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Combe Gibbet

Combe Gibbet

Highlight • Monument

Combe Gibbet

Name: Combe Gibbet
Rating: 2

Recommended by 90 hikers

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

North Wessex Downs National Landscape

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Location: Inkpen, South East England, England, United Kingdom

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Best Hikes to Combe Gibbet

4.9

(16)

hikers

1. Combe Gibbet loop from Linkenholt

13.4km

03:48

300m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.8

(16)

hikers

2. Combe Gibbet loop from West Woodhay

7.79km

02:12

160m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

5.0

(14)

hikers

3. Combe Gibbet – View of North Wessex Downs loop from Inkpen

16.6km

04:40

330m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Dan Hobson

August 18, 2020

Combe Gibbet is a macabre monument on the top of Gallows Down. The structure was erected in 1676 to hang the bodies of George Broomham and Dorothy Newman. Broomham and Newman were having an affair and were hanged for murdering Broomham's wife Martha and their son Robert, after they discovered them together on the downs. You are afforded wonderful views from the monument.

Mike The Mooching Minister.

May 23, 2025

The Murders and Gibbeting:
The Crime: George Bromham, a married farm labourer from Combe, and Dorothy Newman, a widow from Inkpen, were having an illicit affair. To be together, they murdered George's wife, Martha Bromham, and their son, Robert. Accounts vary, but it's believed they waylaid Martha and Robert and beat them to death with staves near where the gibbet now stands. One dramatic, though likely far-fetched, version suggests George killed his wife by thrusting her head into a hornet's nest.
The Witness: The crime was reportedly witnessed by a villager known as "Mad Thomas," who alerted the authorities.
Trial and Execution: George Bromham and Dorothy Newman were tried at Winchester Assizes. They were found guilty and hanged in Winchester on March 3, 1676.

Mike The Mooching Minister.

May 23, 2025

The Gibbet's Purpose: After their execution, their bodies were brought back to Inkpen and prepared for public display. A large, double gibbet was hastily erected on the long barrow. The bodies of George and Dorothy, bound in chains, were then displayed on either side of the gibbet on March 6, 1676, as a stark and gruesome warning to the local community to deter similar crimes. The location was chosen due to its prominence and being on the border of the two parishes, as there was a dispute over which parish should bear the cost of the gibbet.

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Elevation 270 m

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Monday 8 December

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Location: Inkpen, South East England, England, United Kingdom

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Combe Gibbet

1. Combe Gibbet loop from Linkenholt

2. Combe Gibbet loop from West Woodhay

3. Combe Gibbet – View of North Wessex Downs loop from Inkpen

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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