By the 1400s, gibbeting, or hanging in chains, became a method of public execution in England, where the corpses of executed criminals were displayed in iron cages as a deterrent to crime. This gruesome practice served both as punishment and a warning to the public, reflecting societal attitudes towards justice and crime. Gibbeting highlighted the harsh realities of law enforcement during this period and the lengths to which authorities would go to maintain order.

The practice of gibbeting in England around 1400 inspired memento mori poetry and verses on mortality, justice, and the spectacle of death. Poets like John Skelton used this grim imagery to explore themes of human transience and societal morality in early modern literature.