The Heads on the Stone Gate of London Bridge Were Replaced So Often That a Specific Court Officer Was Paid to Manage the Rotation
From 1305 to 1660 — three and a half centuries — the southern gatehouse of [Old London Bridge](/articles/old-london-bridge) carried the displayed heads of traitors executed by the English crown. The first head was William Wallace's; the last was probably Oliver Cromwell's. The boiled heads were dipped in tar before mounting and were managed by an officer of the City of London known as the Keeper of the Heads.
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