The hangman

[Lal]

Pierrepoint also had a pub at Much Hoole and he eventually moved to Southport. My father met him, after he had the bad luck to knock down his garden wall one day - and he worked swiftly to make sure he did an extra good job of repairing it, so the story goes!

[stanmapstone]

He died of bronchopneumonia at 1 Westbourne Road, on 10 July 1992, aged eighty-seven. His wife survived him.

Stan

[eda]

hi just read your post about calcraft  you may be interested to know my neighbour is the great grandaughter way down the line to him  this was her family name  , she tells me there were no males in her family to carry the name on  and is now none existent ,  she has i believe traced her family tree and may have more info , she is the kindest lady and is now into her 80s  , when i speak to her i will let her know about your interest  she will be pleased , and maybe she can enlighten your research   regards eda 

[stanmapstone]

When you say the name is "non existent" do you mean just for the descendants of William Calcraft? There are 131 people called Calcraft in the Office of National Statistics database, which contains a list of surnames in use in England, Wales and the Isle of Mann in September 2002.
http://www.taliesin-arlein.net/names/search.php

Stan

[stanmapstone]

Apparently Calcraft was not very good at his job, being clumsy, bungling, and unable to calculate the correct length of rope for the individual  weight of each person to be executed. Calcraft had to often rush below to pull his victim's legs to hasten his death. 

Stan

[stanmapstone]

Thanks Stan, I often wondered if the Home Office had a say in the position.

There was a Home Office list of qualified executioners for Great Britain and Ireland (they were also accepted by the Irish Republic when it became independent). Albert Pierrepoint was the last 'Number One' executioner when he resigned in February 1956, after which the decision was taken to appoint two executioners with equal precedence. They carried out thirty four executions in the next seven years, ending with the two single executions on 13th August 1964, which were the last ones in Great Britain.

Stan

[suttontrust]

Eda, thanks for the information.  How does your neighbour feel about her ancestor?

Stan, you say Calcraft was "clumsy", but I think most hanging was clumsy then.  They hadn't worked out that a properly calculated drop was needed to snap the neck rather than cause the victim to die of strangulation.  And let's face it, there often wasn't a great deal of interest in hastening the death.  Before public executions were stopped, there was the entertainment value to consider.  Sorry, it's a macabre topic; but I've just been reading a history of Tyburn. 

[eda]

hi thanks for your reply , Iwont tell her that her great grandfather was a clumsey old --- but i think she was proud of him he did a service that not many would do . as for the name colcfaft  maybe it was just in her family that the name was not carried on  when i see her i will tell her he has been mentioned  and let you know her story , regards eda .

[amypierpoint]

albert pierrepoint was my cousin, albeit a distant one, but a cousin none the less!