Early Execution Sites
There was originally one execution site for Carmarthen town and a separate one for the county of Carmarthenshire. Elinor Hadley and Joseph Jenkins were Carmarthen town hangings that were carried out on the common near Royal Oak Gate.
Elinor Hadley
Elinor Hadley was a single woman who, on the 2nd of March 1739 in the parish of St Peter in the town of Carmarthen, gave birth to a male child which she assaulted violently so that the child instantly died. The inquest on the child’s body stated that there were marks of violence on the right side of the head. She was hanged on Saturday, the 26th of May 1739.
Joseph Jenkins
Joseph Jenkins was hanged for the murder of his wife in the parish of St Mary, in Carmarthen. He was sentenced to death on Tuesday the 9th of April and ordered for execution on Wednesday the 17th of April 1751. The gaol file for this session has not survived.
County Executions at Pensarn
Carmarthenshire County hangings took place at Pensarn, reportedly on the site of the Babell Chapel. See the full list of Carmarthenshire executions from 1735–1799.
Rees Thomas Rees, aged 26, became the last person to be hanged at Pensarn, just south of Carmarthen, on the 26th of April 1817. He was executed for the murder, by poisoning, of 26-year-old Elizabeth Jones from Llangadock in May 1816. He went on the run for some time before giving himself up prior to the Lent Great Sessions of 1817. The purpose of the crime was to procure an abortion. It is unclear whether he was the father.
On the gallows, his last words, translated from Welsh, were: “Now I am trembling on the borders of eternity. Farewell. Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” The drop then fell and he died without a struggle.
Construction and Closure of Carmarthen Gaol
Carmarthen Gaol was designed by John Nash and opened in 1789. The prison was extended in 1869 and closed in 1922. The inmates were transferred to Swansea prison. The building was finally demolished in 1938 to make way for the new County Hall.
Just five men were hanged here, four for murder and one for forgery.
Executions at Carmarthen Gaol
William Baines (1818)
William Baines became the first to be executed at the Gaol itself when he was hanged on Saturday the 23rd of May 1818 for forging and uttering Bank of England notes. Baines had been employed as an engraver of printing plates for banknotes.
The scaffold was reportedly erected “inside and above the front wall of the County gaol facing Spilman Street.”
David Evans (1829)
On Monday the 21st of September 1829, David Evans was executed for the murder of his girlfriend, Hannah Davis, on Pencarreg Mountain near Pencarreg in Carmarthenshire on the night of Saturday the 13th of June 1829.
Evans was tried and convicted at the Carmarthen Autumn Great Sessions on the 16th of September 1829. He made a full confession to Thomas Jones, the Chaplain of the Gaol, which was taken down by the Gaol Clerk, Mr. D. A. Williams, and translated from Welsh. Evans described the murder in detail, stated his motive was jealousy, and expressed remorse. He thanked the staff of the gaol for their kindness. The confession was published verbatim in the press.
Evans had visited Hannah on Thursday the 11th of June. It appears she was pregnant. She asked him to accompany her to visit her father that Saturday evening. When Saturday came, Evans was trimming hedgerow with a billhook when Hannah arrived. Initially reluctant, he agreed to go with her. They walked together before Evans suddenly attacked her with the billhook, slashing her neck. He struck multiple blows until she collapsed, then ran home, washing the weapon in a stream.
On the morning of his execution, he thanked the chaplain and the Under Sheriff, Mr. L. Lewis.
A huge crowd gathered outside the gaol. The gallows was erected on top of the gatehouse, and at 10 a.m. Evans was led to it. The first attempt at execution failed when the hook gave way and Evans landed on his feet. He claimed he had been hanged once and should be reprieved, but the execution was legally required to proceed. A few minutes later, it was carried out successfully. The body was sent for dissection.
It was later revealed that the carpenter failed to tighten the hook and did not insert bolts to secure the beam. The Morning Post commented that it was surprising the beam did not fall as well. The case received widespread press coverage.
The Final Executions (1888–1894)
Almost 60 years would pass before the next hanging, then three occurred within seven years. All took place in a newly constructed execution shed. The gallows came from Dolgellau prison when it closed in 1878. The shed contained trap doors over a 10-foot-deep brick-lined pit and a beam supported by two uprights.
David Rees (1888)
David Rees, 23, was hanged in private at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday the 13th of March 1888 for the murder of Thomas Davies. Rees beat and kicked Davies to death to rob him on the public highway at Dafen on the 12th of November 1887. Davies was carrying £500–£600 in wage money for the tinplate works.
Rees stood trial on the 24th of February and confessed on the 28th. His last words were “Arglwydd, trughara wrthyf” (“Lord, have mercy upon me”).
James Berry, the hangman, gave Rees a six-foot drop. Death appeared instantaneous. Notices were posted on the prison gates at 8.20 a.m.
Rees’ body was laid in a coffin in a room near the main gate for the formal inquest at 10.00 a.m. The deputy coroner, Mr. R. M. Thomas, noted some facial lividity and neck swelling but otherwise a calm appearance.
George Thomas (1894)
George Thomas, 25, a former artilleryman and farm labourer, was executed on Tuesday the 13th of February 1894 for the murder of 15½-year-old Mary Jane Jones.
Mary lived with her aunt at Tawclan Cottage. Thomas was obsessed with her, but she did not reciprocate. On Sunday the 19th of November 1893, he lay in wait for her and then cut her throat with a razor. He immediately confessed to police sergeant James Jones.
At trial on Monday the 20th of January 1894, the jury took only 39 minutes to find him guilty, rejecting an insanity plea.
Thomas wrote to both sets of parents from his cell. Though steps were taken to seek a reprieve on mental health grounds, the Home Secretary did not intervene.
A crowd gathered to see the black flag hoisted. James Billington conducted the execution. Thomas weighed 115 lbs. and was given a 6’6” drop. His behaviour was described as “callous to the last.”
Thomas Richards (1894)
Thomas Richards, a 41-year-old sailor, was the last person to be hanged at Carmarthen Gaol, at 8.00 a.m. on Thursday the 29th of November 1894, for the murder of his sister-in-law, Mary Davis, at Borth on the 21st of September 1894.
Richards broke into her home at No. 1 London Place, stole money and valuables, and smothered her with a pillow. He was arrested days later in Neath.
His trial was held on Saturday the 12th of November and lasted all day. The jury returned a guilty verdict after 30 minutes. Awaiting execution, Richards confessed.
James Billington again carried out the execution. Richards, weighing 148 lbs., was given a seven-foot drop. Death was nearly instantaneous, with only slight convulsions.
The press were not admitted, but the South Wales Daily News devoted an entire page to the case, including artist sketches.
Richards was buried later that day in a garden on the northwest side of the prison. His coffin had a black plate inscribed: “T. R. died 29th November, 1894, aged 41 years.”
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