The Caxton Gibbet Cambridgeshire A mile and a half from Caxton, at what was the crossroads, there exists a replica gibbet, a grim reminder of the history of the place. Gibbeting was the punishment for some capital offences including highway robbery. An iron cage would have hung from the wooden arm of the original gibbet. Here criminals were hung, imprisoned in the cage until they were dead. The head was clamped at the top to prevent tired legs from resting and the person would slowly starve to death, or in the winter succumb to exposure. The body would remain suspended for some time after death as a warning to others. The original gallows stood on Caxton Common and open area of land that surrounded the junction which was part of King Field. The replica gibbet is thought to have been constructed from the timbers of a nearby cottage.