The History of Hanging

Hanging was one of the oldest and main methods of execution. It was a form of capital punishment devised in the United Kingdom. Judicial hanging was also practiced in many countries until its banning in 1964. However, hanging as a form of capital punishment is still being used in countries such as: Jordan, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

History of Hanging in Britain

The history of hanging in Britain can be traced to the Anglo-Saxon period. The first recorded hangings in Britain were believed to be in the 14^th century and the last execution was carried out in 1964. In the nineteenth century, hangings were carried out in public and drew large crowds. Later, it was done inside the prison to make it more humane. Through time, hanging techniques were improved to ensure quicker death and less suffering.

• Hanging Ballads: A description of the songs that spectators sung as the prisoners were brought to the gallows. These songs included details of their crime and the behavior of the damned.

• Executions in York: The page offers a historical account of the hangings at York Tyburn from 1379 to 1896.

• 40 Years After: In-depth account of the hanging of Peter Anthony Allen, the last person to be hanged in a Liverpool prison. 

Gallows

A gallows is usually a wooden frame which is used to execute by hanging or to torture before the hanging. Initially, trees were used as gallows and the prisoners were lifted up by the hangmen or with the help of a ladder. Later, beams between two trees were used. Slowly, this evolved to the creation of a wooden frame comprising of two wooden sticks and a beam across. A new drop gallows was introduced in 1760 where a small box-like structure under the beam would sink and leave the prisoner hanging in mid air.

• Death Penalty in Delaware: An account of the death penalty in Delaware including information on death by hanging from the first hanging execution held in September, 1962 to the last executed hanging of Billy Bailey on January 25, 1996. Today, the state's only gallows was dismantled in July, 2003.

Noose

A noose is a rope tied in a slipknot which tightens when the rope is pulled from the other end. For hanging, a simple halter type noose was used. It later evolved and involved passing the free end through a brass eyelet. In 1878, a contract was formed and standard ropes were made which were around four meters in length.

• The Hangman’s Noose: Also known as the Hangman's knot. The site shows how to tie a hangman’s noose with tips, techniques, and a diagram.

• Hanging: A discussion of the history of hanging in the United States. There’s also a picture of a noose including the steps and preparation needed to carry out the execution effectively.

Hood

It’s a practice to cover the prisoners face with a hood or veil so that their suffering is not visible. A hood also allows the prisoners to have some privacy in their final moments. In earlier times, the nightgowns of men had hoods and the practice started with them covering their faces. Women used veils or bonnets. Slowly, the government started providing the hoods. These hoods are normally white in color though some countries have black hoods.

• A Hangman’s Story: A true detailed account of the hanging process by a hangman who used to work in Malaysian prisons.

Pinioning

Pinioning is the practice of tying the prisoner’s hand, either in front or behind with leather straps or handcuffs before they are hanged. This is to prevent them from trying to grab another person or run amok. It’s known that some prisoners go through extreme emotional outbursts as they walk towards the gallows. If it is a long drop hanging, then even the legs must be tied with straps.

• Ruth Ellis: Provides case details and post mortem report of the last woman to be sentenced to death by hanging in Britain on July 13, 1955.

Methods of Judicial Hanging

Judicial hanging can be done by four methods namely the short drop, the standard drop, the long drop, and the suspension hanging. In most cases, the short drop involves a short distance of only a few inches. The prisoners dies from suffocation rather than the breaking of the spinal cord. The standard drop involves a drop of four to six feet which was uniform for all prisoners. The prisoner's neck may or may not break. The standard drop was the normal method adopted in America. The long drop depends on the physique, height and weight of the prisoner, this method was adopted in Britain and was considered to be more humane. The long drop was designed to break the neck of the prisoner. Suspension uses the weight of the prisoner to tighten the noose and cause death, this method is still being used today in Iran. Suspension hangings are conducted with the help of a crane or other means to hoist the prisoner into the air causing death through strangulation.

• The 4 Main Forms: Descriptive information on the four main forms of judicial hanging including the British drop table and post mortem report.

Survivors of Hanging

There are records of prisoners who had survived hanging in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the eighteenth century, there was a case whereby four prisoners were hanged. It was then found that one of the prisoners showed signs of life. Upon finding that the prisoner had survived the hanging, he was set free. John Smith later earned the nickname “half-hanged Smith.”

• Surviving the gallows: Two accounts of prisoners' John Smith and William Duell who actually survived their fate and were reprieved from their sentences.

Hanging of Children and Juveniles

Some early records show that children were hanged from age seven and above for petty crimes. This did not go down well with the public. In the eighteenth century, the hangings of younger children were reduced and they were done in private. In 1908, a law was passed where the minimum age for hanging was twenty, which was later changed to eighteen.

• Iran: The article highlights some of the cases in Iran where children are still being sentenced to death by hanging.

Written by Michael S. Atwood