The Maiden is an early form of guillotine, or gibbet, that was used between the 16th and 18th centuries as a means of execution in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device was introduced in 1564 during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, and was last used in 1716. It long predates the use of the guillotine during the French Revolution.
'The Maiden' on display at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh (July 2011)
Blade of The Maiden
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
A guillotine is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with a pillory at the bottom of the frame, holding the position of the neck directly below the blade. The blade is then released, swiftly and forcefully decapitating the victim with a single, clean pass; the head falls into a basket or other receptacle below.
The guillotine used in Luxembourg between 1789 and 1821
A replica of the Halifax Gibbet on its original site in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 2008
The original Maiden, introduced in 1564 and used until 1716, now on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
Portrait of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin after whom the guillotine was named
