Revealed: The macabre diaries of death penned by Britain's last hangman.

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 20th October 2008 | Daily Mail Reporter

[PotatoHeadMick]

The fascinating diaries of death penned by Britain's last hangman have been revealed today.

Harry Allen, who died aged 81 in 1992, kept a log of prisoners who were executed at prisons in London, Manchester and Leeds.

In his journal, he recorded details of each prisoner's age, weight, height and worked out how long the rope needed to be to ensure a swift death.

He referred to one hanging with a hindsight about the rope saying: 'Very good job but should have had another two or three inches - very strong.'

[PotatoHeadMick]

Britain abolished the death penalty in the mid-1960's, needless to say the murder rate in Britain has sky-rocketed since then. Reading this article is a glimpse into a different British society which seemed to vanish overnight.

[BGHater]

Sounds like a professional.

[BGHater]

You got to be kidding me.

Executioner: Harry Allen was Britain's last hangman, officiating between 1941 and 1964. He died aged 81 in 1992

[massgopguy]

“I couldn’t possibly fitanother one in today, we’re all backed up and as you can see, this one’s a doozy.” - Igor
“Ah yes, the Dr. Gillespie Killings. Carry on”. - Hedly Lamaar

[gridlock]

For some death came quickly. Walter Cross, 21, who had murdered a 55-year-old man in Barking, Essex, was dead within six seconds.

But 22-year-old Peter Griffiths, who had raped and murdered a three-year-old girl whom he had snatched from her cot at the Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, was still alive 30 seconds after the trap door opened.

Whoopsie!

Funny how these things work out, isn't it?

[nuconvert]

Nice handwriting when he was younger

[JZelle]

He was also assisted in the wrongful execution in 1953 of Derek Bentley, who was convicted of murdering a policeman after witnesses said he told the killer: 'Let him have it Chris.'

I recall a movie about this case

[truemiester]

A class act from a time when the English were considered cultured and Americans uncouth. A 180 turn on the English and we Americans will stay uncouth, thank you very much.

[ClearCase_guy]

the wrongful execution in 1953 of Derek Bentley

Very much a matter of opinion. The facts were known at the time, and the justice system decided that calling out for his partner to shoot the policeman was enough to warrant the death penalty for Derek. We can look back and say we disagree, but I think it goes too far to declare is a "wrongful execution".

On the other hand, Tim Evans was hanged for a murder committed by John Christie. We now know that Evans was innocent and so it seems fair to declare that case a "wrongful execution".

[driftless2]

We have people with last names like Baker, Carter, Cook, Mason, Sawyer, etc to signify their profession. Why are there no people with last names like Hangman, Chopper, Torturer, Joker, Clown, etc? Just asking.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

For the same reason that they wore masks when performing public executions. They didn’t want to be identified so that the associates of their ‘clients’ could take revenge on them...

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

And yet the Murder Rate is still considerably lower than that of the US, which still practices the death penalty. Despite every other major crime rate being higher than the US....

FWIW, I do support the death penalty in theory. I’m sceptical at it’s detterent effect, because murder isn’t generally the kind of thing you consider the consequences of when you are committing it. It does however, give justice to the victim and their families...

[Busywhiskers]

I have met people with the last names, Coward, Craven, Goad and Fuhl, (which I thought was probably pronounced fool, but he claimed was pronounced like fuel.

[PotatoHeadMick]

Coward comes from ‘cow herd’ (as in sheep herd, “Shepherd”), Craven I’d imagine has nothing to do with the adjective more likely relates to a trade (”carving”?) or a place, never heard of the other two and I’d imagine the last is German.

[Vanders9]

“Britain abolished the death penalty in the mid-1960’s, needless to say the murder rate in Britain has sky-rocketed since then.”

Yeah, its nearly as high as that of Washington DC now.

[Vanders9]

I’m with you. In theory I agree with it, in practice, I dont think it will work - in the sense that I dont think it will have much of a deterrent effect. In fact, there are folk around sick enough to murder just so they can be part of the “celebrity culture” the world seems to have bought into.

I agree most murders are probably done in the “heat of the moment”, and the consequences are not considered. Deliberate pre-meditated murder, yes that would be deterred.