Show Notes
For over fifty years, if someone was going to be hanged in Britain, chances were it would be a Pierrepoint holding the lever.
Henry, Thomas and Albert Pierrepoint were Britain's most extraordinary family of state executioners — three generations who between them hanged approximately nine hundred people, including Nazi war criminals, British traitors, serial killers, and at least one man who was almost certainly innocent. Albert alone carried out between 435 and 600 executions, perfecting a method so precise he could complete a hanging in under twelve seconds.
He hanged thirteen Nazi SS guards in a single day at Hameln Prison in 1945. He hanged the last woman ever executed in Britain. He hanged a man he sang duets with in his own pub. He hanged Timothy Evans — later found to be innocent — and three years later hanged the man who actually committed the crime. In 1956, Britain's most prolific executioner resigned over a dispute about expenses. And in his autobiography, he concluded that capital punishment had never deterred a single murder.
This episode covers the full Pierrepoint story — the craft, the dynasty, the cases that shook Britain, and the question of what it means to spend a lifetime perfecting something that turns out to be wrong. Content warning: execution methods, capital punishment, wrongful conviction.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-monday-night-revue--4921180/support.
Don't miss an episode - follow, comment, like, and share!
Connect with me on social media @themondaynightrevue or email at [email protected]. Explore our podcast merch: Shop Here Support the show: Buy Me a Coffee Discover curated reads: Bookshop For ad-free episodes, minisodes, and exclusive perks, join us on Patreon: Support on Patreon Written and edited by Corinna Harrod with Holly Clarke. Artwork by Jessica Holmes. Music: "The Mooche" by Duke Ellington (1928).
More from The Monday Night Revue
The most famous gangsters in Britain and the trail of destruction they left in their wake.
A woman goes out for a jog and disappears for three weeks. Though she is seen in an Apple store and a Starbucks when she returns home she has no memory of what had taken place. Then 5 years later it happens again this time she is found after two days. But then in 2017 in between two major storms, she vanishes and hasn't been seen since. What happened to Hannah Upp?
On 18 January 1982, Imelda Marcos walked up a red carpet in peacock feathers to open the first Manila International Film Festival. Hollywood stars were there. Champagne flowed. The Greek-style temple on Manila Bay was supposed to make the city the Cannes of the East.
A 63 year old starts on a 100 mile charity bike ride through the Highlands of Scotland. It was a big undertaking but Tony Parsons had done epic charity events before having walked Hadrian's Wall and the West Highland Way.
A case I swore I would never do because it's just so awful but when you visit Illinois on a tour of the US States by true crime and paranormal cases it's sort of hard to avoid.