In 1791, at Raw, a hamlet situated about 3 miles north of Elsdon, occurred the brutal murder of Margaret Crozier who kept a small shop selling drapery and other goods. This crime was committed by William Winter, assisted by two women, Jane and Eleanor Clark, believing that the resident of the old pele (a small fortified tower house) was wealthy and robbed her of her possessions.
The group had been seen the day before on nearby Whiskershields Common by a shepherd boy who had noted the number and particular pattern of the nails in Winterâs boots and his peculiar butcherâs knife. These descriptions were instrumental in the identification and arrest of the group the following day a few miles away. All three were found guilty of the murder, condemned and hanged at Westgate in Newcastle.
Winterâs body was later hung in chains at a gibbet erected at the Steng Cross, south of Elsdon, within sight of the location of the murder. It is believed that this was the last occasion that the practice of âgibbetingâ was carried out.
Although the original gibbet has long since decayed, a replica still stands at the location together with a carved wooden head creating an eerie sight even on a nice Summerâs day!
The large stone next to the gibbet is the Steng Cross which is the base of a medieval cross and marks the highest point of an old cattle drove road across the border between Scotland and England.