To be
hanged, drawn and quartered was
from 1351 a statutory penalty in England for men convicted of
high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reign of
King Henry III (1216–1272). Convicts were fastened to a
hurdle, or wooden panel, and drawn by horse to the place of execution, where they were
hanged (almost to the point of death),
emasculated,
disembowelled,
beheaded and
quartered (chopped into four pieces). Their remains were often displayed in prominent places across the country, such as
London Bridge. For reasons of
public decency, women convicted of high treason were instead
burned at the stake.