The Hauntingly Excellent Range
John Crossland
In the 1660s in Derby, John found himself in a spot of bother - he'd been sentenced to death for the crime of horse stealing. He wasn't tried alone for this crime though - he was tried with his elder brother and his father who had both ended up with the same sentence. However this created a problem for the authorities as neither Derby or Derbyshire had anyone filling the role of official executioner at the time.​
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The authorities however had a simple and brutal solution for this - they told the men that if one of them was prepared to execute the other two, they would receive a full and unconditional pardon.
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John's father and elder brother declined the cruel and abhorrent offer, but John himself accepted it, and not only did he execute them, he did it with such efficiency and lack of remorse he was then appointed our new town and county executioner!
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John's ghost is said to haunt the grounds of Derby Cathedral - the location of his burial.​
Related places to visit in Derby
LOCATION: Corn Market, Derby
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CONNECTION: This was the location of Derby's very first County Gaol and was where John was held as he awaited his trial. The Gaol was next to the then exposed Markeaton Brook which now flows under the roads of Derby. It was a desperately unhygienic place with over 50 prisoners dying of gaol fever whilst in custody there. It was eventually replaced by a newer County Gaol on Friar Gate, Derby in 1756.
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DIRECTIONS: Click Here.
LOCATION: Derby Cathedral, 18-19 Iron Gate, Derby DE1 3GP
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CONNECTION: Formerly All Saints Church until 1927, Derby Cathedral was the location of John's burial after his death in 1708. By performing the execution of his own father and brother John ensured that he became a pariah in Derby. Barely anyone wanted to have anything to do with him with ultimately only his own daughter attending his funeral. The exact location of his burial plot remains unknown.
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DIRECTIONS: Click Here.
Derby History Walks
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Come and join us for a 90-minute walk full of revelations, curses, deaths, superstitions, evil doers and much more!!
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VARIOUS DATES
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5.30pm to 7.00pm - walk commences from the Derby Uncovered Heritage Centre at 11 Sadler Gate, Derby.
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Tickets are £10 per person.
Learn all about Derby's most notorious murders and murderers on Derby's murder walk - not for the faint-hearted!!
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VARIOUS DATES
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5.30pm to 7.00pm - walk commences from the Derby Uncovered Heritage Centre at 11 Sadler Gate, Derby.
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Tickets are £10 per person.
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True, but weird, Derby history including frogs falling from the skies, ghouls roaming the town, historic hot dogs, mummified cats & more.
VARIOUS DATES
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5.30pm to 7.00pm - walk commences from the Derby Uncovered Heritage Centre at 11 Sadler Gate, Derby.
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Tickets are £10 per person.
A walk full of tortured spirits who met a grisly end including both the murderers and their victims
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VARIOUS DATES
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5.30pm to 7.00pm - walk commences from the Derby Uncovered Heritage Centre at 11 Sadler Gate, Derby.
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Tickets are £10 per person.
