10. The Dun Cow

The Dun Cow was where the hangmen Calcraft (post of executioner 1829-1874) and Marwood (1874-1883) would lodge before and after hangings. They would throw parties pre and post hangings. Calcraft was known as particularly sadistic. Thanks to movements towards prison reform and resistance to his methods, Calcraft was replaced by Marwood who used ‘the long drop’ [originated in Ireland] more humane, quicker death. Both Calcraft and Marwood would sell bits of rope in the post execution parties ‘money for old rope’ and having had a particularly long night drinking Marwood took three attempts to execute a soldier, James Burton [going for a Burton] he was subsequently replaced.

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Calcraft executed Mary Ann Cotton who is “strongly suspected of 14 or 15 murders, either for gain or to enable her to marry or both, and 21 people who were close to her died over a 20 year period. These comprised of 10 children, three husbands, five stepchildren, her mother, a sister in law Margaret, and one lover”[12]. There were two other executioners around the Victorian era – James Berry (1884-1913) and James Billington 1847-1901).  The last ‘private’ execution was in 1958!

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The reason there were so many hangings is that the criminal law also known as the Bloody Code had some 200+ offences that could be tried as capital offences and dates from the 17th century to the early 19th century –e.g. stealing a horse, cutting down trees, pick pocketing goods worth more than a shilling [or stealing 5 shillings from a house], stealing from a rabbit warren and of course murder to name a very few[13].

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[12] See: www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/durham.html

[13] The Bloody Code is used to refer to the system of laws and punishments in England between 1688 and 1815 due to the increased number of crimes attracting the death penalty.

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The above photo is copyright (c) 2016 Kelly Stockdale.