Englands' legal system was given the name 'Bloody Code' due to a high number of executions that occurred where more than 200 crimes were punishable by death. The main form of capital punishment was hanging with the use of the 'New Drop' gallows - "first used in London's Newgate Prison in 1783" which could accommodate two or three prisoners at a time (Seal). The intention behind these public executions was to enforce order and subdue the public; instead, it had the opposite effect in the crowd saw it as entertainment and "whipped up the crowd's passions" (Seal). Not only is the threat of hanging threatened upon Oliver Twists head repeatedly throughout the novel we witness the execution of Fagin at the end of the novel. Another thing to note, specifically about Newgate Prison, "The bells of St Sepulchre’s church next to Newgate would be rung at midnight on the night before the execution" (Ward). Readers can remember that in Oliver Twist Nancy notes the ringing of the bells when she rushes to see Ms. Maylie which we can now connect to a future execution.
Seal, L. (2020, November 26). A brief history of capital punishment in Britain. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/a-brief-history-of-capital-p…
Ward, R. (2020, February). Execution. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/Execution