THE HALIFAX GIBBET, 1761, 'Halifax, and its Gibbet-Law' book by John Bentley, first edition with engraved frontispiece, re-bound Almost 100 people were beheaded in Halifax between the first recorded execution in 1286 and the last in 1650, but as the date of the gibbet's installation is uncertain, it cannot be determined with any accuracy how many individuals died via the Halifax Gibbet. Decapitation was a fairly common method of execution in England, however, Halifax was unique in England to employ a guillotine to do the job. Condition report: Foxed pages and damage to binding, re-bound – see photos