The 'dark history' of executions at a country park

Penenden Heath is now a "nice country park" in Kent, but the land has a "dark history".

Tour guide and amateur historian Shane Waterman told Secret Kent that executions took place at the site from at least the 7th Century until 1830.

"Execution wasn't an occasional thing, it was a regular thing, and people would be executed for all sorts of things," he said.

Researchers have "absolutely no idea how many" people were executed in total, according to Mr Waterman.

Penenden Heath was historically the venue for Kent's "shire moots" - meetings of significant people in the county.

According to Mr Waterman, moots functioning as county courts could be why the area was first used for executions, with a permanent gallows later built.

The site was also used for burning people, he said, "in particular connected to all the witchcraft trials".

Penenden Heath was a site for burning people, "in particular connected to all the witchcraft trials"

Five women from Cranbrook and one woman from Lenham were hanged after being accused of witchcraft in the site's best-known witch trial in 1652.

Maidstone Borough Council's leader has called for the government to pardon the women and other executed "witches".

The council's cabinet voted to make plans for a permanent memorial to the women at a meeting in September.

"We know that there were recorded witch trials and executions, both hangings and burnings, from the 12th Century right the way through to almost into the 18th Century," Mr Waterman said.

Mr Waterman told Secret Kent the last hanging at Penenden Heath occurred in 1830, before the executions moved to Maidstone Prison.

He said the last man executed at the site was John Dyke from Bearsted, which like Penenden Heath is now a Maidstone suburb.

He allegedly burnt a hayrick.

"It was considered so serious if he wasn't transported to the colonies somewhere he was going to lose his life and he did right here," Mr Waterman said.

The last public execution in the UK happened in 1868 and Penenden Heath became used for recreation instead.