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Private Executions of Women: UK

The thirty eight women who went to the gallows in Britain since 1868 when executions ceased to be public spectacles. All were hanged for murder. Francis Kidder was the last woman to be suffer in public when she was executed by Calcraft at Maidstone on 2nd April 1868 for the drowning of a friend's daughter.

Format: Name, Age, date of Execution.

1. Allen, Margaret (43), 1906-1949, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint at Strangeways Margaret Allen was a lesbian who battered elderly widow Nancy Ellen Chadwick to death with a hammer. Mrs. Chadwick had been her neighbour and had irritated her in various ways. She readily confessed to the police and was convicted after a short trial. Hers was the first female execution for 12 years.

2. Ansell, Mary Ann (22), 1978-1899, hanged by James Billington at St. Albans Mary Ansell came from a family with a history of mental illness and was convicted of poisoning her sister Caroline (who was in an asylum) with a cake laced with phosphorus so that she could claim £10 life insurance. She was 22 at the time of her death and confessed to her crime in the condemned cell.

3.Barry, Mary Ann (19), 1855-1874, Gloucester 19 year old Mary Ann Barry was executed along side her common law husband Edwin Bailey for the murder of their illegitimate one year old child. With them on the gallows was Edward Butt who had strangled his girl friend.

4. Berry, Elizabeth, 14/03/1887, hanged by James Berry at Kirkdale prison Liverpool. Elizabeth Berry poisoned her 11 year old daughter for £10 life insurance. The only case where the executioner and the criminal had the same surname.

5. Biggadyke, Priscilla, 28/12/1868, hanged at Lincoln. No other details known.

6. Britland, Mary Ann (38), 09/08/1886, by James Berry at Strangeways Manchester 38 year old Mary Ann Britland suffered at Strangeways, for poisoning Mary Dixon, becoming the first woman to be hanged there. She had poisoned her husband and daughter to try and gain the affections of Mary Dixon's husband although he was apparently completely unaware of her intentions. See also the Testament of Berry page.

7. Bryant, Charlotte, 15/07/1936, hanged by Tom and Albert Pierrepoint at Exeter. Charlotte Bryant (33) was convicted of poisoning her husband with arsenic. She was having an affair with their lodger and it seemed a simple way to remove her husband from the scene. Whilst awaiting execution her previously black hair turned completely white.

8. Calvert, Louie (33), 26/06/1926, hanged at Strangeways Manchester. Louie Calvert, 33, had criminal tendencies and was known to the police. She battered and strangled her landlady Mrs. Lily Waterhouse who had confronted her over things that had gone missing from the house and had reported Louie to the police. In the condemned cell she also admitted to the murder of a previous employer - John Frobisher - in 1922 She was the first woman to be hanged at Stangeways since Mary Ann Britland in 1886.

9. Chard Williams, Ada 08/03/1900, hanged at Newgate. Ada Chard-Williams was convicted of drowning a small child whom she had "adopted" for a few pounds. She was suspected of killing other children and was another "baby farmer"

10. Christofi, Styllou, 53, 13/12/1954, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint Holloway. Styllou Christofi, 53, was a Greek woman who brutally murdered her daughter in law, Hella and then tried to burn her body. It is thought that she had also committed another murder in Cyprus. She asked for a Maltese Cross to be put on the wall of the execution chamber and this wish was granted - it remained there until the room was dismantled in 1967.

11.Churchill, Catherine, 26/05/1879, hanged by William Marwood at Taunton Catherine Churchill was hanged for the murder of her husband.

12. Cotton, Mary Ann, 40, 24/03/1873, hanged by Calcraft at Durham Castle. 40 year old Mary Ann Cotton was Britain's first female serial killer and until recently held the record for the greatest number of murders - all by poisoning with arsenic. Although only convicted of the murder of her stepson she is suspected of 14 -15 murders and 21 people who had been close to her had died in the preceding 20 years. Cotton was pregnant with her seventh child at the time of arrest and trial and her execution had to be delayed until after she had given birth as was the usual custom. However because of her pregnancy there was a (failed) petition for her reprieve. As she had known would happen, immediately after giving birth she was hanged in the prison yard and reporters were present in those days. Calcraft deliberately used the short drop method and she was seen to struggle for about 3 minutes after the trap fell.

13. Dyer, Amelia Elizabeth, 57, 10/06/1896, hanged by James Billington at Newgate. Amelia Dyer (57) was hanged for the murder of 4 month old Doris Marmon a baby who had been entrusted to her care, having received £10 to look after them. This particular form of murder was known at the time as "Baby Farming" and it is thought that Dyer had murdered two or more other babies for money. Each baby had been strangled with white tape, which as she told the police "was how you could tell it was one of hers".

14.Ellis, Ruth, 28, 13/07/1955, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint at Holloway Ruth Ellis (28) became the last woman to be hanged in Britain - for the murder of her boyfriend David Blakely who had refused to see her over the Easter of 1955. She lay in wait for him outside the Magdala pub and when he came out shot him five times with a revolver. She was arrested immediately by an off duty policeman and equally quickly convicted by the Old Bailey jury. Her execution caused a great deal of public controversy. For a more detailed view of this famous case see Ruth Ellis.

15.Flanagan, Catherine, 16/02/1884, hanged at Kirkdale Liverpool with Margaret Higgins (see below).

16.Higgins, Margaret, 16/02/1884. Flannagan and Higgins were both convicted of the poisoning of Higgin's husband Thomas for his life assurance. It is strongly suspected that he was not their only victim.

17.King, Jessie, 11/03/1889, hanged at Carlton Place Edinburgh. King had murdered her two children

18.Lesley, Mary, 26/05/1884, hanged by James Berry at Lincoln Mary Lesley poisoned her husband with arsenic. She had to be dragged to the gallows, screaming "Murder, Murder" and struggling with the warders. See also the Testament of Berry page.

19.Major, Ethel Lillie, 43, 19/12/1934, hanged by Tom Pierrepoint at Hull prison. 43 year old Ethel Major poisoned her husband Arthur with strychnine.

20.Masset, Louisa Josephine, 33, 9/01/1900, hanged at Newgate by James Billington. 33 year old Louisa Masset killed her 4 year old son Manfred and dumped his naked body in the ladies toilet at Dalston Junction railway station in London. Infanticide is, of course, now recognized as a sign of extreme stress and is not criminally punished throughout Europe, Australasia and Canada. Strangely, the USA still treats infanticide as murder.

21.Merrifield, Louisa, 44, 18/09/1953, hanged by Albert Pierrepoint at Strangeways. Louisa Merrifield, 44, poisoned her employer Mrs. Sarah Ann Rickets for whom she worked as housekeeper. She used yellow phosphorus mixed with bran which could at that time be bought as rat poison. She was tried with her husband Alfred who had actually purchased the poison but he was acquitted.

22.Newell, Susan, 30, 10/10/1923, hanged by John Ellis at Duke Street prison Glasgow. Susan Newell aged 30 strangled newspaper boy John Johnston who would not give her an evening paper without the money. Having killed the boy she wheeled his body through the streets on a handcart accompanied by her 8 year old daughter Janet whose evidence helped to convict her. She was the first woman to hang in Scotland for over fifty years and on the gallows refused the traditional white hood.

23.Pearcey/Wheeler, Mary Eleanor, 24, 23/12/1890 hanged by James Berry at Newgate. 24 year old Mary Pearcey was hanged for the murders of Mrs. Phoebe Hogg and her daughter (also Phoebe). She had cut Mrs. Hogg's throat and smothered the eighteen month old child so as to obtain the affections of Frank Hogg. On the gallows she said in a firm voice to James Berry "the sentence is just but evidence was false". Her father Thomas Wheeler had also been hanged for murder some 10 years earlier. See the James Berry page.

24.Pearson, Elizabeth, 02/08/1875, hanged by William Marwood at Durham Castle. Pearson was one of three unrelated murderers who suffered at Durham on that August day. She had poisoned her uncle, James Watson, with rat poison administered in his medicine.

25.Sach, Amelia, 29, 03/02/1903, hanged by William Billington and Henry Pierrepoint Holloway with Annie Walters (see below) Amelia Sach was another "baby farmer" and she and Walters became the first women to hang at Holloway which had become London's womens prison. Previously female executions were carried out at Newgate.

26.Stewart, 43, Francis 29/06/1874 hanged at Newgate prison 43 year old Stewart was executed for the murder of her infant grandson.

27.Swann, Emily, 42, 29/12/1903, hanged by William Billington and John Ellis at Armley jail Leeds Emily Swann, 42, went to the gallows with her 30 year old lover John Gallagher for the murder of Swann's husband William. Hooded and noosed on the gallows Emilly said "Good morning John" to which he replied "Good morning love". Emilly replied "Goodbye, God bless you" before the drop fell ending any more conversation.

28. Taylor, Louisa Jane, 37, 02/01/1883, hanged by William Marwood at Maidstone. Louisa Jane Taylor, 37, was executed for the poisoning, using a lead salt, of 82 year old Mrs. Tregellis at Plumstead. Her motive may have been money but equally may have been the sadistic pleasure of watching someone die slowly from lead poisoning.

29. Thompson, Edith Jessie, 28, 09/01/1923, hanged by John Ellis at Holloway Edith Thompson aged 28 and her lover Frederick Bywaters were hanged in separate prisons at 9.00 am on this day for the murder by stabbing of Edith's husband Percy. Her execution caused considerable public disquiet as many doubted her guilt and the meaning of the various love letters that passed between her and Bywaters. She had to be carried to the gallows and some reports suggest that her underwear was covered in blood after the hanging. After this all other women were made to wear canvas underpants. John Ellis committed suicide soon after this execution.

30.Tooke, Annie, 11/08/1879, hanged by William Marwood at Exeter Annie Tooke was executed for the murder of a small child.

31. Waddingham, Dorothea, 36, 16/04/1936, hanged by Tom and Albert Pierrepoint at Winson Green prison. Birmingham. 36 year old Nurse Waddingham used morphine to poison one of her elderly patients, 89 year old Mrs Baguely and her daughter Ada, the motive being gain.

32. Wadge, Selina, 15/08/1878, hanged by William Marwood at Bodmin. Wadge suffered for the murder of her illegitimate son.

33.Walber, Margaret, 02/04/1894, hanged at Kirkdale prison Liverpool Executed for murdering her husband, after many a short abusive marriage.

34.Walters, Annie, 03/02/1903, hanged at Holloway (see Amelia Sach above)

35.Waters, Margaret, 11/10/1870, hanged at Horsemonger Lane Goal (County of Surrey). Waters was another baby farmer convicted of murdering an infant.

36.Webster, Catherine, 30, 29/07/1879, hanged by William Marwood at Wandsworth prison. 30 year old Kate Webster murdered her elderly employer Mrs. Julia Martha Thomas with an axe. She then dismembered the body leaving parts in various places around London and throwing some into the Thames. The severed head was never found. She sold Mrs. Thomas's furniture and belongings and fled back to Ireland with the taking before being arrested and brought back to London for trial and execution.

37.Williams, Mary, 31/08/1874, hanged by William Marwood at Kirkdale prison Liverpool Hanged with a man called Flannagan for the murder of a man and his aunt.

38.Willis, Rhoda, 44, 14/08/1907, hanged by Henry and Tom Pierrepoint at Cardiff Wiilis, 44, was executed for the murder of a child. Her blaze of golden hair had a profound effect on Henri Pierrepoint.

Those hanged prior to 1874 when William Marwood took over from Calcraft died by slow strangulation - the short-drop method. HOME