Thomas Tattersall
Encyclopedia
Thomas Tattersall was an English plasterer
who was convicted of murder
ing his wife.
Tattersall, from Wakefield
, was a notorious drunk. He would often threaten his wife, Rebecca, and the police had once put their house under surveillance because of this. On 3 July 1905, Tattersall cut Rebecca's throat with a razor and fractured her skull with an axe. He was discovered by the couple's daughter, Laura, who subsequently told their neighbors about what had happened.
The following day, Tattersall was arrested at a railway station. He pleaded insanity, but to no avail, and was hanged
at Armley Prison
in Leeds
, on 15 August 1905.
His executioner
, John Billington
, died two months later due to a fall he had sustained while preparing for Tattersall's hanging.
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...
who was convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing his wife.
Tattersall, from Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, was a notorious drunk. He would often threaten his wife, Rebecca, and the police had once put their house under surveillance because of this. On 3 July 1905, Tattersall cut Rebecca's throat with a razor and fractured her skull with an axe. He was discovered by the couple's daughter, Laura, who subsequently told their neighbors about what had happened.
The following day, Tattersall was arrested at a railway station. He pleaded insanity, but to no avail, and was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
at Armley Prison
Leeds (HM Prison)
HM Prison Leeds is a Category B men's prison, in the Armley area of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1847. Leeds Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is still known locally as Armley Gaol , the historical name for the prison.-History:Construction of Leeds Prison ...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, on 15 August 1905.
His 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:...
, John Billington
John Billington (hangman)
John Billington was an English executioner. He was on the Home Office list from 1901 to 1905.-Career:Billington came from a family of hangmen. His father, James, was a hangman from 1884 to 1901, and his two older brothers, Thomas and William, were also hangmen.In early 1902, at the age of 21, John...
, died two months later due to a fall he had sustained while preparing for Tattersall's hanging.