Execution of Claude Duval at Tyburn
- When
- 1670
- Where
- London court
- Episodes
- 1
French highwayman Claude Duval was tried and found guilty of six robberies in January 1670. He was sentenced to death by Judge Sir William Morton and executed at Tyburn, the principal execution site for London and Middlesex criminals.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Claude Duval was a French-born highwayman active in Restoration England, known for robbing stagecoaches on roads to London. Tyburn served as the primary location for capital punishment in London and Middlesex, where criminals were hanged for centuries.
Trial and Sentencing. On 17 January 1670, Judge Sir William Morton presided over Duval's trial. The court found him guilty of six specific robberies, though other charges remained unproven. Consequently, Morton sentenced Duval to death, leading to his imminent execution.
Execution at Tyburn. Duval was executed at Tyburn on 21 January 1670. This site was synonymous with capital punishment for London and Middlesex criminals. Tradition suggests he was buried under the centre aisle of St Paul's, Covent Garden, though parish registers note a 'Peter Duval'.
People involved
- Claude Duval · French highwayman and defendant
- Sir William Morton · Judge who sentenced Duval
Sources
- Claude Duval Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
- Tyburn Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-18
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.