Thomas Pierrepoint
Thomas Pierrepoint | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas William Pierrepoint 6 October 1870 Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 11 February 1954 (aged 83) Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Executioner |
| Years active | 1906–1946 |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Binns (m. 1891) |
| Parent(s) | Thomas and Mary Pierrepoint |
| Relatives | Henry Pierrepoint (brother), Albert Pierrepoint (nephew) |
Thomas William Pierrepoint (6 October 1870 – 11 February 1954)[1] was an English executioner from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry Pierrepoint and uncle of Albert Pierrepoint.[2]
Personal life
Pierrepoint was born in
, where Thomas and his father were employed as stone quarrymen. He was married to Elizabeth Binns on 5 December 1891.By 1914, Pierrepoint had taken on a number of "sidelines",[5] including a carrier service founded by his brother,[5] a small farm, and an illegal bookmaking business.
Career
Thomas Pierrepoint began working as a hangman in 1906 under the influence of his brother, Henry. His career spanned 39 years, and ended in 1946, by which time he was in his mid-seventies. During this time, he is thought to have carried out 294 hangings,[6] 203 of which were civilians executed in England and Wales;[7] the remainder were executions carried out abroad or upon military personnel. Among those he executed was the poisoner Frederick Seddon in 1912.
During
In 1940, his medical fitness for the job was questioned by a medical officer who called him "unsecure" and doubted "whether his sight was good". The Prison Commission discreetly asked for reports on his performance during executions in the following time, but evidently found no reason to take action, although one report said that Thomas Pierrepoint had "smelled strongly of drink"[9] on two occasions when reporting at the prison. This, however, appears to clash with Thomas Pierrepoint's instruction to Albert (when the latter acted as his assistant) not to take a drink if on the job and never to accept the drink customarily given to all witnesses at executions in Ireland.
Thomas never officially retired, rather his name was removed from the list of executioners and invitations to conduct executions ceased to arrive. He died at his daughter's home in Bradford on 11 February 1954, aged 83.[10][11]
References
- ^ Birth registration from GRO
- ^ "A grisly family tradition". BBC Nottingham. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Birth Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
Sutton Bonington was one of the sub-districts of the Loughbro' Registration district.
- 1881 census: Sutton Bonington; RG11; Piece 3149; Folio 26; Page 3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1858-820613.
- ^ Fielding 2008, pp. 288–294
- ^ Clark, Richard. "English Hangmen 1850 to 1964". Capital Punishment UK. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- S2CID 144091440. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ Milmo, Cahal (31 May 2006). "Hangman 'nearly killed assistant by mistake'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ Fielding 2008, p. 257
- ^ "Death Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
Bibliography
- Fielding, Steve (2008). Pierrepoint: A Family of Executioners. London: John Blake Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84454-611-4.
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