Robert Anderson Evans
Encyclopedia
Robert Anderson Evans was an English executioner
from 1873 to 1875.
Evans, of Carmarthen, Wales
, was trained as a physician
but did not practice. He carried out seven hangings as the chief executioner and also assisted William Calcraft
on various occasions.
His most famous hanging was a triple hanging of murderers Mary Anne Barry, Edwin Bailey, and Edward Butt on 12 January 1874 at Gloucester Prison
. For this hanging, which was done in the open courtyard, Anderson suggested that the platform of the gallows be mounted over a pit to make it level with the prison yard. Barry did not die instantly, and Anderson had to press down on her shoulders to quicken her death. Barry was the last woman to be hanged by the short drop method in England and also the last woman to be executed at Gloucester Gaol.
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 1873 to 1875.
Evans, of Carmarthen, Wales
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, was trained as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
but did not practice. He carried out seven hangings as the chief executioner and also assisted William Calcraft
William Calcraft
William Calcraft was the most famous English hangman of the 19th century. One of the most prolific British executioners of all time, it is estimated that he carried out 450 executions during his 45-year career...
on various occasions.
His most famous hanging was a triple hanging of murderers Mary Anne Barry, Edwin Bailey, and Edward Butt on 12 January 1874 at Gloucester Prison
Gloucester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Gloucester is a Category B men's prison, located in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
. For this hanging, which was done in the open courtyard, Anderson suggested that the platform of the gallows be mounted over a pit to make it level with the prison yard. Barry did not die instantly, and Anderson had to press down on her shoulders to quicken her death. Barry was the last woman to be hanged by the short drop method in England and also the last woman to be executed at Gloucester Gaol.