Charing Cross was a triangular-shaped intersection connecting Whitehall and The Strand at the site of the Mews (De Saussure, 1902, p. 66). In the intersection, there was a large bronze statue of King Charles I on a horse. This statue was to memorialize the King who was executed just down the street at Whitehall. As De Saussure tells the story, the artist who created the statue was very proud of his work, until “he suddenly discovered that he had omitted the girths of the saddle, and his despair was such at knowing that there was no remedy for the defect that he went and hanged himself” (p. 67)
During the English Civil War, many others were executed in the Charing Cross area and made into a spectacle for the people of London. The name Charing comes from the old English cerring, meaning a bend or turn, and referring to the River Thames that has a large bend near the location of Charing Cross (Wikipedia). It is still a major intersection in London today (Wikipedia).
De Saussure, Cesar. 1902. A foreign view of England. London. John Murray.
The Pillory at Charing Cross. The statue of Charles I, to the right, marks the site of the eponymous Cross.
