Steve Murphy has lived in Cardiff all his life. He has written a book on the life of Jeramiah Box Stockdale. He has also done research into the old Courts (slums) of Cardiff and his own family history
Stockdale officiated at two executions in St. Mary's St, Cardiff, one of them Dick Taemar was hung for the murder of a woman and there were 12000 people in St Mary's Street watching the hanging. There is a plaque outside the market which is a misnomer really because A) it says he killed a bloke but he didn't just wounded him and B) he wasn't hung where the market is because the jail is where Gregg's cake shop is. That was the jail and underneath where the cellars were the prisoners used to stick their hands out asking for money and food. The gibbet was between there and the market.
|