Thomas Pierrepoint
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Pierrepoint (1870–1954) was one of the United Kingdom
's executioner
s from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry
and uncle of Albert
.
He was born in Sutton Bonington
, Nottinghamshire
, the second child and eldest son of Thomas and Mary Pierrepoint. He worked as a hangman for 39 years until his mid-seventies in 1946. He is credited with having carried out 294 hangings in his career, although no precise figure has been verified, as some of these were in Ireland. Among those he executed was the notorious poisoner Frederick Seddon
in 1912. During World War II
he was appointed as executioner by the US Military and was responsible for 13 out of 16 hangings of US soldiers at the Shepton Mallet
military prison in Somerset
for crimes involving murder and/or rape (a capital crime under US military law, though not in British law), in most cases assisted by his nephew Albert who was, in turn, "Number One" for the remaining three executions.
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" 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 the Republic of Ireland
.
Thomas never officially "retired", rather his name was removed from the list of executioners and invitations to conduct executions ceased to arrive.
Thomas died at the home of his daughter in Bradford
on 11 February 1954, aged 84.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's executioner
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
s from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry
Henry Pierrepoint
Henry Albert Pierrepoint was one of the United Kingdom's executioners from 1901 until 1910. He was the father of Albert and brother of Thomas....
and uncle of Albert
Albert Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint is the most famous member of the family which provided three of the United Kingdom's official hangmen in the first half of the 20th century...
.
He was born in Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington
Sutton Bonington is a village and civil parish lying along the valley of the River Soar in the Borough of Rushcliffe, south west Nottinghamshire, England. The University of Nottingham has a site just to the north of the village: Sutton Bonington Campus....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, the second child and eldest son of Thomas and Mary Pierrepoint. He worked as a hangman for 39 years until his mid-seventies in 1946. He is credited with having carried out 294 hangings in his career, although no precise figure has been verified, as some of these were in Ireland. Among those he executed was the notorious poisoner Frederick Seddon
Frederick Seddon
Frederick Henry Seddon was a British poisoner who was hanged in 1912 for murdering Eliza Mary Barrow.-Background:...
in 1912. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was appointed as executioner by the US Military and was responsible for 13 out of 16 hangings of US soldiers at the Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet (HM Prison)
HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a prison located in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. It is the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison.Shepton Mallet is a Category C Lifer Prison and holds 186 prisoners...
military prison in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
for crimes involving murder and/or rape (a capital crime under US military law, though not in British law), in most cases assisted by his nephew Albert who was, in turn, "Number One" for the remaining three executions.
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
Prison Commission (England and Wales)
The Prison Commission was a public body of the Government of the United Kingdom established in 1877 and responsible for overseeing the operation of HM Prison Service...
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" 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 the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Thomas never officially "retired", rather his name was removed from the list of executioners and invitations to conduct executions ceased to arrive.
Thomas died at the home of his daughter in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
on 11 February 1954, aged 84.