Why The Guillotine Execution Machine Had A Bench JJ

The guillotine is one of the most recognizable execution machines in history. Its basic design seemed simple, two wooden uprights supported by a heavy angled blade, while the condemned person’s neck was placed beneath it. However, historical photographs, drawings, and surviving guillotines sometimes show another strange feature.

In front of the blade, there appears to be a long wooden bench or table. This was not normally somewhere for the prisoner to sit. Instead, it was designed to support and position the condemned person’s body before the blade was released. The guillotine became closely associated with the French Revolution, although it continued to be used in France for almost two centuries.

It was introduced during the revolution as a supposedly more reliable and equal method of execution. Before this, wealthy prisoners might be beheaded with a sword or an axe, while other condemned people could be hanged or subjected to different punishments. Beheading with an axe was also unreliable, so executioners sometimes needed several blows to remove a person’s head.

The guillotine was intended to make decapitation much quicker and more consistent. But, one of the problems executioners still faced was positioning the condemned person correctly. The neck had to be placed directly beneath the blade. If the prisoner was standing upright, struggling, or collapsing, this would be difficult.

The solution was a wooden device known as the bascule. The bascule was essentially a tilting board or plank. When upright, the condemned person could be placed against it. The board could then pivot forward, bringing the person from an upright position into a horizontal face-down position. From there, the executioner’s assistants could move the prisoner’s head towards the guillotine’s neck restraints.

When viewed from certain angles, this equipment could resemble a bench or a narrow table. Other versions of the guillotine also incorporated horizontal platforms or supports for the body. Their purpose was very similar. They supported the condemned person while their neck was positioned beneath the blade. At the front of the guillotine was another important device called the lunette.

This consisted of two pieces of wood containing a circular opening for the neck. The lower section was fixed while the upper section could be raised or lowered. Once the prisoner’s head had been pushed through the upper section was lowered around the neck. This helped prevent the condemned person from pulling their head backwards immediately before the execution.

The bench light support therefore worked together with the lunettes. The prisoner’s torso remained supported while the head and neck extended towards the blade. This allowed the execution team to place the neck in approximately the correct position without having to support the person’s entire weight themselves.

Speed was extremely important during guillotine executions. By the 19th and 20th centuries, French executioners developed highly organized routines. The condemned prisoner could be taken from the prison to the guillotine and executed within a remarkably short period. Every member of the execution team had a particular job.

This mattered because condemned prisoners did not always cooperate. Some were terrified and had difficulty walking. Others fainted or collapsed. A few physically resisted the executioners. Even someone who intended to cooperate could become unpredictable when confronted with the guillotine. A bench plank or bascule gave the assistants greater control.

Rather than attempting to hold a struggling prisoner’s entire body in the correct position, they could press or guide them against a solid surface. Once horizontal, the prisoner’s body was supported while the assistants concentrated on positioning the head. However, not every guillotine execution looked exactly the same.

Guillotines were used for nearly two centuries, and their design changed considerably. Different countries also developed their own version of the machine. Let’s take the Germans for example. Their execution machine, known as the Fallbeil, differed significantly from the traditional French guillotine. It was all metal for one.

Even within France, the equipment and the execution procedures all evolved. The bascule itself eventually became less important. French executionists discovered that the condemned person could be moved onto the guillotine quickly without relying on an elaborate tilting mechanism. Assistants could seize the prisoner and rapidly push or guide them forward into position.

The execution process became incredibly streamlined, which is also very sad. This helps explain why photographs of different guillotines can be confusing. One machine might have a prominent wooden board that looks like a bench, while another appears to have little more than a narrow body support. Some surviving guillotines are also displayed differently from how they would have appeared during an actual execution.

The bench-like structure of the bascule should therefore not generally be imagined as a waiting seat for the condemned. Its main function was practical. Guillotine executions required the human body to be moved from an upright position into a horizontal one, so the neck placed precisely beneath the blade. Supporting the torso made that process considerably easier.

The feature also reveals something important about the history of the guillotine. Although the machine is remembered mainly for its enormous falling blade, successful operation depended upon much more than the blade itself. The lunette, the bascule, body supports, release mechanism, and executioner’s assistants men all formed part of a carefully organized procedure.

Ultimately, this strange wooden bench seen on some guillotines existed largely because executioners needed to control and correctly position the condemned person’s body. It supported their weight, helped keep them horizontal, and allowed their neck to be secured beneath the blade. What appears at first be an insignificant piece of furniture was therefore a very important part of the machinery and procedure that made the guillotine function.

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