping to Bugsby's Reach and hung there. "

The Watch Dog was built at the Isle of Dogs and I had no idea it was a place of death for pirates.

[StrangeBayPirate]

a symbolism of religious meaning.

I also have thought this practice might be simply symbolic but that just leaves me wondering, symbolic of what?

Could be just ensuring the ol' boy is dead and that only seems to be over-kill from 2006.

Twould seem the tar and cage viewing should be enough to serve their pirate discouraging needs. Still .... we are here.

[Capn_Enigma]

I also have thought this practice might be simply symbolic but that just leaves me wondering, symbolic of what?

In semiotics, the number three stands first of all for the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit. So this may be regarded as kind of a "baptism in reverse": One for each entity of Christian belief.

Also, a saying goes:" Bad luck always comes in threes".

Whether or not these apply here is subject to discussion. The three floods may even be referred to by the "dead, dead, dead" in the judge's sentence: "Ye and each of ye are adjudged and sentenced to be carried back to the place from whence you came, thence to the place of execution, and there within the flood marks to be hanged by the neck till you are dead, dead, dead, and the Lord, in His infinite wisdom have mercy upon your souls...After this ye, and each of ye shall be taken down and your bodies hung in chains...."

[Daniel]

My understanding was that the custom came about simply as a symbolic statement that the jurisdiction of the Admiralty started at the waterline. If you saw the tide wash over the executed criminal, you could see that he was clearly in the territory of the Admiralty and thus the Admiralty had authority to execute the criminal.

[Capn_Enigma]

Which is, of course, the "official" explanation. However, the question was explicitly about the symbolism.

[William Brand]

I want to be drowned in the tide for three days after I die, but the law would never allow it.

Of course...I have sneaky friends.