The Real Story of Winter's Gibbet

Anybody who knows of the legends of Northumberland will have heard of Winter's Gibbet. It is a dark reminder that there was once a time when the worst crimes would be punishable not only with death, but humiliation too. Gibbeting not only executed the criminal in question, but would display the body via a raised structure, until all of the meat and flesh was rotted away, and the bones would then be taken down and buried somewhere.

The North East of England was the last area to still use a gibbet, when William Jobling was executed by hanging and gibbeted in the town of Jarrow in 1832. He was found guilty of murdering a local magistrate. His body was paraded before being put in the gibbet.

But near the small village of Elsdon, a gibbet remains to this day on a hill known as Steng Cross. Now the story of the murder is often confused and details have changed. I felt the need to make this video and post this blog because I have seen people who claim to be paranormal investigators making videos about a "William Gibbet" and believe that the murder took place in the village of Elsdon itself by a Pele tower. This is far from the truth.

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About The Gibbet

The current gibbet is actually a replica. The original wooden structure became too rotten and eventually had to be removed. There was also a replica head which used to dangle down, and popular myth is that this keeps getting stolen, but my research leads me to believe that it is kept in safe hands by its owner who paid for it many years ago.

William Winter came from a family of trouble makers. Most of his family spent time in and out of prison, and William had recently spent years locked up on a prison ship for petty crimes, but upon his release, he made his way back to Northumberland. For reasons unknown, William decided to kill.

Together with 2 sisters helping him, Eleanor and Jane Clark, they had their target. An elderly woman living 3 miles north of the village. It would be the perfect crime - a remote area, no witnesses, and a woman so fragile. On a rainy night in August 1791, they struck. They knocked on Margaret Crozier's door, and when she opened, they battered her to death, and ransacked her home.It was the perfect crime.

A few days later, William was spotted napping close to the scene with a boot bearing a nail matching that of a bloody footprint at the scene of the murder. He also had items belonging to the deceased in his possession.

The ghost of William Winter is said to stand close to the road, by an old cattle grid. This is not visible anymore, but a dark patch of tarmac shows where the cattle grid once was. Many motorist has driven past in the dark and seen a man standing in this spot. Some even claim to still be able to see a body hanging from the gibbet itself.

In 1832, a woman from Newcastle was showing off to her friends and decided to swing on the gibbet. The rope gave way and she came crashing to the ground, suffering some deep cuts to her neck and hands. Her injuries matched that of Margaret Crozier.

In 1987, a man called John Harbottle and friends decided to investigate the site. One of his friends screamed when she saw the head begin to swing from the gibbet on its own accord. 

Finding the gibbet can be tricky. The first time I went, I spent ages driving around. Above is the location of the gibbet in relation to the village of Elsdon. It is about 2.5 miles south east, and the gibbet is not sign posted anywhere.

 Above is a closeup of the gibbet. You can see there is a lay-by opposite to park in. The red circle shows the location where William's ghost has been seen. You will notice the road is a different shade - this marks the spot of the old cattle grid. I believe the exact spot of the sighting is at the grass verge on this cattle grid and on the side of the road of the gibbet. I stand on this exact spot in the video above.

From Elsdon: Leave via the south west end The old circular stone enclosure which was used for livestock will be on your left as you leave. Its about  a 5 minute drive, and you cant miss the gibbet.

The postcode for the gibbet is NE19 1TB. It is very windy up there, so wrap up warm!

The Murder Scene

Please don't arrive at the pele tower in Elsdon itself, the poor vicar who lives there must get sick of people going and knocking on his door because someone uninformed posted it online.

The Murder took place at the Bastlehouse on Raw Farm. It's nearly 3 miles north of Elsdon. Drive north out of the village and keep going a fork off to the left and a space to park. You can drive all of the way up to the farm but I wouldn't recommend it. Its only wide enough for a single vehicle from this point, and the road is often used for military vehicles accessing the ranges, so any car coming in the opposite direction would have to reverse a long way! Plus, its a nice walk to, and you will see the spot where William was caught. The walk takes about 30 mins from the main road to the farm.

When you arrive at the farm, you will see that the road runs right through it, so it does have public right of way. Below is a marker showing which building the murder took place in. It is now used as a storage building on the farm.

If you do visit, please ask permission from the farm before trying to enter. The road is public access, but the buildings belong to the farm and is private land. I have heard of people asking to see inside and being given permission. People on the farm have also reported this building to be haunted too.

Finally, if you do wish to visit the execution site, it was on Westgate Road in Newcastle by the old West Gate. It is opposite the Tyne Theatre and is approximately on the location of where a newsagents now stands.