The foundation stone of the new Hull Prison, a large brick-built edifice on a 12-acre site on Hedon Road, Hull, was laid on the 9th of October 1865, with the building opening to inmates in 1869.
It had been designed by the borough surveyor David Thorp, who died before it was completed.
It was based on the “Panopticon” principle with four wings radiating from a central tower.
There was a governor’s house, together with separate accommodation for the deputy governor, the chaplain, and the chief turnkey (chief warder).
The new building provided 304 certified cells, 84 non-certified cells, 11 punishment cells, and 24 reception cells.
The average daily population in 1870 was 204, but by 1873 this had risen to 280.
In 1877, 187 military prisoners were taken in by contract, and by 1879 the daily prison population had risen to 394.
The prison was transferred to the control of the Prison Commission under the Prisons Act of 1877.
Accommodation was increased, and by 1880, 120 new cells had been constructed.
Executions were transferred to Hull from York Castle in 1902, as detailed in our gazetteer of execution sites from the late 18th century to abolition in 1964.
It is assumed that an execution shed was constructed, as was the norm at that time.
It may be the shed in the foreground, just to the right of the wing.
The later condemned suite has now been converted to a standard cell, the hanging room is a shower block, and the mortuary below it is a store room.
Nine men and one woman were hanged here between 1902 and 1934, operating in accordance with the evolution of the long drop in the 20th century.
Today, HMP Hull remains an operational Category B men’s prison on Hedon Road.
Executions at Hull Prison (1902–1934)
| Execution Date | Condemned Name | Age | Prisoner Weight | Drop Length | Executioner / Assistant | Crime and Victim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25/03/1902 | Arthur Richardson | 30 | 133 lbs | 7 feet 4 inches | William & John Billington | Robbery-murder of aunt Sarah Hebden at Hull |
| 23/12/1902 | William James Bolton | 44 | — | — | William & John Billington | Murder of former girlfriend Jane Allen |
| 22/12/1903 | Charles William Ashton | 19 | — | — | William & John Billington | Shooting murder of Annie Marshall (16) |
| 04/08/1908 | Thomas Siddle | 29 | — | — | Henry Pierrepoint & John Ellis | Murder of estranged wife Gertrude at Hull |
| 07/12/1909 | John Freeman | 46 | 131 lbs | 8 feet 0 inches | Henry Pierrepoint & John Ellis | Murder of sister-in-law Florence at Hull |
| 09/12/1924 | William George Smith | 26 | 182 lbs | 6 feet 0 inches | Thomas Pierrepoint & Robert Baxter | Murder of housekeeper Elizabeth Bousefield |
| 10/06/1925 | Hubert Ernest Dalton | 39 | 126 lbs | 8 feet 3 inches | Thomas Pierrepoint & Robert Baxter | Robbery-murder of friend Francis Ward (68) |
| 27/04/1932 | George Michael | 49 | — | — | Thomas Pierrepoint & Henry Pollard | Murder of bigamous partner Theresa Hempstock |
| 03/01/1934 | Roy Gregory | 28 | 159 lbs | 7 feet 0 inches | Thomas Pierrepoint & Thomas Phillips | Murder of Dorothy Margaret Addinall (2) |
| 19/12/1934 | Ethel Major | 43 | 123 lbs | 8 feet 6 inches | Thomas & Albert Pierrepoint | Strychnine poisoning of husband Arthur Major |
Case Records and Capital Murders
Arthur Richardson (25/03/1902)
Arthur Richardson, aged 30, was executed on the 25th of March 1902.
He had murdered his aunt, Sarah Hebden, on the 28th of November 1901 at 97 Hodgson Street, Hull, in the course of robbing her.
The executioners were William and John Billington, and Richardson, who weighed 133 lbs, was given a drop of 7 feet 4 inches.
William James Bolton (23/12/1902)
Forty-four-year-old William James Bolton was sentenced to death for the murder of Jane Allen, his former girlfriend, whom he stabbed to death before turning the knife on himself.
He was hanged by William and John Billington at 9:00 a.m. on the 23rd of December 1902.
Charles William Ashton (22/12/1903)
On the 22nd of December 1903, 19-year-old Charles William Ashton was hanged for the murder by shooting of 16-year-old Annie Marshall, whom he met at Mr. Brewster’s farm where they were both employed.
The motive for the killing was seemingly that Annie rebuffed his advances.
The executioners were William and John Billington.
Thomas Siddle (04/08/1908)
Thomas Siddle, aged 29, was convicted of the murder of his estranged wife, Gertrude.
She had gone to live with a Mrs. Felcy at 2 Strathfield House, Tyne Street in Hull.
On the evening of Tuesday the 9th of June, Siddle visited her and cut her throat with a razor.
He was hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and John Ellis at 9:00 a.m. on the 4th of August 1908.
John Freeman (07/12/1909)
Forty-six-year-old John Freeman was convicted of stabbing to death his sister-in-law, Florence, at 4 Kingston Place, Porter Street, Hull, with whom he was having an affair.
He was hanged on the 7th of December 1909 by Henry Pierrepoint and John Ellis.
Being of light build and weighing just 131 lbs, he was given a drop of 8 feet 0 inches.
William George Smith (09/12/1924)
The next hanging here was that of 26-year-old William George Smith for the murder of a mother of three, Elizabeth Bousefield, the housekeeper at a house in Arundel Street, Holderness Road, Hull.
He had cut her throat.
He was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint and Robert Baxter on Tuesday the 9th of December 1924.
He weighed 182 lbs and was given a drop of 6 feet 0 inches.
Hubert Ernest Dalton (10/06/1925)
Hubert Ernest Dalton, aged 39, murdered his friend, 68-year-old Francis Ward, for £12 and his watch on or about the 3rd of October 1924.
Dalton was hanged at Hull Prison at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday the 10th of June 1925 by Thomas Pierrepoint and Robert Baxter.
He weighed 126 lbs and was given a drop of 8 feet 3 inches.
George Michael (27/04/1932)
On New Year’s Eve 1931, 49-year-old George Michael murdered his “wife”, Theresa Mary Hempstock, 44, at her home on Upper Union Street in Hull.
The problem was that Theresa was still married to another man and their wedding was bigamous.
Michael was jealous and felt betrayed when Theresa confessed to her bigamy.
He moved out of their home but returned and stabbed her to death in the presence of a police officer, before turning the knife on himself.
He was hanged within Hull Prison at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday the 27th of April 1932 by Thomas Pierrepoint, assisted by Henry Pollard.
Roy Gregory (03/01/1934)
Twenty-eight-year-old Roy Gregory was convicted of the murder of two-year-old Dorothy Margaret Addinall on the 9th of March 1933, at his rented house at 40 Queen Street in Scarborough.
He had hit the little girl on the head repeatedly with a bricklayer’s hammer and then buried her body in the cellar.
Her body lay undiscovered for five months.
Gregory was hanged at 9:00 a.m. on the 3rd of January 1934 by Thomas Pierrepoint, assisted by Thomas Phillips.
His weight was recorded as 159 lbs and he was given a drop of 7 feet 0 inches.
Ethel Major: The Final Execution (19/12/1934)
Forty-three-year-old Ethel Major poisoned her husband whom she hated, 44-year-old Arthur, with strychnine in corned beef which she gave him on May the 24th, 1934, at their home at No. 2 Council Houses in Kirkby on Bain, near Horncastle, Lincolnshire.
Ethel was hanged by Thomas Pierrepoint, assisted by his nephew, Albert Pierrepoint, at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday the 19th of December 1934.
She weighed 123 lbs and her drop was set at 8 feet 6 inches, causing fracture and dislocation of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cervical vertebrae.
Ethel’s ghost is said to still haunt the prison.
Her execution was the tenth and final hanging conducted at Hull Prison before capital cases in Yorkshire were consolidated at Armley Prison in Leeds, long prior to the abolition of capital punishment in Britain in 1965.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Hull Prison built?
The foundation stone of Hull Prison was laid on October 9, 1865, and the facility opened to prisoners in 1869 on a 12-acre site on Hedon Road. It was designed by borough surveyor David Thorp on the radial Panopticon plan with four wings radiating from a central inspection tower.
How many executions took place at Hull Prison?
A total of ten judicial executions were carried out at Hull Prison between 1902 and 1934: nine men and one woman (Ethel Major). All were conducted in private behind prison walls.
Why were executions transferred to Hull Prison in 1902?
Capital executions for the East Riding of Yorkshire were transferred from York Castle to Hull Prison in 1902 following the decommissioning of York Castle as an execution centre.
Who was Ethel Major?
Ethel Major was a 43-year-old woman executed on December 19, 1934, for the murder of her husband, Arthur Major, whom she poisoned with strychnine placed in corned beef at Kirkby on Bain, Lincolnshire. She was the only woman hanged at Hull Prison.
What happened to the execution suite at Hull Prison?
Following the final execution in 1934, the gallows suite was decommissioned. The former condemned cell was converted into a standard prison cell, the gallows room was repurposed as a shower block, and the mortuary drop pit below was turned into a storeroom.
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