James Billington, Executioner
Member of the Famous Execution Family
Billington Studied the Executioner Marwood
James Billington was among the first executioners in Britain to take a scientific approach to hanging criminals. Long before he became chief executioner Billington had studied the long drop method of hanging developed by William Marwood. When he did eventually achieve his ambition Billington went on to become one of the country’s most respected executioners.
Billington was born in Preston in 1843, but his family moved to nearby Bolton while he was still in his teens. He had a wide variety of interests, which included singing, wrestling and keeping dogs. With a family to support he opened a barber’s shop in Farnworth.
When chief executioner Marwood died in 1883, Billington applied for the post but, despite his studies of execution, he was not successful. Undaunted, he applied elsewhere and found work in Yorkshire. He undertook his first hanging on Tuesday, 26th August, 1884 in Leeds. The condemned man was Joseph Laycock, convicted of murdering his wife and four children.
In the years that followed Billington had to make to with occasional executions, until his luck changed in 1891. James Berry resigned as chief executioner and Billington was appointed. Over the next decade he despatched some of Britan’s most notorious criminals.
The Execution of Dr Thomas Neil Cream
These included Dr Thomas Neil Cream, convicted of poisoning four London prostitutes. Cream had previously been incarcerated in a Chicago prison on another poisoning charge before being released back to Britain. On the gallows Cream proclaimed, “I am Jack the…”, but did not have the opportunity to finish his sentence. Although many claimed that he was Jack the Ripper, the theory conveniently ignored the fact that Cream was in an American prison at the time of the murders in 1888.
Billington carried out his first triple execution in 1896, when he hanged Henry Fowler, Albert Milsom and William Seaman. Fowler and Milsom were charged with brutally murdering an elderly man, while Seaman was convicted of two murders in Whitechapel. As Billington released the trap door his assistant, William Warbrick, was still trying to secure a strap to Milsom. Although Warbrick managed to grab Milsom’s leg as the prisoner and himself fell, it was an unsettling incident.
Billington's Sons Qualify as Executioners
A double execution at Leeds in 1897 saw the first appearance of Billington’s son, Thomas, alongside his father in an official capacity. Two years later another of his sons, William, stood in for his father at an execution in Lincoln when illness intervened. William lied about his experience of assisting at executions (he had none) and was allowed to perform the hanging, which went well. Nevertheless, it sparked a minor controversy which was eventually resolved when William apologised and enrolled for proper training at Newgate Gaol in 1900. Thomas received training at the same location the following year.
Billington’s final execution was carried out on 13th Novemeber , 1901, when he hanged Patrick McKenna, a man who he knew. He was assisted by Henry Pierrepoint, but Billington was in poor health. Just a month later, on 13th December, 1901, he died.
Thomas died a short time after his father, of pneumonia. Another son, John, suffered a fall on the gallows and passed away some time later, aged just 25. William continued his trade for some time before dying in 1952.
Dr Thomas Neil Cream, executed by James Billington
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