Public hangings in the 1800s were a source of entertainment and drew huge crowds eager to get a glimpse of the ghoulish spectacle. But the execution of one murderer, who slaughtered his family, led to a much wider tragedy in the centre of Nottingham and eventually resulted in a change of policy at the gallows.
The condemned man was 29-year-old William Saville. Nine years earlier he had been 'persuaded' to marry a woman called Ann Ward after getting her pregnant. The wedding took place in Sneinton but the marriage was rocky. Ten years older, Ann, who was missing an eye and had an illegitimate child with another man, wasn't considered a good catch.
Saville, a violent drunk like his father, regularly beat and kicked his wife, even while she was heavily pregnant. In early 1844 he convinced her that she and the children would be better off in the workhouse. Meanwhile he took up lodgings in Radford, and got a job in a factory as a stocking weaver.
