Table Of ContentBELFAST
EXECUTIONS
The hanging of United Irishman Henry Joy McCracken in July 1798
A Record Of All Those Hanged
In the Crumlin Road Prison
Authors Joe Baker and Michael Liggett at Belfast Prisons C-Wing where the condemned cell is situated
Photograph - Thomas McMullan, North Belfast News
BELFAST
EXECUTIONS
Joe Baker
Michael Liggett
Glenravel Local History Project
Page 4 Belfast Executions
Belfast Executions Page 5
In Ireland and Britain, death by
hanging was the principal form of
execution from Anglo-Saxon times
until capital punishment was abol-
ished in 1964.
Up to 1868 all hangings were
carried out in public and attracted
large crowds who were at least
supposed to be deterred by the
spectacle, but who more probably
went for the morbid excitement and
the carnival atmosphere that usually
surrounded such events. The modern
expression Gala Day is derived from
the Anglo-Saxon gallows day. After
hangings retreated inside prisons,
large crowds would often gather
outside the gates to see the posting
of the death notice or to protest the
execution.
The last hangings of all in Britain
Execution statistics Last executions in the UK were carried out simultaneously at
In the 230 year period from 1735 On the 26th of May 1868, Michael 8.00 a.m. on August the 13th, 1964
to 1964 there were as many as 10,935 Barrett, a Fenian, became the last at Walton prison, Liverpool and
executions in England and Wales man to be publicly hanged in Strangeways prison in Manchester,
alone, comprising 10,378 men and England, before a huge crowd out- when Peter Anthony Allen and
557 women. In 273 of the early side Newgate prison, for causing an Gwynne Owen Evans were executed
cases, it is not possible to be totally explosion at Clerkenwell in London for the murder of John West.
certain from surviving records which killed Sarah Ann Hodgkinson Wales had its last execution on the
whether a death sentence was actu- and six other innocent people. 6th of May 1958, when Vivian
ally carried out or not. 32 of the 375 Tweed was hanged for the murder of
women executed between 1735 and William Williams at Swansea. The
1799 were burnt at the stake. last hanging in Northern Ireland was
that of Robert McGladdery on the
20th of December 1961 at Belfast for
the murder of Pearle Gamble. 21
The Clerkenwell Explosion
year old Henry Burnett was the last
Strangely the last fully public hang- person hanged in Scotland in the
ing in the British Isles did not take newly refurbished Condemned Suite
place until the 11th of August 1875, at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen on
when Joseph Phillip Le Brun was the 15th of August 1963 for the mur-
executed for murder on the island of der of Thomas Guyan. Ruth Ellis
Jersey. The provisions of the Capital was the last woman to suffer the
Punishment Amendment Act of 1868 death penalty in Britain on the 13th
did not apply there. of July 1955.
Page 6 Belfast Executions
Abolition Both types still required the use of a
On the 9th of November 1965, the ladder or a cart to get the criminal
Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) suspended. Many of these gallows
Act suspended the death penalty for were not permanent and were
murder in the United Kingdom for a dismantled after each execution. In
period of 5 years. On the 16th of some cases, the gallows was erected
December 1969, the House of near to the scene of the crime so that
Commons reaffirmed its decision the local inhabitants could see Newgate
that capital punishment for murder justice done. the Earl of Ferrers at Tyburn. It
should be permanently abolished. On comprised a scaffold covered in
a free vote, the House voted by 343 black baize reached by a short flight
to 185, a majority of 158, that the of stairs. Two uprights rose from the
Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) scaffold, topped with a cross beam.
Act 1965, should not expire. Thus, Directly under the beam there was a
the death penalty for murder was In 1571, the famous "Triple Tree" small box like structure, some 3 feet
formally abolished. was set up at Tyburn to replace square and 18 inches high, which
previous smaller structures and was, was designed to sink down into the
The gallows at least once, used for the hanging of scaffold and thus leave the criminal
A tree was the earliest form of 24 prisoners simultaneously. This suspended. This was the forerunner
gallows with prisoners being either was on the 23rd of June 1649 when of the "New Drop" gallows.
hauled up manually by the hangman 23 men and one woman were
or turned off from a ladder or the tail executed for burglary and robbery,
of a cart. Two trees with a beam having been conveyed there in 8
between them formed the gallows for carts. Another mass execution took
33 year old Mary Blandy's execution place on March 18th, 1740 when the
at Oxford on April the 6th, 1752. famous pickpocket and thief, Jenny
In other places more conventional Diver, was hanged before a huge
gallows were built, having either a crowd, together with 19 other The "New Drop" gallows
single upright with a projecting beam criminals. Tyburn’s "Triple Tree" The 9th of December 1783 saw the
cross braced to it or two uprights and gallows remained in use until the end first executions on Newgate's "New
a cross beam where more than one of 1759 and consisted of 3 tall Drop" gallows, when nine men and
person could be hanged at a time. (approx. 12 foot high) uprights one woman were hanged simulta-
joined at the top with beams in a neously by Edward Dennis and
triangular form to provide a triple William Brunskill for a variety of
gallows under which 3 carts could offences. The gallows was on wheels
be backed at a time. The structure and was brought out specially for
was removed, as it had become a each hanging by a team of horses. It
cause of traffic congestion, and was was a large box like structure with
replaced by a portable gallows. At two uprights supporting two
the end of 1783 executions were parallel beams from which a
transferred to Newgate prison maximum of a dozen criminals could
(where now stands the Old Bailey in be hanged at once. The prisoners
London). stood on a platform, 10 feet long by
On Monday 21st of April 1760 a new 8 feet wide, released by moving a
design gallows was used to execute lever or "pin" acting on a drawbar
Belfast Executions Page 7
under the drop. They now fell Some prisons used a balcony type and from it 6 links of circular chain
roughly to knee level. The "New gallows (as at York after 1868 and dangled, to which the rope was
Drop" had 96 customers between Lancaster from 1800 to 1868 where attached. Additional iron bands could
February and December of 1785, the prisoner was brought directly be added for multiple hangings. On
with 20 men being hanged on the 2nd onto the platform through first floor each of the uprights, was a pulley for
of February of that year. By the mid French windows of the “Drop raising the trapdoors which were
1820's, as hangings became less fre- Room”. operated by a lever on the platform
quent, the double beam gallows was After the passing of the Capital and fell against 3 bales of cotton in
replaced with a single beam pattern Punishment Amendment Act of an attempt to muffle the noise. All
which could still accommodate six 1868, all executions had to take place the woodwork was painted a dull
prisoners at a time. within the walls of county prisons. buff colour.
The existing gallows was generally
used, set up in the prison yard rather
than in public.
Prisons that had more frequent
hangings mostly had execution sheds
built in one of their exercise yards to
house the gallows. The shed stood
The "New Drop" pattern was copied apart from the main buildings and
by the county gaols and soon became necessitated a fairly lengthy walk
universal, as executions were moved from the condemned cell. In some Prior to 1884, each county was
from their previous sites on the out- cases the gallows were set up in the responsible for providing the gallows
skirts of towns to the actual prison. prison van’s shed. The trapdoors for carrying out the death sentences
The gallows was normally big were typically installed over a brick passed in that county, and therefore
enough to accommodate two or three lined pit. With the coming of the long all sorts of designs were in use. In
prisoners side by side and was drop the pit was deepened to about 1885, the Home Office commis-
erected for each execution. The 12 feet deep, as drops of up to 10 sioned Lieutenant Colonel Alton
platform was between 3 and 5 feet feet were not unusual in William Beamish to design a standard
high and shielded by either wooden Marwood's time. Having the gallows for use throughout the coun-
boards or black cloth drapes to gallows in a separate building spared try. This consisted of two uprights
conceal the legs and lower body of the other prisoners from the sound with a cross beam in 8 inch section
the prisoner in their final struggles. of the trap falling and made it easier oak. The beam was long enough to
The trapdoors were released either for the staff to deal with the execute 3 prisoners side by side and
from underneath by withdrawing execution and removal of the body was set over a 12 feet long by 4 feet
bolts or latterly from on top of the afterwards. wide two leaf trap set level with the
platform by pulling a lever. In some The gallows beam at Newgate was surrounding floor. The trapdoors
parts of the country, the gallows had wide enough to accommodate four were made from 3 inch thick oak and
far more steps up to the platform. prisoners side by side, as was needed were released by a metal lever set
The “New Drop” was typically for the execution of the "Lennie into the floor of the execution
erected directly outside of, or on top Mutineers" on the 23rd of April chamber. This was a great im-
of the gatehouse roof of county gaols, 1876. In 1881, a new gallows was provement over some of the designs
thus sparing the prisoner the long and built for Newgate, consisting of two then in use and considerably speeded
uncomfortable ride to the place of stout uprights with a cross beam. up the process. The beam had one or
execution in a cart. It was also more Normally only one iron band was more iron bands attached to it from
secure and much easier to police. fitted to the cross beam in the centre which hung lengths of chain for
Page 8 Belfast Executions
inch section oak, running parallel to hinges of the opposing door, the
each other about 2 inches apart. From hinge ends were no longer supported
the centre of the beams, rose two and thus cause the trap to open al-
heavy gauge metal brackets each lowing the prisoner to drop through
drilled with holes offset at half inch into the cell below. The doors were
centres through which a metal pin caught by rubber lined catches to
was inserted and to which a length stop them bouncing back and hitting
of chain was attached. This allowed the criminal. It was normal for the
The gallows at Kirkdale
very much more accurate adjustment hangman to make a chalk T on the
attachment of the rope using "D" of the drop. This mechanism was trap so that the prisoner's feet could
shackles. This made the setting of the further refined to allow the drop to be correctly positioned exactly over
drop more accurate. The first person be set to within a quarter of an inch. the centre of the two leaves.
to die on the new style "stepfree" The beams were 8 feet above the During the early 1900's, there was a
gallows was Matthew William trapdoors and were generally set into move to reduce the number of "hang-
Chadwick in 1890, at Kirkdale the wall at each end, there being no ing prisons" and in those where
Prison in Liverpool. The gallows in uprights. executions were to continue, purpose
the execution shed at Wandsworth
prison around 1900 is one of the very The condemned cell at Newgate
few to have been actually photo-
graphed - you can see the lever, open
trap and one of the boards laid across
the drop for the warders to stand on
whilst holding the prisoner.
The trapdoors were reduced in length built condemned suites were
as multiple hangings were no longer constructed within a wing of the
favoured and normally consisted of prison on three floors. One or two
two leaves each of 4 to 8 feet in condemned cells were created on the
length and each 2 feet wide. The one first floor within 15 -20 feet of the
nearest the lever being convention- execution room. On the ground floor
In the thoughtful way of the Home ally hinged whilst the other had was a cell into which the trap doors
Office, at least some of these gallows extended hinges that ran under the opened and often an autopsy room
had the Royal Coat of Arms first leaf and were held on top of an immediately adjacent to it. The 2nd
displayed on the beam which must iron drawbar which had three slots. floor room contained the gallows
have been a great comfort to the The trap was operated by a lever on beams, their ends set into the walls,
condemned! top of the platform which moved the where the drop could be set in safety,
In the early 20th century, the drawbar. without the need for stepladders.
Victorian pattern single beam was When the slots in the drawbar lined The rope was suspended from a
replaced by two beams of 8 inch x 3 up with the ends of the extended chain, attached to an adjustment
Belfast Executions Page 9
mechanism bolted to the beams and
hung down through a hatch into the Wandsworth
execution room below. Two other
ropes were also attached to the
beams, one on each side of the noose,
for the officers supporting the
prisoner to hold onto with their free
hand.
Pentonville
Holloway display. It was last used on the 8th This was improved on in the 1890's
of September 1961 and was kept in by passing the free end of the rope
full working order up to 1992, being through a brass eyelet instead of just
tested every six months. a loop of rope, which made it more
free running. Following the report of
The Noose the Aberdare Committee in 1888, it
Calcraft and his predecessors used a was decided that execution ropes
simple halter style noose, consisting would be supplied by the Prison
Strangeways
of a loop worked into one end of a Commission of the Home Office and
piece of hemp rope, with the other not by the hangman himself. A
end passed through it. contract was duly entered into with
John Edgington & Co of the Old
Kent Road in London to manu-
facture and supply the ropes. The
execution rope was formed from a
13 foot length of 3/4" diameter
Pentonville, Wandsworth and Italian hemp. Early versions had no
Holloway in London all used this covering and a simple leather washer
arrangement as did Durham, to hold the noose in place. From the
Strangeways and Walton prisons. 1920’s, the noose itself had a Cham-
This pattern remained standard, with ois leather covering sewn over the
minor improvements up to abolition. rope which was intended to reduce
Typically what the prisoner saw was the marking of the skin and a plain
the trapdoors, the lever and the noose rubber washer to hold it in place. The
hanging down from the ceiling. ends of the rope, where they were
Britain's last working gallows, at spliced together, had Gutta Percha
Wandsworth prison, was dismantled coverings (Gutta Percha is a natural
in 1994 and was sent to the Prison waxy resin and was used as the
Service Museum in Rugby, being filling for golf balls). The Gutta
now stored in the Galleries of Percha tended to splinter when cold
Justice in Nottingham but not on Calcraft and had to be heated with a candle
Page 10 Belfast Executions
to soften it and avoid cuts to the to speed up the process and remained countries they are black.
prisoner’s neck. In 1942, the plain in use to the end. Typically the prisoner was hooded
rubber washer was replaced with an The positioning of the eyelet of the only at the last moment before the
internally star shaped one which noose under the angle of the jaw is noose was put round their neck and
gripped the rope better. The Gutta very important as it is vital that the adjusted. Although they had been
Percha covering the rope over the head is thrown backwards by the able to see the gallows, the trap, the
attachment eye to the chain was rope so that the force is transmitted executioner and officials, and the
omitted in 1952. In 1955 it was into the neck vertebrae rather than noose dangling before them, this was
omitted from the noose end and being thrown forward and the force found to be better than hooding them
replaced with vulcanised rubber. The taken on the throat which tends to earlier and trying to lead them to the
rope was stretched before use, by cause strangulation. It is also crucial gallows as they were more frightened
dropping a sandbag of approximately that the noose is put on the right way by not knowing what was happen-
the same weight as the prisoner round so that it rotates in the correct ing. Both ideas have been tried but
through the trap and leaving it direction with the eyelet ending up hooding immediately prior to the
suspended overnight. This reduced under the jaw. noose was normal.
its diameter to about 5/8 inch. The
purpose of this was to remove any The hood Pinioning
tendency of the rope to stretch Over the last 250 years or so it has In England, the prisoner's hands were
during the actual hanging which been customary to cover the typically pinioned in front of them
would reduce the force applied to the prisoner’s face so that their final until 1892. In the days of public
prisoner's neck. Hemp has always agonies would not be seen. In hangings, the prisoner's wrists were
been the preferred material as it is Tyburn and Newgate days the "hood" tied with a cord and often a second
both soft and strong with a smooth was actually a nightcap supplied by cord passed round the body and arms
surface. Marwood and Berry, having the prisoner. When they had finished at the elbows. This was done to
positioned the noose, allowed the their prayers, the hangman simply allow them to pray on the gallows,
free rope to loop down behind the pulled it down over their face. In however, this made it easier for them
prisoner's back. Marwood had an some cases, women might choose a to resist and fight at the end so
unfortunate incident through this bonnet with a veil instead and in pinioning the wrists at the sides to a
practice, at the hanging of James other cases the prisoner possessed or leather body belt became normal by
Burton at Durham in 1883. As chose neither. From the early 1800’s the 1850's - an idea invented by
Burton fell through the trap, the rope a white hood was used and the William Calcraft. James Billington
became entangled in his arm thus earliest verifiable record of this was introduced the idea of pinioning the
shortening the intended drop. for the execution of three men for prisoner's wrists behind their back
Marwood had to haul the unfortunate High Treason in Derby in 1817. using a double buckle leather strap,
man back onto the platform to free From around 1850, a white linen and this became the standard method
the entanglement and then pushed hood was provided by the authori- until abolition. It also significantly
Burton back down into the pit where ties which was similar to a small reduced the time taken in the
he died by strangulation. James pillowcase and was applied as part pinioning operation.
Billington used a similar rope to of the execution process. This was With the advent of the long drop, the
Berry but coiled it up and tied it with included in the execution box sent prisoner's legs were normally
a piece of pack thread to leave the to county prisons from Pentonville pinioned with a leather strap around
noose at chest level to avoid the in the 20th century. As the nightcaps the ankles to prevent them getting
prisoner being caught up in it or him- had generally been white this became their feet onto the sides of the trap
self tripping over it as at it lay on the the traditional colour for British when the doors fell. Previously, the
trapdoors. This idea was also found hoods, whereas in many other legs had been left free in short drop
