The Last Triple Execution Involving a Woman
On the morning of Monday, August 2, 1875, a small piece of legal history was made within the walls of Durham prison. A woman was to be hanged alongside two men, all for unrelated crimes. This was to be the last such occasion in England.
The woman was 28-year-old Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pearson. The men were 36-year-old William McHugh, convicted of drowning Thomas Mooney at Barnard Castle, and 22-year-old Michael Gillingham, who had murdered John Kilcran at Darlington. All three had been tried and convicted at the Durham Summer Assizes the previous month.
Elizabeth Pearson’s Early Life
Elizabeth was born in 1847 in the village of Newsham. From the age of just fifteen months, she was raised by her aunt Jane in the neighboring village of Gainford, halfway between Barnard Castle and Darlington. She left Jane’s home around 1860, marrying a local agricultural labourer, John Pearson, by whom she had four children.
In the meantime, Aunt Jane remarried a widower, James Watson, who worked as a groom on a local estate. Elizabeth and James appeared to get along well, and he was said to be very fond of her. The press described her as being of middle height, inclined to be stout, and having dark eyes and hair.
James Watson’s Sudden Death
When Jane died, James took in a lodger, George Smith, to help pay the rent on his house in Church Row, Gainford. However, in early 1875, James fell ill with pneumonia at age 74. Elizabeth moved in to nurse him, bringing her husband and one child to live at his house.
She cared for him well, and he began to recover, even managing the stairs again. James was attended at home by Dr. Francis Homfray, who noted an improvement on Monday, March 15, 1875. Elizabeth asked Dr. Homfray for something to help James’s constipation. He offered pills, but she requested a powder instead, which he prescribed.
Surprisingly, James died just four hours later. Dr. Homfray, alarmed by the sudden turn, reported the death to the coroner. An inquest was held at the Lord Nelson Inn on March 19 — it was common practice at the time to use local inns for inquests.
The Inquest and Forensic Findings
The post-mortem found no disease of the major organs. However, the stomach lining was unusually red and contained a small amount of unidentified liquid. Dr. Homfray reported this to Deputy Coroner Thomas Dean, who ordered a toxicology analysis and adjourned the inquest.
James’s stomach, intestine, and liver were sent to Thomas Scattergood in Leeds, who found that the liquid contained strychnine and Prussian blue — but no trace of the prescribed powder. Strychnine is a colorless crystalline alkaloid that causes severe spasms and convulsions. Death usually follows within two to three hours due to asphyxiation or exhaustion.
Suspicion and Arrest
When the inquest resumed on April 16, Scattergood confirmed his findings. Superintendent Thompson joined the case and acquired a packet of Battle’s Vermin Killer from the Gainford village shop. It was found to contain both strychnine and Prussian blue, the latter used as a coloring agent to warn of danger.
As Elizabeth was the person most likely to have administered the poison, she was arrested and charged with murder.
The Trial and Verdict
Elizabeth stood trial at the Durham Summer Assizes on July 9, 1875, before Mr. Justice Archibald. Proceedings lasted just one day. The prosecution was led by Mr. Milvain; the judge appointed Mr. Ridley to defend her.
The prosecution presented forensic evidence and the discovery of the rat poison in the Pearson home. They argued Elizabeth’s motive was to prevent James from moving to a smaller house and selling furniture that had belonged to Aunt Jane.
Mr. Ridley argued Elizabeth had no motive and suggested the lodger, who had since left, might have administered the poison. The jury was unconvinced and returned a guilty verdict within an hour.
Elizabeth remained composed as the judge passed the death sentence but reportedly wept in her cell while awaiting transfer to prison. She was housed in the southeast wing and watched over by teams of wardresses.
Denied Reprieve
As was common, a local petition to save Elizabeth was raised but rejected by the Home Secretary. Elizabeth claimed pregnancy but was examined by the prison doctor, Mr. Boyd, and found not to be. Because poison was the cause of death, there could be no reprieve.
Richardson Peele, Under Sheriff of Durham, received confirmation on the Sunday before the execution that there would be no clemency. Elizabeth was visited in prison by her husband and one child a few days before her death. She continued to proclaim her innocence.
The Execution Setup
Hangman William Marwood arrived in Durham on Friday afternoon and stayed at a local inn, as the rule requiring hangmen to stay inside the prison had not yet been implemented. This execution marked Marwood’s seventh at Durham.
The gallows were set up in the condemned prisoners’ exercise yard near the women’s wing. The trap doors opened into a brick-lined pit made deeper to suit long-drop hangings. It was the same gallows used for Charles Dawson, Edward Gough, and William Thompson on January 5, 1874. It had two beams — an unusual feature.
The Morning of the Execution
On Monday morning, the three prisoners were served breakfast at 7 a.m. — lamb chop, bread and butter, and tea. Elizabeth reportedly drank only the tea. They were allowed time for prayer with their respective clergy. Elizabeth was attended by prison chaplain Rev. J. C. Lowe.
Just before 8 a.m., the prisoners were led to the pinioning room where their limbs were tied. According to the Northern Echo, they were then led to the gallows where Marwood awaited. The Durham County Advertiser noted that Elizabeth “walked to the scaffold without assistance and, indeed, throughout the whole proceedings remained the most self-possessed of the three.”
It is unclear whether Elizabeth knew she would receive a measured drop or still expected to strangle. The men were prepared first. Elizabeth witnessed this before being led to her position under the second beam, back turned to the others. Warder Cox assisted Marwood with securing their legs.
All three prayed with their ministers until Marwood signaled. The ministers shook hands with the prisoners and stepped off the trap. Marwood pulled the lever. Gilligan struggled briefly; Elizabeth and McHugh did not move.
Aftermath and Burial
Roughly 300 people gathered outside the prison and reportedly heard the trap doors fall. At 8:03 a.m., the black flag was hoisted and the bell tolled.
The Northern Echo of Tuesday, August 3, reported, “After the rope and the cap had been adjusted, the bolt was withdrawn, the woman dropped in the air, and died without a struggle.” The concept of a measured drop breaking the neck was still new in 1875.
The bodies remained hanging for an hour before being placed in plain black coffins. One reporter noted: “The head of each was covered with a cap (white hood), leaving the face and neck free. The countenances of the deceased were remarkably placid and betokened only the quietest of deaths.”
The mandatory inquest was held at 10 o’clock before Coroner John Graham. The Under Sheriff, when asked if the prisoners had struggled, replied, “No, not at all.” All three were identified.
Elizabeth was buried in an unmarked grave near that of Mary Ann Cotton later the same day.
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