William Marwood

William Marwood
Born 1818
Died 4 September 1883
Nationality British
Occupation Executioner

William Marwood (1818[1] – 4 September 1883) was a hangman for the British government. He developed the technique of hanging known as the "long drop".

Early life

Marwood was originally a cobbler, of Church Lane, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England.

Executioner

At the age of 54 he persuaded the governor of Lincoln Castle Gaol to allow him to conduct an execution. The efficient way in which he conducted the hanging of William Frederick Horry without a hitch on 1 April 1872 assisted him in being appointed hangman by the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex in 1874, in succession to William Calcraft, at a retainer of £20 a year plus £10 per execution.[2]

The "Long Drop"

Marwood developed the "long drop" technique of hanging, which ensured that the prisoners' neck was broken instantly at the end of the drop, resulting in the prisoner dying of asphyxia while unconscious. This was considered more humane than the slow death by strangulation caused by the "short drop" method, which was particularly distressing to prison governors and staff who were required to witness executions at close quarters following the abolition of public executions by the Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868.

Notable executions

The grave of William Frederick Horry, the first person to be hanged by William Marwood.

In his nine years as a hangman, Marwood hanged 176 people, including:

Legacy

William Marwood influenced James Berry, a retired police officer and friend to take up the role of hangman. During his time Berry improved upon William Marwood's technique of the long drop.

Marwood was one of two executioners to give their name to the character of the hangman in the British Punch and Judy puppet show (Jack Ketch being the better known one).

In Marwood's time there was a popular rhyme which went:

If Pa killed Ma
Who'd kill Pa?
Marwood.[10]

Death

Marwood died in 1883 from pneumonia and jaundice and was buried at Trinity Church, Horncastle, Lincolnshire.[11]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Free Reg Baptisms
  2. ↑ Brian P. Block, John Hostettler, Hanging in the balance: a history of the abolition of capital punishment in Britain, Waterside Press, 1997, ISBN 1-872870-47-3, pp. 38–39.
  3. ↑ James Conway Walter (1908). A history of Horncastle, from the earliest period to the present time. W.K. Morton. p. 155.
  4. ↑ Judith Flanders (2011). The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. pp. 338–343. ISBN 0-00-724888-1.
  5. ↑ Horace Bleackley (1929). The hangmen of England: how they hanged and whom they hanged : the life story of "Jack Ketch" through two centuries. Taylor & Francis. p. 235. ISBN 0-7158-1184-3.
  6. ↑ Philip Lindsay (1939). A mirror for ruffians. Essay index reprint series (reprint ed.). Ayer Publishing. pp. 133–134. ISBN 0-8369-2799-0.
  7. ↑ Leonard A. Parry; Willard H. Wright (2000). Some Famous Medical Trials. Beard Books. p. 226. ISBN 1-58798-031-2.
  8. ↑ Howard Engel (1997). Lord high executioner: an unashamed look at hangmen, headsmen, and their kind. Robson Books. pp. 67–68. ISBN 1-86105-096-8.
  9. ↑ Adam, Hargrave L. (1955). "Dr George Lamson". In Hodge, James H. Famous Trials 5. Penguin. p. 179.
  10. ↑ Lost Lives: William Marwood, retrieved 6 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Oxford DNB article: Marwood, William". www.oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
Bibliography

Further reading

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