Hanged at Gloucester

Book excerpt: This book gathers together the stories of the 123 prisoners who were executed at Gloucester between 1792, when the first prisoner was hanged on the roof over the entrance gate of the newly-built prison, and 1939, when the last convict was executed within the prison's walls. Infamous cases include the Berkeley poachers who shot and killed the Earl of Berkeley's gamekeeper; Rebecca Worlock, who poisoned her husband with arsenic; notorious robbers Matthew and Henry Pinnell; Charlotte Long, the last woman to be hanged for arson in England; and Herbert Rowse Armstrong, the Hay-on-Wye solicitor who was found guilty of poisoning his wife and attempting to murder a fellow solicitor. Famous executioners - including William Calcraft, William Marwood, William Billington and the Pierrepoints - also played their part in the history of the prison.Also included in this volume is an appendix listing all the men and women hanging at Over, near Gloucester, between 1731 and 1790. Fully illustrated, Hanged at Gloucester is sure to appeal to everyone interested in true crime history and the shadier side of Gloucestershire's past.