John Price (executioner)
Encyclopedia
John Price was an English hangman who was himself hanged for murder. He was born in London and apprenticed at an early age to a dealer in "scraps and rags" until the death of his master two years later. Little else is known of Price's early life except that he went to sea and served on Royal Navy men-of-war.
Price appears to have lived constantly on the edge of the law; on one occasion in 1715, after executing three men at Tyburn
, he was arrested for debt. His earnings, tips, and sales that day helped him to avoid prison, but eventually his financial problems led to his imprisonment in Marshalsea
, in Southwark, London. After a few months of incarceration Price and an accomplice managed to escape by digging a hole in the prison wall. Shortly afterwards in 1718 he killed a man, and then savagely attacked and beat a woman named Elizabeth White in Bunhill Fields
; she died of her injuries four days later. Price was apprehended and found guilty of her murder. He was held in Newgate Prison
for five weeks before his execution on 31 May 1781. The Weekly Journal reported an account by the hangman that a few days before Price's execution he had raped a young girl who had taken food to his cell.
Price appears to have lived constantly on the edge of the law; on one occasion in 1715, after executing three men at Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
, he was arrested for debt. His earnings, tips, and sales that day helped him to avoid prison, but eventually his financial problems led to his imprisonment in Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
, in Southwark, London. After a few months of incarceration Price and an accomplice managed to escape by digging a hole in the prison wall. Shortly afterwards in 1718 he killed a man, and then savagely attacked and beat a woman named Elizabeth White in Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
; she died of her injuries four days later. Price was apprehended and found guilty of her murder. He was held in Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
for five weeks before his execution on 31 May 1781. The Weekly Journal reported an account by the hangman that a few days before Price's execution he had raped a young girl who had taken food to his cell.