- "Hurry, Papa! Or we'll miss the hanging!"
"It's not a hanging, dear, it's a trial. The hanging comes this afternoon." - ―A girl and her father
The Old Bailey courthouse, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey, was a court building located in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. Trials that occur in the Old Bailey deal with major criminal cases, particularly such crimes that involve piracy. Local townspeople could tell of the courthouse by Lady Justice, who stood atop of the Old Bailey holding a sword in one hand, and the scales of justice in the other.
History
Joshamee Gibbs' trial
In 1750, crowds thronged toward the Old Bailey courthouse in London to witness a pirate's trial. A little girl and her father made their way to the courthouse as the town crier advertised a pirate execution amidst the crowd. The main courtroom was filled with an angry crowd who wanted to see a pirate's hanging. The trial focused on Joshamee Gibbs, who was mistaken for Jack Sparrow. Luckily for Gibbs, the real Jack Sparrow managed to turn up disguised as the judge of Gibbs' case, after having hid the real judge. However, he changed Gibbs' sentence from a hanging to life imprisonment.[1]
Behind the scenes
- For the filming of On Stranger Tides, the Old Bailey courthouse scene was filmed in the R Stage at Pinewood Studios. This was also where the St. James's Palace banquet room scene was filmed.[2] The building portraying the exterior of the Old Bailey was Sir Christopher Wren's Painted Hall, which was partially financed with funds appropriated by the Crown from Captain Kidd's booty after he was hanged at Execution Dock.[3]
- In On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow saved Joshamee Gibbs by disguising himself as a judge after having hid the real judge. However, in the On Stranger Tides mobile game, Jack fought out soldiers of the Royal Guard to save Gibbs.
Appearances
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (mobile game)
Sources
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
- The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
