THE COMMON HANGMAN English and Scottish Hangmen before the Abolition of Public Executions.

Hardback. A book which traces the origins of the post of hangman and decribes the changing circumstances of the most despised public official of all from the late Middle Ages to the abolition of public executions in 1868. Among the individual hangmen who appear in this gruesome history are : Gregory Brandon, a convicted felon, who was granted a coat of arms because of a joke; Jack Ketch; John and George Ormiston, scions of an illustrious Scottish family; John Price and John Thrift, both of whom committed brutal murders; and William Curry, hangman of York, twice sentenced to death for sheep stealing. Illus., Bibliog. and Indices. 174pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. V. lightly browned edges o/w Nr. F. in Vg+ dw. which has a little shelfwear. A review copy with loosely inserted slip.