A Very English Hangman
A Very English Hangman: The Life and Times of Albert Pierrepoint by Leonora Klein
There are some books that you just can’t recommend to your friends and this is one of them! A Very English Hangman is a fascinating story: it’s true, it’s well written, but the subject matter would put most people off their breakfast. I, however, was gripped, right from the start. It begged so many questions that I would love to discuss with someone, anyone, but so far there are no takers.
Have you ever wondered how certain professions run in the family? Well, Albert Pierrepoint was the official hangman in the UK (1932-1956) as was his father, Henry Albert Pierrepoint, before him and also his uncle, Thomas William Pierrepoint. I suppose it’s a matter of what you’re used to. I’m rather glad, in retrospect, that my parents had more mundane methods of earning a crust.
Now if you feel that my interest verges on the grisly, let me say, in my defence, that humans never fail to fascinate me whether they are ordinary and pleasant or downright peculiar. I also feel the need for a disclaimer here: I am a pacifist and don’t agree with any form of corporal punishment, no matter what the crime.
Why the interest then? you may well ask: well, it’s a matter of pride in ones work and Albert Pierrepoint was a perfectionist. From the moment he put his hand on a condemned prisoner's arm to the moment of death, Albert was swift and exact in carrying out his duties. There were no mishaps, the process was not drawn out with unnecessary prolongation of agony. As far as Albert was concerned, the decision was taken by the justice system; he was simply there to carry the sentence out to its natural conclusion. His services were used in the Republic of Ireland during his tenure, and he was also called to serve in Germany and Austria to execute over 200 war criminals.
Albert Pierrepoint was a familiy man whose wife, Annie Fletcher, ran a sweet shop and tobacconist. Seemingly, the couple had a long and happy marriage but never discussed how he earned his living; she was waiting for him to raise the topic!
After he retired, Albert’s father said, "I have come to the conclusion that executions solve nothing, and are only an antiquated relic of a primitive desire for revenge which takes the easy way and hands over the responsibility for revenge to other people... The trouble with the death penalty has always been that nobody wanted it for everybody, but everybody differed about who should get off."
Some facts:
The last such execution in the UK took place in 1964, and in the Republic of Ireland, Albert Pierrepoint officiated at the last execution in 1954. The death penalty was abolished as late as the 1990s in both countries.
Death by hanging is one of the most ancient forms of execution. As far back as the third or fourth century it was mentioned in The Book of Esther.
On August 15, 2004, a 16-year-old Iranian girl, Atefeh Sahaaleh, was hung in public for having committed "acts incompatible with chastity".
Saddam Hussein’s execution, death by hanging, was broadcast worldwide and watched by millions - all four minutes and 32 seconds of it - on November 5th, 2006.
Punishment by hanging is still practiced in Japan, Malaysia, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Singapore, and two states in the USA where it is an "option".
It is a condition of the membership of any country of the European Union that it abolish capital punishment. The Republic of Ireland is also party to a number of international agreements forbidding the death penalty. These include Protocol No. 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights which forbids capital punishment even during time of war.
There are some books that you just can’t recommend to your friends and this is one of them! A Very English Hangman is a fascinating story: it’s true, it’s well written, but the subject matter would put most people off their breakfast. I, however, was gripped, right from the start. It begged so many questions that I would love to discuss with someone, anyone, but so far there are no takers. Have you ever wondered how certain professions run in the family? Well, Albert Pierrepoint was the official hangman in the UK (1932-1956) as was his father, Henry Albert Pierrepoint, before him and also his uncle, Thomas William Pierrepoint. I suppose it’s a matter of what you’re used to. I’m rather glad, in retrospect, that my parents had more mundane methods of earning a crust.
Now if you feel that my interest verges on the grisly, let me say, in my defence, that humans never fail to fascinate me whether they are ordinary and pleasant or downright peculiar. I also feel the need for a disclaimer here: I am a pacifist and don’t agree with any form of corporal punishment, no matter what the crime.
Why the interest then? you may well ask: well, it’s a matter of pride in ones work and Albert Pierrepoint was a perfectionist. From the moment he put his hand on a condemned prisoner's arm to the moment of death, Albert was swift and exact in carrying out his duties. There were no mishaps, the process was not drawn out with unnecessary prolongation of agony. As far as Albert was concerned, the decision was taken by the justice system; he was simply there to carry the sentence out to its natural conclusion. His services were used in the Republic of Ireland during his tenure, and he was also called to serve in Germany and Austria to execute over 200 war criminals.
Albert Pierrepoint was a familiy man whose wife, Annie Fletcher, ran a sweet shop and tobacconist. Seemingly, the couple had a long and happy marriage but never discussed how he earned his living; she was waiting for him to raise the topic!
After he retired, Albert’s father said, "I have come to the conclusion that executions solve nothing, and are only an antiquated relic of a primitive desire for revenge which takes the easy way and hands over the responsibility for revenge to other people... The trouble with the death penalty has always been that nobody wanted it for everybody, but everybody differed about who should get off."
Some facts:
The last such execution in the UK took place in 1964, and in the Republic of Ireland, Albert Pierrepoint officiated at the last execution in 1954. The death penalty was abolished as late as the 1990s in both countries.
Death by hanging is one of the most ancient forms of execution. As far back as the third or fourth century it was mentioned in The Book of Esther.
On August 15, 2004, a 16-year-old Iranian girl, Atefeh Sahaaleh, was hung in public for having committed "acts incompatible with chastity".
Saddam Hussein’s execution, death by hanging, was broadcast worldwide and watched by millions - all four minutes and 32 seconds of it - on November 5th, 2006.
Punishment by hanging is still practiced in Japan, Malaysia, Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Singapore, and two states in the USA where it is an "option".
It is a condition of the membership of any country of the European Union that it abolish capital punishment. The Republic of Ireland is also party to a number of international agreements forbidding the death penalty. These include Protocol No. 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights which forbids capital punishment even during time of war.
Labels: Albert Pierrepoint, death penalty, hanging, pascifism
