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Albert Pierrepoint (/ ˈ p ɪər p ɔɪ n t / PEER-point; 30 March 1905 – 10 July 1992) was an English hangman who executed between 435 and 600 people in a 25-year career that ended in 1956. His father Henry and uncle Thomas were official hangmen before him. Pierrepoint was born in Clayton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His family struggled ...
He was executed by Pierrepoint on 15 July 1953 at Pentonville. This wrongful execution is acknowledged as a major miscarriage of justice and was a contributing factor for the suspension of the death penalty in Britain in 1965 and its eventual abolition.
Albert Pierrepoint was born on 30 March 1905 in Clayton, West Yorkshire, into a family steeped in the trade of execution. His father, Henry Pierrepoint, and his uncle, Thomas Pierrepoint, were both official executioners, and it was their influence that ultimately led Albert to the same profession.
- Bridge to The Past
- Civilised Hanging
- Regrets
- Fraught Future
Pierrepoint came to embody our strange relationship with the institution. As the son and nephew of hangmen, he seemed to continue some kind of artisan family tradition. His oddly sympathetic public profile was established during the 1940s when he carried out multiple hangings of Nazi war criminals. By the time Pierrepoint had resigned from the exec...
The first was Pierrepoint as an efficient and professional hangman. This was a portrayal that he contributed to in his memoir and media interviews. It stressed the meticulous care he took and emphasised his speed and efficiency. It was in keeping with 20th century understandings of execution. The bodily suffering of the condemned should be minimise...
The final aspect of Pierrepoint’s cultural persona is that of the haunted hangman, traumatised by guilt and regret. It is a noteworthy portrayal because it does not draw on his self-image. In fact, it contradicts his accounts of being untroubled about those he had hanged, even if they were subsequently pardoned. Some press reports about Pierrepoint...
Maybe Pierrepoint had an easy ride. Now that it is more than half a century since anyone was hanged in Britain, we can use him to understand better how this conflicting cultural persona of the executioner has contemporary relevance in the US, where the death penalty is increasingly beset by scandal. Pierrepoint was able to construct an air of profe...
- Lizzie Seal
Feb 9, 2024 · Albert Pierrepoint’s extraordinary life and career birthed an international celebrity that has veered between adulation and discomfort for almost 80 years. It has often been repeated that no one...
Jun 23, 2019 · In 1940, Albert was assisting for the UK lead executioner Stanley Cross who was due to put to death Udham Singh, a Punjabi refugee who had murdered a colonial administrator. Cross became confused about weights and measurements, but Pierrepoint stepped in and helped him. He became a lead executioner soon after.
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Jan 23, 2024 · Meet Albert Pierrepoint, the notorious British executioner who carried out over 400 hangings during his career. With a fervent dedication to his profession, Pierrepoint became a grimly fascinating figure in the criminal justice system of mid-20th century England.
