Bartholomew Binns
Encyclopedia
Bartholomew Binns was an English executioner
from November 1883 to March 1884. He had previously assisted William Marwood
at executions
, and when Marwood was dismissed, he took over the position of Executioner for the City of London and Middlesex. Before becoming hangman, Binns was employed as foreman
platelayer
at Dewsbury
by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, but after he got the post he no longer worked anywhere.
Like many hangmen of his day, Binns had no formal training and carried out executions according to his own methods and concepts. However, he was perhaps England's least successful hangman. He was responsible for the deaths of nine men and two women, but his short career was "littered with complaints of drunkenness and incompetence". His first "solo" execution was that of Henry Powell on 6 November 1883 at Wandsworth Prison
.
One of the executions Binns seriously botched was that of Henry Dutton on 3 December 1883. The 22-year old Dutton was to die for the murder of his wife's grandmother. Dutton weighed just 128 pounds and was given a drop of 7'6" using an over-thick rope with the eyelet positioned at the back of his neck. Death resulted from strangulation
. The doctor at the prison
was dissatisfied with the way Binns had conducted the hanging, and there was a strong suspicion that Binns had been drinking beforehand.
The last execution Binns carried out was the hanging of 18-year old Michael McLean in Liverpool
at Kirkdale Gaol on 10 March 1884. Major Leggett, the governor of Kirkdale Gaol, said that he thought "that Binns had no idea how to do his work satisfactorily". He also said that Binns had been drunk when he arrived at the gaol on the Saturday afternoon. When he turned up drunk, the governor sent for a local man, Samuel Heath, to assist him. Binns refused Heath's assistance and insisted on carrying out the execution alone. After the trapdoor was released, McLean was left painfully choking to death. It eventually took 13 minutes for his heart to stop. After the formal complaint about this and his drunken behaviour, Binns was removed from the Home Office list of hangmen a few days later.
In November 1884, Binns appeared in court after having accused his mother-in-law of stealing
his watch. During the case, his daughter alleged that he had carried out various experiments on hanging cats and dogs
at his home.
Binns later assisted Thomas Henry Scott
in several hangings in Ireland around the turn of the century. His last job was the execution of John Toole on 7 March 1901. Binns died in 1911.
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
from November 1883 to March 1884. He had previously assisted William Marwood
William Marwood
William Marwood was a hangman for the British government. He developed the technique of hanging known as the "long drop".-Early life:Marwood was originally a cobbler, of Church Lane, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England.-Executioner:...
at executions
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, and when Marwood was dismissed, he took over the position of Executioner for the City of London and Middlesex. Before becoming hangman, Binns was employed as foreman
Construction foreman
A construction foreman is the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew. While traditionally this role has been assumed by a senior male worker, the title in the modern sense is gender non-specific in intent...
platelayer
Platelayer
A platelayer or trackman is a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.The term derives from the plates used to build plateways, an early form of railway....
at Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, but after he got the post he no longer worked anywhere.
Like many hangmen of his day, Binns had no formal training and carried out executions according to his own methods and concepts. However, he was perhaps England's least successful hangman. He was responsible for the deaths of nine men and two women, but his short career was "littered with complaints of drunkenness and incompetence". His first "solo" execution was that of Henry Powell on 6 November 1883 at Wandsworth Prison
Wandsworth (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south west London, England. It is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service and is the largest prison in London and one of the largest in western Europe, with similar capacity to Liverpool...
.
One of the executions Binns seriously botched was that of Henry Dutton on 3 December 1883. The 22-year old Dutton was to die for the murder of his wife's grandmother. Dutton weighed just 128 pounds and was given a drop of 7'6" using an over-thick rope with the eyelet positioned at the back of his neck. Death resulted from strangulation
Strangling
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the auxiliary lethal mechanism in hangings in the event the neck does not break...
. The doctor at the prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
was dissatisfied with the way Binns had conducted the hanging, and there was a strong suspicion that Binns had been drinking beforehand.
The last execution Binns carried out was the hanging of 18-year old Michael McLean in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
at Kirkdale Gaol on 10 March 1884. Major Leggett, the governor of Kirkdale Gaol, said that he thought "that Binns had no idea how to do his work satisfactorily". He also said that Binns had been drunk when he arrived at the gaol on the Saturday afternoon. When he turned up drunk, the governor sent for a local man, Samuel Heath, to assist him. Binns refused Heath's assistance and insisted on carrying out the execution alone. After the trapdoor was released, McLean was left painfully choking to death. It eventually took 13 minutes for his heart to stop. After the formal complaint about this and his drunken behaviour, Binns was removed from the Home Office list of hangmen a few days later.
In November 1884, Binns appeared in court after having accused his mother-in-law of stealing
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
his watch. During the case, his daughter alleged that he had carried out various experiments on hanging cats and dogs
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
at his home.
Binns later assisted Thomas Henry Scott
Thomas Henry Scott
Thomas Henry Scott was an English executioner from 1889 to 1901. He was from Huddersfield in Yorkshire. A ropemaker by trade, he acted as executioner on seventeen occasions. He was on the Home Office list of approved executioners from 1892 to 1895....
in several hangings in Ireland around the turn of the century. His last job was the execution of John Toole on 7 March 1901. Binns died in 1911.