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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => London and Middlesex => Topic started by: snowyw on Sunday 24 July 11 11:18 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find a list of people who were hung in the 20th century.
The person I am interested in was tried at the Old Bailey during the time of WWII. I can be no more specific than that. He was hung for murder. :o
Try as I might, I can find no details.
Any help would be appreciated.
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There's a list here which may be of help:
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/hanged2.html
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Thank you very much.
Now a question - I only know the young chap's christian name and that he was tried and found gulity of murder of a girl at the Old Bailey. This was during war time. I cannot find anyone with his christian name who was hung in London - there are a few hung elsewhere.
Would someone tried in London be hung outside of London, or is that just plain stupid?
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There is a history of British judicial hanging as part of the website above (I found it whilst researching something similar in my own tree). It states "Once a person had been sentenced to death they were housed in the condemned cell of the prison they had been previously remanded to" so I suppose it's feasible that he was brought into London to be tried at the Old Bailey and then sent back to his original prison. Have you tried searching TNA? Even with the limited information you have, you may be able to find something.
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Are you able to tell us the details you do know - the first name of the perpetrator, and anything you know of his victim? Any such facts would make it easier to help with e.g. newspaper reports.
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All I know is that his name was Tom and was a 'young' man. He was tried for murder at the Old Bailey of a young woman (who used to deliver his newspapers). He was subsequently hung.
My grandmother worked as a warden during the war - in the Lewisham area and Tom worked with her.
I have no other details - no dates or anything.
She did write down a date - but scribbled it out. It is totally obliterated. Blast!
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My grandmother wrote her memoirs in 1986, some time after the said offence.
She still had her wits about her even though she was 87 years old and rarely got names or places wrong. But I am now of the opinion that either she has remembered his name incorrectly (actually unlikely) or he went by a false name. (more likely)
So this looks like a bit of a brick wall. :-X
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probably too early for you
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/forms/formMain.jsp
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how about this
Executions at Wandsworth.
Wandsworth took condemned prisoners from Surrey in the first instance but with the ending of executions at Lewes after 1914, also took those condemned in Sussex and later those from Kent when the execution facility at Maidstone was closed down . As at Pentonville, the number of executions per year in the 20th century fluctuated considerably. There were none at all in 1908, 1913/14, 1919/20, 1926/27, 1929 and 1931-1934. However, the War years of 1939-1945 were very busy with no fewer than 37 hangings in the seven full years between January 1939 and December 1945. A further 31 executions took place in the following 17 years.
The first execution at Wandsworth was that of 31 year old Thomas Smithers on the 8th of October 1878. Smithers was hanged by William Marwood for the murder of his girlfriend, Amy Judge at Battersea on the 22nd of July of that year. His execution was followed by that of Kate Webster in 1879 for the brutal murder of her mistress. Kate was the only woman to be executed at Wandsworth.
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/wands.html
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Thanks toni.
If 'Tom' was in Wandsworth - which seems likely, he would have been one of the 37 hung during the war years. However, there is only 26 on the list from Wandsworth. Where are the other 11?
My grandmother was of the opinion that he was innocent and that his shifty landlord was the culprit.
But as 'Tom' cannot be found in the list - I would say he was a highly suspicious character. He must have had a different name. If only I knew where he had lived - probably fairly local to Lewisham, I would think.
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Perhaps he was reprieved?
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My grandmother actually wrote that he was hung.
I wonder if there is anything in the local paper.
I think it may have been the Kentish times?
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Hi
jayaydee has given you the link to a full list of those hung between 1939-1945 - 87 people in all excluding spies (some just before the war started in 1939 and some shortly after in 1945 included). There were 40 executions in London at the prisons where executions took place Pentonville and Wandsworth (29 for Wandsworth). The remaining executions in London were of spies, 11 at Wandsworth, 6 at Pentonville and one shot at the Tower (scroll down the page to see them).
If the crime took place in London then he would certainly be tried in London and you would expect him to be held in a London prison pre and post the trial. Since it was murder and a capital offence then it would be likely he was held in either of the two prisons at which executions could still take place.
Tom may have well been the name he was known by but may not have been his first name. You need to go through the list as it also gives the victims names and relationships if there were any. That will lower the possibilities down from 40 and including only those actually hung during war time.
Regards
Valda