The new prison at Knutsford opened on London Road, Knutsford in 1818.
It became the County Gaol for Cheshire in 1866 and would continue in the role until 1915.
The original buildings were the Sessions House, Grand Jury Room, and House of Correction (as prisons were known at this time).
Demolition of the prison took place in 1934, but the Sessions House was retained, later becoming Knutsford Crown Court and later still a restaurant.
The prison was designed by George Moneypenny in the Panopticon style with four wings radiating from a central building which contained the governor’s accommodation.
Each wing was 105 feet long with workrooms and dayrooms on the ground floor, and inmates’ cells in the three storeys above, and had a capacity of 700, although the average population in 1860 was 273 inmates.
A female wing was built in 1852 at the west side of the site to house 100 women.
It consisted of three single-sided cell blocks in a U-shape with cells on the inside and an open corridor beyond.
This closed in 1883 but was refurbished in 1905 to hold women again.
In the intervening years, female inmates were held in A Wing of the main prison.
In 1914, Knutsford Prison was taken over by the military.
Cheshire executions were transferred to Walton Prison in Liverpool and Strangeways Prison in Manchester, as detailed in our gazetteer of execution sites from the late 18th century to abolition in 1964.
The Gallows at Knutsford
All executions at Knutsford took place in a purpose-built execution shed, which was the fashion of the time following the end of public hangings in 1868.
The shed housed a gallows constructed over a deep pit, implementing the evolution of the long drop in the 20th century.
Apparently, there was a belief that if you put an ear to the outer wall you could hear the drop, so the morbidly curious would place their ear to the wall on execution mornings.
All eight bodies were buried within “the precincts of the prison”.
After World War I, they were exhumed and re-interred at Strangeways Prison on the 23rd of November 1928.
Executions at Knutsford (8)
A total of eight men were executed within the walls of Knutsford Prison between 1886 and 1912:
| Prisoner Name | Execution Date | Age | Crime and Victim | Executioner / Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen McGill | 22/02/1886 | 39 | Murder of wife Mary (34) at Landican | James Berry |
| Thomas Bevan | 16/08/1887 | 20 | Murder of aunt Sarah Griffiths (59) at Crewe | James Berry |
| Richard Davies | 08/04/1890 | 18 | Murder of father Richard Davies at Crewe | James Berry |
| Felix Spicer | 22/08/1890 | 60 | Murder of son William (14) at Wallasey | James Berry |
| William Hancock | 09/08/1905 | 35 | Murder of daughter Mary Elizabeth (15) at Birkenhead | John Billington & Henry Pierrepoint |
| Edward Hartigan | 27/11/1906 | 58 | Murder of wife Catherine (45) at Stockport | Henry Pierrepoint |
| James Phipps | 12/11/1908 | 21 | Murder of Elizabeth Warburton (10) at Winsford | Henry & Thomas Pierrepoint |
| John Williams | 19/03/1912 | 38 | Murder of wife Hilda (39) at Birkenhead | John Ellis |
Case Records and Capital Murders
Owen McGill (22/02/1886)
Thirty-nine-year-old Owen McGill was the first person to be hanged here, executed by James Berry on the 22nd of February 1886 for the murder of his 34-year-old wife, Mary, at Landican in Cheshire.
Thomas Bevan (16/08/1887)
Thomas Bevan, aged 20, was executed on the 16th of August 1887 by James Berry for the murder of his aunt, 59-year-old Sarah Griffiths, during a robbery at her house in Crewe.
Richard Davies (08/04/1890)
Eighteen-year-old Richard Davies was hanged by James Berry on the 8th of April 1890 for killing his father, also named Richard, at Crewe on the 25th of January 1890.
His brother, George Davies, being 16 at the time, was reprieved on account of his youth.
Felix Spicer (22/08/1890)
On the 22nd of August 1890, 60-year-old Felix Spicer was put to death by James Berry for the murder of his 14-year-old son, William, at their home in Richmond Street in Wallasey.
William Hancock (09/08/1905)
William Hancock, aged 35, was hanged by John Billington and Henry Pierrepoint on the 9th of August 1905 for the murder of his 15-year-old daughter, Mary Elizabeth Hancock, at Birkenhead.
Edward Hartigan (27/11/1906)
Fifty-eight-year-old Edward Hartigan suffered on the 27th of November 1906 for the murder of his 45-year-old wife, Catherine, at Stockport. Henry Pierrepoint was the hangman.
James Phipps (12/11/1908)
Twenty-one-year-old James Phipps was hanged on the 12th of November 1908 by Henry and Thomas Pierrepoint for the murder of 10-year-old Elizabeth Warburton at Winsford.
John Williams: The Final Execution (19/03/1912)
On the 19th of March 1912, 38-year-old John Williams was hanged by John Ellis for the murder of his 39-year-old wife, Hilda, on Price’s Lane in Birkenhead.
Williams became the eighth and final person executed at Knutsford Prison.
When the military requisitioned the facility during the First World War, capital cases from Cheshire were relocated to neighbouring execution suites in Lancashire, ending capital punishment in Knutsford decades prior to the abolition of capital punishment in Britain in 1965.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Knutsford Prison built?
Knutsford Prison was built on London Road in Knutsford in 1818 to replace older local lockups. Designed by George Moneypenny in the panopticon style, it became the County Gaol for Cheshire in 1866.
How many executions took place at Knutsford Prison?
A total of eight executions took place at Knutsford Prison between 1886 and 1912, all conducted privately inside a purpose-built execution shed.
Why did Knutsford Prison close as an execution site?
In 1914, Knutsford Prison was requisitioned by the British military for wartime use. Capital executions for Cheshire were subsequently reassigned to Walton Prison in Liverpool and Strangeways Prison in Manchester.
What happened to the bodies of the prisoners executed at Knutsford?
The eight men hanged at Knutsford were originally buried within the prison grounds. Following the First World War, their remains were exhumed and re-interred at Strangeways Prison in Manchester on November 23, 1928.
What remains of Knutsford Prison today?
The main prison was demolished in 1934, but the original Sessions House was preserved. It subsequently served as Knutsford Crown Court and was later converted into a commercial restaurant.
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