Victorian Britain - a place where justice was swift and brutal. It was a time when fear of the hangman's noose loomed large in the packed towns and cities of the rapidly transforming industrial nation.
The grim spectacle of Newcastle's final public execution took place 160 years ago. There was huge interest, and newspapers - enjoying major increases in circulation during the era - were keen to capitalise. The Newcastle Daily Chronicle on Saturday, March 14, 1863, boldly advertised: "A special edition will be issued this morning containing the fullest particulars of the execution of George Vass."
A 19-year-old local man, Vass was responsible for the murder of Margaret Docherty. On New Year’s Eve, 1862, he had been seen dragging Margaret towards the west walls of the city.
