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[79] Pierrepoint's position as an opponent of capital punishment was questioned by his long-time former assistant, Syd Dernley, in his 1989 autobiography, The Hangman's Tale: Even the great Pierrepoint developed some strange ideas in the end.
- 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 · From British serial murderers to Nazi war criminals, through to some of the bitterest miscarriages of justice that helped gradually shift the debate on capital punishment before its suspension...
Apr 27, 2006 · In the interview Pierrepoint contradicts the view that he had become anti-capital punishment since quitting his executioner role. Pierrepoint says he was worried by the increasing levels...
Sep 6, 2024 · Resignation and Changing Views on Capital Punishment. In 1956, Pierrepoint abruptly resigned from his role as executioner after a dispute with the Home Office over pay. Although he remained publicly supportive of capital punishment during his career, his later writings revealed a more nuanced view of the death penalty.
Apr 19, 2006 · In the end, Albert Pierrepoint came to believe that capital punishment is morally unjustified. That was after having executed 433 men and 17 women during his tenure at the Home Office (1932...
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Feb 19, 2013 · In 1956, Pierrepoint resigned after a disagreement with the Home Office over fees. In 1969, British MPs voted to abolish the death penalty.
