Hangman's Caup
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Object number01076
TitleHangman's Caup
DescriptionThis wooden bowl is much more exciting than it looks! It is in fact the infamous Hangman’s Caup or cup. It was used by the town’s Hangman to collect handfuls of grain from each sack on market day, as part of his wages for a truly grim occupation.
In Stirling, the Hangman was known as the Staffman – perhaps due to the staff of office he is said to have carried. His was a job for life, although that security came with a price. Being responsible for carrying out public punishments and executions was not for the faint-hearted. He was provided with somewhere to live in the aptly named Hangman’s Close on St John’s Street.
Hangings were expensive and therefore mercifully rare. The Staffman would have earned his wages meting out other punishments such as whippings and brandings in front of the Mercat Cross.
The last public hanging in Stirling took place in October 1843. Convicted of murdering his wife, 84-year-old Allan Mair also has the dubious honour of being the oldest person hanged in all of Britain in
Object nameBowl, Hangmans Bowl
Materialoak
TechniqueLathed