Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Crime and Punishment in the Peak District

Clare walks with writer Kate Morgan from Monsal Head to Tideswell to explore how the use of gallows and gibbets in public punishment has inspired place names and ghost stories.

Clare joins writer Kate Morgan on a walk from Monsal Head to Tideswell in the Peak District. Along the way, they explore how the use of gallows and gibbets in public punishment has influenced rural place names. Gibbet Rock, a striking limestone outcrop also called Peter’s Stone for its resemblance to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was once used to ‘gibbet’ or display the bodies of executed criminals. Kate tells the story of Anthony Lingard, who was convicted in 1815 of murdering a local woman, Hannah Oliver, and became the last person to be gibbetted at the site.

Kate is currently researching her third book, which will be on this subject. Her previous two books are Murder: The Biography which explores the legal history of the crime of murder in English Law, and The Walnut Tree which looks into the major legal changes affecting women in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (https://amheath.com/authors/kate-morgan)

Map:OS Explorer OL24 The Peak District White Peak Area, Buxton Bakewell, Matlock & Dove Dale
Map Ref: SK185715 for the start of the walk at Monsal Head car park

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor

A ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Studios production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4

Release date:

24 minutes

On radio

Thu 23 Oct 2025 15:00

Broadcasts

  • Thu 23 Oct 2025 15:00
  • Sat 25 Oct 2025 06:07

How to go for a walk

How to go for a walk

Walking can give you time to think or an opportunity to explore.

Clare's top 30

Listen to a selection of favourite walks from Ramblings.

Podcast