The job of being a hangman became a much sought after post in the mid 19th century and remained so until capital punishment ceased in 1964. Large numbers of applicants - including women - applied for each vacancy, and the position would possibly attract just as many applicants today if capital punishment were to be reintroduced. In 1879, when William Calcraft retired, the role of hangman ceased to be a salaried position. Instead, minimal fees were offered which did not increase even through to the abolition of hanging in the 1960's. Therefore, it may be a reasonable assumption to suppose that most of those who held the post of executioner did it not for financial gain, but for other, more personal, reasons.
NAME LOCATION LIFE IN OFFICE FAMOUS EXECUTIONS & NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Jack Ketch Tyburn ????-1686 1663-1686 Became term used to refer to all hangman
George Smith Dudley,The Midlands 1805-1874 1849-1873
Robert Evans North Wales Unknown 1874-1875
George Incher Dudley Unknown 1875-1881
William Calcraft Chelmsford,Essex 1800-1879 1829-1874 Incorrect use of the Short Drop method
Thomas Askern York (Not Proven) Unknown 1853-1877
William Marwood Horncastle,Lincolnshire 1820-1883 1874-1883 Invented Long Drop method
Bartholomew Binns Unknown Unknown 1883-1884
James Berry Heckmondwike,Yorkshire 1852-1913 1884-1892 Miscalc. drops, victims decapitated/strangled
Thomas H Scott Huddersfield Unknown 1892-1901
James Billington Farnworth,Lancashire 1847-1901 1884-1901 Thomas Cream - claimed to be Jack the Ripper
Thomas Billington Farnworth,Lancashire 1872-1902 1897-1901 Eldest son of James Billington
William Billington Farnworth,Lancashire 1873-1934 1902-1905 Middle son of the Billington's
John Billington Farnworth,Lancashire 1880-1905 1902-1905 Youngest Billington. First hanging at Holloway
Henry Pierrepoint Bradford,Yorkshire 1874-1922 1901-1910 Father of Albert Pierrepoint
John Ellis Rochdale,Lancashire 1874-1932 1901-1923 Dr. Crippen, George Smith, Edith Thompson
William Willis Accrington,Lancashire 187?-1939 1906-1926
Tomas Pierrepoint Bradford,Yorkshire 1870-1954 1906-1946 Brother of Henry Pierrepoint
Robert Wilson Manchester Unknown 1920-1936
Robert Baxter Hertford Unknown 1915-1935
Alfred Allen Wolverhampton Unknown 1928-1937
Thomas M Phillips Unknown Unknown 1918-1941
Stanley W Cross Unknown Unknown 1932-1941
Albert Pierrepoint Bradford,Yorkshire 1905-1992 1932-1956 Nevil Heath, Derek Bently, Ruth Ellis
Harry Kirk Huntingdon Unknown 1941-1950 Performed 1 hanging, assistant executioner
Steve Wade Doncaster Unknown 1941-1955
Harry Allen Manchester 1911-1992 1941-1964
Robert L Stewart Edinburgh 1918-1988 1950-1964
Syd Dernley Nottingham 1920-1996 1949-1954
After working for The Galleries of Justice (Nottingham) as a Costumed Interpreter for a number of years, I've always found the history of execution a fascinating subject. My employment involved the donning of period Warder's costumes and treating members of the public as though they were newly admitted prisoners. In order to perform this role accurately, I had to study the history of English Gaols, Imprisonment, Transportation and Execution to quite some depth. After finding the notes that I made, researched from both books that I own and the records contained within Nottingham County Gaol Records Office, I have decided to offer this information as a write up in hope that others may find it of use, even if only for the morbid fascination that execution and its controller's hold.
The Records Office, Nottingham County Gaol, Nottingham
Diary of a Hangman by John Ellis
The Hangman's Tale by Syd Dernley
The Hangmen's Record 1868-1964 by Steve Fielding
The Book of Executions by James Bland