"Means shall be arranged to transport this prisoner to the Tower of London!"

―Bailiff concerning Joshamee Gibbs^[src]

The Tower of London was a fortress and a castle in the city of London, England. An Execution Dock, consisting of a scaffold for hanging, was located within the area where it was used to execute pirates, smugglers and mutineers that had been sentenced to death. Joshamee Gibbs was a notable prisoner that was prepared to hang by Hector Barbossa, a reformed pirate-turned-privateer.

History Edit

"I'm on a tight schedule, Gibbs. The HMS Providence sets sail at first light, and if you do not care to watch it hanging here dead with a mouthful of flies...speak now."

―Hector Barbossa and Joshamee Gibbs^[src]

Since it was built, the Tower was used for many different purposes, but it most notably served as a prison. Henry Morgan was imprisoned in the Tower in 1672 when he broke the peace between England and Spain by attacking Panama City. In 1750, Joshamee Gibbs was sentenced by Jack Sparrow, disguised as Justice Smith, to life imprisonment in the Tower, but Gibbs managed to escape that fate when Sparrow bribed the carriage transport driver to take him and Gibbs to shore. However, they were soon captured by the Royal Guard.^[1]

While Jack was taken to St. James' Palace for an audience with King George II, Gibbs was taken to the Tower with a death sentence. Gibbs' hanging was to take place in the Tower's execution courtyard,^[2] with the King's most trusted privateer, the former pirate Hector Barbossa, presiding over it. It was here that Barbossa threatened to hang Gibbs if he did not reveal the whereabouts of Jack Sparrow, who escaped his meeting with the King. After Gibbs burned a map that Barbossa needed, Barbossa recruited him as a navigator on the HMS Providence.^[1]

Behind the ScenesEdit

• The execution courtyard scene in On Stranger Tides was originally planned to film at Hampton Court Palace, the location where Jack and Gibbs' capture at St. James's Palace was filmed. However, due to the Thameside look director Rob Marshall desired, the outer walls of 15th-century Knole House in Sevenoaks, Kent, were chosen as the final location.^[3]

The Pirates of the Caribbean wiki has a collection of images and media related to Tower of London.

Appearances Edit

• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (First appearance)
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

Sources Edit

• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)
• The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

External linksEdit

• Tower of London on Wikipedia
• Execution Dock on Wikipedia

Notes and referencesEdit