Thomas Billington (hangman)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Billington was an English executioner
from 1897 to 1901 and was one of four family members who worked as hangmen for England.
. He worked primarily as a barman, but his father, James Billington
, was a hangman and got his son a job as an assistant hangman in 1897. Thomas was on the Home Office
list from 1897 to 1901. He usually worked as an assistant to his father or to his younger brother, William
. His youngest brother, John
, also became a hangman.
Billington assisted his father in seven hangings in 1898. However, in the summer of 1899, he disappeared. His wife had died around that time, and his father later wrote that he had joined the army. After 18 months, he returned home and assisted his father in an execution at Cork on 11 January 1901. He was an assistant to either his father or to his brother in seven hangings that year. He assisted his brother full-time after his father became ill. However, Thomas himself soon started suffering from colds. He assisted in his last hanging on 24 December 1901.
In December 1901, James Billington died. Thomas died about a month later, of pneumonia
. He was 29 years old.
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
from 1897 to 1901 and was one of four family members who worked as hangmen for England.
Biography
Billington was born in Bolton, LancashireBolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. He worked primarily as a barman, but his father, James Billington
James Billington (hangman)
James Billington was a hangman for the British government from 1884 until 1901.Born in Preston, in 1859 he moved with his family to Farnworth, northwest of Manchester. After leaving school he worked in a cotton mill for a time, but by the early 1880s he had become a Sunday school teacher and was...
, was a hangman and got his son a job as an assistant hangman in 1897. Thomas was on the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
list from 1897 to 1901. He usually worked as an assistant to his father or to his younger brother, William
William Billington
William Billington was an English executioner. He was on the Home Office list from 1902 to 1905 and had participated in hangings starting in 1899.-Career:...
. His youngest brother, John
John Billington (hangman)
John Billington was an English executioner. He was on the Home Office list from 1901 to 1905.-Career:Billington came from a family of hangmen. His father, James, was a hangman from 1884 to 1901, and his two older brothers, Thomas and William, were also hangmen.In early 1902, at the age of 21, John...
, also became a hangman.
Billington assisted his father in seven hangings in 1898. However, in the summer of 1899, he disappeared. His wife had died around that time, and his father later wrote that he had joined the army. After 18 months, he returned home and assisted his father in an execution at Cork on 11 January 1901. He was an assistant to either his father or to his brother in seven hangings that year. He assisted his brother full-time after his father became ill. However, Thomas himself soon started suffering from colds. He assisted in his last hanging on 24 December 1901.
In December 1901, James Billington died. Thomas died about a month later, of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He was 29 years old.