Gibbet

A wooden structure historically used for public execution by hanging or to leave the bodies of executed criminals on public display in iron cages. This practice, known as gibbeting or hanging in chains was  intended a grisly deterrent to crime. 

A gibbet was essentially a reinforced gallow type structure. It consisted of a tall upright post with a projecting arm at the top. After a criminal was executed, the corpse was placed inside an iron cage, and suspended from the gibbet. These structures were erected in highly conspicuous places such as hill tops or busy crossroads. 

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