Gallows Corner: The Highwayman’s Haunted Crossroads

Gallows Corner in Romford, Essex, earned its grim name from the gallows and gibbet that stood at this strategic crossroads for over two centuries. Highwaymen who plagued the roads between London and Essex were executed here and their bodies displayed in iron cages as warnings to other would-be criminals. The gibbet was removed in the 19th century, and the site is now a busy roundabout and retail area. But drivers, pedestrians, and local residents report frequent encounters with phantom highwaymen and the ghosts of the hanged.

The History

The Strategic Crossroads

The location’s significance:

• Major intersection on the road from London to Essex
• Heavy traffic made it ideal for highway robbery
• Also ideal for displaying executed criminals as deterrents
• The crossroads symbolism (traditional execution/burial site)
• Visible for miles around

The Gallows and Gibbet

The execution and display apparatus:

• A permanent gallows stood at the corner
• After execution, bodies were placed in iron cages (gibbets)
• The caged corpses were hung at the crossroads
• Left to rot as warnings
• Some remained for years
• The sight and smell were horrific

The Highwayman Era

The 17th and 18th centuries saw frequent highway robbery:

• Roads between London and provincial towns were dangerous
• Mounted robbers ambushed travelers
• Some became folk heroes despite their crimes
• The romantic image obscured the violent reality
• Many met their end at Gallows Corner

Notable Executions

While specific names are mostly lost:

• Numerous highwaymen executed and gibbeted
• Some murderers
• Thieves and violent criminals
• The gibbet cages became landmarks
• Travelers used them for navigation

The End of the Gibbet

The practice ended in the 19th century:

• Public attitudes changed
• Gibbeting abolished in 1834
• The gallows removed
• The area developed
• But the name persisted

The Hauntings

The Phantom Highwayman

The most frequently reported apparition:

• A figure on horseback
• 18th-century clothing with tricorn hat
• Sometimes holding a pistol
• Appears at the roundabout
• Causes drivers to swerve
• Vanishes when approached

The Gibbet Victims

Bodies left in cages:

• Figures hanging from invisible gibbets
• Skeletal or decomposing appearances
• Iron cages manifest briefly
• Swaying in wind that isn’t there
• The display of death continues

The Condemned Walk

The journey to execution:

• Phantom processions
• Prisoners being led to the gallows
• Guards and officials
• Sometimes a cart carrying the condemned
• The final journey replays

The Crossroads at Night

After dark, activity increases:

• Multiple apparitions
• The sound of horses
• Pistol shots
• Shouting and commands to “Stand and deliver!”
• The highway robbery continues eternally

Modern Road Phenomena

The busy roundabout experiences:

• Drivers see figures in the road
• Horses crossing where none exist
• Near-misses with phantom riders
• Cold spots while driving
• Electronic devices malfunction
• Accidents blamed on “something in the road”

The Retail Park Hauntings

Modern shops and parking areas:

• Staff report seeing period figures
• Security cameras capture anomalies
• 18th-century men walking through parking lots
• Appearing confused by the modern development
• The past intrudes on the present

The Warning Ghosts

The gibbet’s deterrent purpose continues:

• Some ghosts appear to be warnings
• Manifesting to prevent accidents
• Protecting travelers as they couldn’t in life
• The irony of executed criminals as guardians

The Hanged Man

A specific repeated apparition:

• A figure with a broken neck
• Hands bound
• Appears near where the gallows stood
• Sometimes making choking sounds
• His execution frozen in eternal repetition

Documented Activity

Gallows Corner has accumulating evidence:

• Local resident testimonies
• Driver reports to police
• Accident reports mentioning “figures in road”
• Historical records of the gibbet
• Photographs showing anomalies
• The frequency of reports is notable

The Modern Site

Contemporary Gallows Corner:

• Busy roundabout (A127/A12 interchange)
• Retail parks and shopping areas
• Heavy traffic constantly
• Few realize the origin of the name
• The history is mostly forgotten

Cultural Memory

The name preserves the history:

• “Gallows Corner” appears on maps and signs
• Locals know it had dark origins
• But specific history often unknown
• The ghosts ensure it’s not completely forgotten
• The past refuses to be paved over

The Highwayman Legacy

The romantic myth versus reality:

• Popular culture romanticized highwaymen
• “Stand and deliver” entered folklore
• Reality was violent robbery
• Many were desperate criminals
• Their ghosts seem caught between myth and truth

Transportation Hazards

Phantom sightings create modern dangers:

• Drivers swerve to avoid figures
• Near-accidents and actual crashes
• “Something ran into the road” reports
• Pedestrians startled by apparitions
• The dead still affect the living

Historical Significance

Gallows Corner represents:

• The highwayman era
• Gibbeting as punishment and deterrent
• The London-Essex road’s dangerous history
• The transition from rural crossroads to urban junction
• How history persists in place names and hauntings

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Gallows Corner executed highwaymen and displayed their bodies in iron cages for over two centuries. The gallows and gibbets are long gone, replaced by a busy roundabout and retail parks. But the phantom highwaymen still ride, the gibbeted bodies still swing from invisible cages, and drivers still swerve to avoid figures from the 18th century. The corner keeps its name and its ghosts—eternal reminders of when this crossroads marked the end of the road for Essex’s highwaymen.