Alfred Allen (c. 1888 – c. 1938) was an English

executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...

from

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. His career lasted from 1928 to 1937, during which he carried out 3

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

s as a chief executioner and assisted at 14 others. Allen participated in his first hanging on 11 December 1928, when he assisted Robert Baxter. It did not go well for Allen. He failed to move clear of the trapdoor after securing the prisoner's legs and then fell into the pit when Baxter pulled the lever. Allen was not injured. Over the next few years, Allen did not receive many jobs. When he did, it was as an assistant to

Thomas Pierrepoint Thomas William Pierrepoint (6 October 1870 – 11 February 1954) was an English executioner from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry Pierrepoint and uncle of Albert Pierrepoint. Personal life Pierrepoint was born in Sutton Bonington, ...

. His first action as chief executioner came on 23 November 1932. He was reunited with Baxter one more time, in 1934; although there was no incident such as the one that had occurred during their first partnership, Baxter did state later that he found Allen "an unpleasant person to share sleeping quarters with." Allen carried out his last hanging on 17 August 1937.Fielding, Steve, p. 174. He was struck off the list of executioners when, after having failed to rupture the prisoner's spinal cord in an execution in 1936, he again put on the noose in the wrong way at the next execution in 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Alfred English executioners Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 1880s births 1930s deaths

See also

References