Robert Orridge Baxter (c. 1878 – 1961) was an English executioner from

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. His career lasted from 1915 to 1935, during which he carried out 44

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 i ...

s and assisted at 53 others.

Career

Baxter worked at his first hanging, 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, ...

, on 15 July 1915. He assisted both Pierrepoint and

John Ellis John Ellis may refer to: Academics *John Ellis (scrivener) (1698–1791), English political writer *John Ellis (naturalist) (1710–1776), English botanical illustrator *John Ellis (physicist, born 1946), British theoretical physicist at CERN * Jo ...

sporadically over the next few years. On 12 August 1924, he participated in his first job as chief executioner when he hanged Frenchman

Jean-Pierre Vaquier Jean-Pierre Vaquier (14 July 1879 – 17 August 1924) was a French inventor and murderer. He was convicted in Britain of murdering the husband of his mistress by poisoning him with strychnine. Vaquier was born in Niort-de-Sault on Bastille Da ...

. He would, for the next decade, be the second-most active executioner in England, behind only Pierrepoint. They each received jobs on a regional basis, and Baxter was responsible for nearly every execution carried out in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He carried out 24 consecutive hangings at Pentonville Prison. He and Pierrepoint soon became rivals, and they then started writing to under-sheriffs to request specific jobs, even though that was not allowed. They were both eventually reprimanded for doing this. Baxter was generally regarded as a good executioner. He was once described as a "very quiet and efficient man hogoes about his work quickly and silently." However, he had one minor flaw. On 11 December 1928, he carried out the execution of murderer Trevor Edwards at Swansea Prison. Working at his customary quick pace, Baxter failed to notice that his new assistant, Alfred Allen, had not cleared the trapdoor after strapping the prisoner's legs. When Baxter pulled the lever, Allen fell into the pit along with Edwards. Baxter blamed Allen for the mishap, but in the ensuing investigation, it was discovered that Baxter was completely blind in his left eye. He was absolved of any blame, however, and kept his job. Baxter's reactions became increasingly slower in the mid-1930s. He carried out his last hanging on 30 October 1935 before finally being removed from the official Home Office list. He died in 1961, at the age of 83.Fielding, p. 147.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Robert 1870s births 1961 deaths English executioners

Career

See also

References