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| A typical public hanging, The Idle 'Prentice Executed at Tyburn, Hogarth, 1747. |
Capital punishment before 1861
By the late 1700s, the Bloody Code set out over 200 crimes that could result in a death sentence. Minor examples were pick-pocketing, forgery or stealing from a rabbit warren. The wealthy made the laws and wished to protect their property. Public executions sought to warn those less well off against crime.
Lesser offences were usually commuted to transportation. Only 7,000 executions occurred out of 35,000 death sentences in England and Wales between 1770 and 1830.
Penal reformers sought to make imprisonment an alternative. The aim was to reform rather than execute. By 1861, there were five crimes attracting capital punishment. These were murder, treason, espionage, arson in the royal docks and piracy with violence. Public executions, so popular in the late 1700s and early 1800s, were banned in 1868. Convicts hanged within the prison walls.
The sentence
A suspect might have to wait some time in prison for his trial. Assizes courts took place twice a year, in March or April, and July or August. So if detained late in the year, a suspect spent months in prison awaiting the next assizes.
If the verdict was guilty, the judge placed a black square of cloth on top of his wig and passed the sentence of hanging. A typical wording was Thou shalt return to the place whence thou camest and from thence to a place of execution where thou shalt hang by the neck till the body be dead. And the Lord have mercy upon thy soul. The judge specified the fate of the body after hanging. This was either gibbetting, described as hanging in chains, or dissection.
The execution took place within days of the sentence. But not always. An appeal might delay the hanging by weeks. In one case the prisoner spent four years in Huntingdon Gaol while the authorities advertised a reward across England for the capture of his accomplice.
Most capital offences resulted in a pardon. The fairness of pardon sometimes appears random. In 1801, Huntingdon Assizes sentenced six men to hang on the same day. Two hanged. There's no record of the other four ever being hanged.
Youth was possibly was a factor. Two men were given a sentence of capital punishment at Huntingdon. One, aged 29 years, hanged. The other, aged 22 years, did not. But on other occasions convicts aged 21 years and 19 years were hanged.
Turning King's evidence could earn freedom. In 1770, three men received the death penalty at Huntingdon for highway robbery. There was little doubt of their guilt, since stolen goods were in their possession. Two hanged. The third man escaped the noose.
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| Justice Coleridge wearing the black cap, 1855. |
The hanging experience
As family and friends made their last visit, emotions were high. A chaplain gave support. Some prisoners spent their last night awake. They thought through their life and what was to come. Even if they had pleaded not guilty at trial, the condemned often confessed their crime. They hoped for salvation after death. Most hangings took place early morning, between 8 and 9am. The prisoner's last meal was breakfast.
In preparation, the hangman tied the prisoner's hands in front to allow prayer. This had the disadvantage of enabling some prisoners to resist. From about 1850, the prisoner's hands were pinioned to a leather belt attached to his waist, and his ankles were bound.
Rural locations involved a short trip to the place of execution. The prisoner could say a few last words. A white hood went over his head. The noose went around the prisoner's neck and was tightened. At first, a tree was the common method of suspension. The prisoner was hauled up manually or launched from a moving cart or ladder.
From the late 1700s, a gallows was used. Cities might warrant a permanent structure. In rural areas, the gallows went up for each infrequent event. The key feature was a trapdoor on which the prisoner stood. A lever opened the trapdoor and suspended the victim. The prisoner dropped only a short distance, at most a couple of feet. This meant death was by asphyxiation and could take several minutes. The hangman might hurry events along by pulling down on the prisoner's legs. This was the case for 19 year old Joshua Slade.
From 1872, the authorities used the long drop method. The length of drop was proportionate to the prisoner's weight. The lighter the prisoner, the longer the drop. This resulted in a broken neck. The prisoner was unconscious while he died from asphyxiation. The body remained hanging for an hour before an autopsy took place.
Early hangings were a public event. The aim was to dissuade observers from risking a similar fate. Several thousand unruly spectators expected entertainment. There was a carnival atmosphere. After 1868, hangings took place within the prison walls.
Hangings in Huntingdon
Assizes courts took place in the Town Hall. The gaol was in Gaol Lane (now Orchard Lane), at the top of Huntingdon High Street. In an 1812 inspection, it was one of the worst constructed prisons in the kingdom. Male prisoners occupied a day room measuring 5 yards by 3 yards. They descended a trapdoor and stairs to a similar room for sleeping accommodation. An outside courtyard less than 2 yards by 2 yards allowed outside exercise. Those committed of capital offences were kept in irons. Women's quarters were of similar dimensions.
Once sentenced to hanging, the prisoner moved to a condemned cell called the Hole. The prison closed in 1845. Take a walk down Orchard Lane, through the arch from the High Street. There, you'll notice barred windows from the old gaol. Read prison inspection reports from 1784 at The Prison.
Public hangings needed room for spectators. In Huntingdon, most took place on Mill Common. The prisoner could walk behind a cart which carried his coffin, or sit in the cart alongside or atop his coffin. In an 1827 newspaper report on Joshua Slade's execution, the gallows location is described as follows.
The spot on which the gallows were erected was upon the Mill Common, in the hollow against the river Ouze, on the right of the entrance over the bridge to Portholm (the race course). The hill which takes a regular ascent from the place of execution on the north side forms a very elevated spot for spectators...
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| Extract from Jeffery's map of Huntingdon, 1768. |
The above map shows the route taken to execution. The procession came out of Gaol Lane (Orchard Lane) and up the High Street. A left turn into Hangman's Lane (today St Mary's Street) led onto Mill Common. From there, it was a few hundred yards to the gallows.
In 1829 a new gaol was completed off today's St Peter's Road. From that year, hangings in Huntingdon took place within the new gaol grounds, away from crowds.
Huntingdon executions
Below is a list of the thirty men sentenced to death at Huntingdon Assizes. Of these, twenty-eight were also executed at Huntingdon. There are newspaper reports about the men's crimes and their executions for eighteen of the thirty. Below are details of eighteen hangings.
JOHN GOODES was convicted of highway robbery at the Summer Assizes in July 1741. In the Hole, he confessed. Mr Newton, the person robbed by John, seems somewhat unlucky. On his way home from the Assizes, he was again robbed in the exact same spot as previously. John was hanged at Mill Common a couple of days later. To read the newspaper report of John's execution, click here.
RICHARD KEENE languished in Huntingdon Gaol for four years from 1759. He was accused with Richard Preston of murdering and robbing a young man in Higney Wood, about two miles west of Ramsey. Having disabled him with a scythe, the pair cut the victim's throat. They stripped his body and left him in the wood. The victim was never identified. The authorities offered a £100 reward (today £16,000) for the capture of Richard Preston. Newspaper adverts ran throughout England until 1863. With no sign of the accomplice, Richard Keene was convicted of murder at the March Assizes, his sentence hanging and dissection. He accepted his guilt and was hanged on Mill Common. To read the advert and newspaper report of Richard's trial and execution, click here.
DANIEL HITCHCOCK and JOHN HULL were caught with stolen goods in their possession. Their accomplice, Edward Hart, was also arrested as part of the gang. The authorities were convinced the three had committed many more robberies in Huntingdonshire. In January 1770, they advertised for anyone who had been robbed to come to Huntingdon Gaol to see if they could identify any of the three. Visitors could also claim ownership of any recovered goods. At the April Assizes Daniel Hitchcock and John Hull were found guilty of highway robbery. They hanged on Mill Common a few days after sentence. There is no trace of what happened to Edward Hart. Did he turn King's evidence? To read the advert and newspaper report of Daniel's and John's execution, click here.
GERVASE MATCHAM was the only person executed at Mill Common to be gibbeted afterwards. He was a soldier in the 49th Huntingdon Foot Brigade. Benjamin Jones was a drummer boy in the Brigade. His father was the Quartermaster. He sent Benjamin on a 5 mile walk to collect £7 for supplies from Major Reynolds at Diddington Hall. It was dangerous to cross the countryside with a large sum of money, worth £1,000 today. Matcham accompanied the boy to ensure his safety. On the return journey, the money tempted Matcham. South of Alconbury, they crossed a stone bridge over a tributary of Alconbury Brook. Matcham slit the boy's throat and fled north to York. There, he was press-ganged into the Navy. For 7 years, the murder of Benjamin Jones had gone unpunished. Until Matcham confessed. Tried at Huntingdon Assizes, the magistrate convicted Matcham of murder. He was hanged for fifty minutes on Mill Common, Huntingdon in the red uniform of the Huntingdon Foot Brigade. The body was then cut down, carted to the location of the murder and hung in chains to rot. To read about gibbetting, Matcham's execution and others gibbetted in Huntingdonshire, click here.
JOHN CHAPMAN and WILLIAM ATKINS were sentenced to hang in 1787 for stealing 24 sheep and a horse, respectively. Both were in their early 20s. John's parents were respectable, and he had a wife and young son. The night before his execution, he wrote a letter to his wife, which was published. In the letter, he asked his wife to ensure their son did not follow the same path as his father. William stated his offence was the only crime he had ever committed. Both admitted their guilt and asked for forgiveness at the moment of hanging. To read the newspaper reports of their trial and execution, click here.
JONATHAN FOX and John Cowling were both capitally convicted in 1800, each for stealing a horse. Jonathan hanged. It appears John's sentence was most likely commuted to transportation. Possibly age played a role. Jonathan was aged 29 years, John 22 years. To read a brief newspaper report of their trial, click here.
JAMES LAWRENCE and JOHN CODGELL were sentenced to hanging in 1801. The same Assizes sentenced another four men to capital punishment, John Burton, Charles Walker, George Alleburn and John Taylor. Six hangings on the same day would have been a record for Huntingdon. All offences were theft. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the hanging of James and John. John Burton and John Taylor got a two week reprieve. There's no record of any of the four men sentenced with James and John being hanged. To read the newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
RICHARD PAPWORTH was another unfortunate hanged when the authorities reprieved others sentenced to capital punishment on the same day. Richard hanged in 1807 for stealing two sheep and three lambs. John Greaves Craddock stole a gelding and John Alpress stole a sheep and were probably transported. To read brief newspaper reports of their trial and the execution, click here.
CHARLES BOUCHER was a French prisoner of war, held at Norman Cross prison. When completed in 1797, it was the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp. Between 1803 and 1814, Britain was at war with Napoleonic France. In 1808 Charles attempted an escape, stabbing Alexander Halliday, a civilian. Sentenced to death by hanging, Charles was taken from Huntingdon Gaol back to Norman Cross and hanged before all the prisoners and garrison soldiers. A search of the prison turned up 700 daggers. To read the newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
ROBERT SMITH, aged 56 years and with a wife and family, was found guilty of raping a child aged under 10 years. The judge suspected it wasn't his first offence. Although he admitted many crimes, to the last he claimed he was innocent of the rape. To read brief newspaper reports of his trial and the execution, click here.
THOMAS SAVAGE, aged 21 years, was of good character, a resident of Somersham. He got bored and had nothing to do. So Thomas decided to liven things up by starting a fire. He made no secret of this. He and his friends had a good discussion about it. Thomas claimed his innocence, stating it was one of his friends who had started the fire. His solicitor thought the High Sheriff had a vested interest in convicting Thomas by a certain date and objected to him sitting in judgement. The trail continued, the outcome being sentence of death by hanging to take place on 21 August 1824. An appeal delayed the execution for three months. Thomas accepted his guilt just before the execution, although he continued to claim his matches went out and it was a friend's match which started the fire. On his way down the High Street and along Hangman's Lane, Thomas knelt in the cart with his hands on the coffin, saying his prayers. After the rope was adjusted around his neck, Thomas addressed the gathered crowd. His speech was cut short when the trapdoor opened and he fell. His end was not quick, he appeared to suffer much. For some time his body writhed in dreadful contortion; a full ten minutes elapsed ere life appeared extinct. To read the newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
JOSHUA SLADE was aged just 18 years when he murdered the Rev Joshua Waterhouse. An eccentric, the clergyman used part of the rectory to store produce from his farm and orchards. He blocked up nearly all the rectory windows to avoid paying the window tax. It was a love of teasing his labourers' young children that was part of his downfall. Although they heard his screams and groans at the time of the murder, the children thought Rev Waterhouse was playing again. In fact, Joshua Slade subjected him to a vicious and bloody attack. Very early on Thursday 9 August, people streamed into Huntingdon to watch the execution. Some travelled over twenty miles for the spectacle. They were to be disappointed. At one o'clock that morning, a reprieve was granted for twenty-four hours. There was doubt over the testimony of a witness. Having protested his innocence, Slade finally admitted the murder as another reprieve to 1 September arrived. The gallows, erected that morning, were taken down and the disappointed crowds dispersed. On the morning of Saturday 1 September, Slade sat on his coffin in the back of a cart on his way to Spring Common. The streets were congested with people eager to see him en route to the gallows. Thousands surrounded the site of the execution. After Slade's short speech, the trapdoor opened. The executioner speeded death by hanging onto Slade's legs as his body convulsed. The following Monday, doctors dissected Slade's body before a public audience. To read the extensive newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
JOHN BISHOP started his working life as a respectable and industrious shepherd. He saved money to trade in sheep. John despaired when he lost some of his property. With a wife, and two children by another woman, to support, John turned to crime. Several men tried to help him. Caught stealing 20 sheep from Mr Lindsell of St Ives, the sentence was death by hanging. As a repeat offender, there was no mercy. Mr Lindsell was one of the very men who offered to help John, and had stepped in to save John from a previous capital punishment sentence. John's was the first hanging to take place at the New County Gaol, sited at the rear of 32 St Peter's Road, Huntingdon. To read newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
HENRY GILBERT said he intended to marry Ann Colbert when she bore him a child. But he expressed doubt the child was his. The marriage never took place, although the couple lived together. Henry appeared to care for the child, which had whooping cough. One night, when the nine month old child kept Henry awake with its coughing, in a drunken rage Henry beat the child to death. Sentenced at the Cambridge Assizes, Henry's was the last hanging to take place at the New County Gaol, sited at the rear of 32 St Peter's Road, Huntingdon. General revulsion at public hangings meant Henry hanged and was buried within the gaol walls. To read newspaper reports of the trial and execution, click here.
WALTER HORSFORD, nicknamed the St Neots Poisoner, had an affair with his beautiful cousin, Annie Holmes. They were unable to marry because Annie was older and of a lower class and Walter's father objected. Their affair continued. When Walter married, he was anxious his new wife did not hear of his affair. Letters from Annie, who had fallen on hard times, were a threat. Walter poisoned Annie with strychnine. He was sentenced to death by hanging at Huntingdon Assizes. The hanging took place at Cambridge gaol. There were suspicions Annie was not the only person Walter poisoned. To read all about Walter, Annie, the trial and execution, click here.
| Execution date | Name (age) | Crime |
| 1737, March 19 | Richard Lilley | Horse theft |
| 1741, July 25 | John Goodes | Highway robbery |
| 1742, March 27 | John Hammond | Murder |
| 1746, August 30 | William Budge | Murder of wife |
| 1747, April 4 | David & John Burke | Burglary |
| 1752, March 21 | Richard Palmer | Murder of wife |
| 1754, August 17 | John Martin | Housebreaking |
| 1761, March 28 | Thomas Alfrey | Arson |
| 1763, March 16 | Richard Keen | Murder |
| 1770, April 6 | Daniel Hitchcock & John Hull | Highway robbery |
| 1786, August 2 | Gervase Matcham | Murder (gibbetted) |
| 1786, August 19 | Robert Hill | Burglary |
| 1787, August 11 | William Atkins (23) | Horse theft |
| 1787, August 11 | John Chapman (24) | Sheep theft |
| 1796, August 6 | George Harrison | Horse theft |
| 1800, March 29 | Jonathan Fox (29) | Horse theft |
| 1801, March 28 | James Lawrence (34) | Horse theft |
| 1801, March 28 | John Codgell | Horse theft |
| 1802, April 3 | David Ventris | Sheep theft |
| 1802, April 3 | John Cotes | Horse theft |
| 1807, August 8 | Richard Papworth (64) | Sheep theft |
| 1808, August 8 | Charles Boucher | Cutting & maiming |
| 1814, April 2 | Robert Smith (56) | Rape |
| 1824, December 18 | Thomas Savage (21) | Arson |
| 1827, September 1 | Joshua Slade (19) | Murder |
| 1829, April 4 | John Bishop (40) | Sheep theft |
| 1878, November 28 | Henry Gilbert (30) | Murder of son |
| 1898, June 28 | Walter Horsford (26) | Murder |
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