The area Wapping (according to latest research) suggests a derivation from wapol - a marsh. The draining of Wapping Marsh, and the consolidation of a river wall along which houses were built, were finally achieved by 1600 after previous attempts had failed. The Prospect of Whitby pub has a replica gibbet and noose by the riverside terrace as a nod to Execution Dock.There was one pub (The Turks Head Inn, now a café) that was permitted to serve the last quart of ale to condemned pirates on their final journey from the prison to the docks.
The more notorious pirates were then tarred and hung in cages along the Thames estuary to dissuade any other wannabe-trouble makers!

Perhaps the most famous pirate to be tarred and hung in a cage was Captain Kidd, the inspiration for Treasure Island. In 1701 he was convicted of piracy and murder and was taken from Newgate Prison and executed. Rather gruesomely, on the first hanging attempt the rope broke and he only died on the second attempt. Even more gruesomely, his body was left tarred and gibbeted in an iron cage on the Thames riverbanks for more than twenty years. The actual site of Execution Dock is disputed, as the original gallows are long gone The current contenders for this rather dubious crown are the Sun Warf building (marked with a large E on the Thames side of the building), The Prospect of Whitby pub, the Captain Kidd pub, and the likeliest location of all – the Town of Ramsgate pub.
Part of the reason 3 tides were allowed to wash over the bodies is that the Admiralty had jurisdiction below the low tide point. Today the tidal range is 3 meters and by thursday it will be nearly 6m
(Measured at the Isle of dogs, just downstream)