The Story Of Ruth Ellis, The Last Woman To Be Hanged In The UK
A Troubled Childhood and Early Life
Ruth Ellis was born Ruth Hornby on October 6, 1926, in Rhyl, North Wales. Her family moved shortly after her birth to Basingstoke, Hampshire, where she grew up with her mother, Elisaberta “Bertha” Goethals, a Belgian war refugee, and her father, Arthur Hornby, a cellist from Manchester who played on Atlantic liners.
In 1925, after the birth of Ruth’s older sister, Muriel, Arthur changed the family surname to Neilson. Tragedy struck the family in 1928 when Arthur’s twin brother was killed in a bicycle accident. Following this event, Arthur began sexually abusing Muriel. Though Bertha was aware of the abuse, she did nothing to stop it, and when Muriel became pregnant at 14 by her father, the child was raised as one of the family. Once Muriel matured, Ruth became her father’s next target. However, unlike her sister, Ruth resisted his advances. The trauma of her childhood left deep scars, contributing to the unstable path she would later take.
At 14, Ruth left school and fled her home in search of a better life in London. She found work as a waitress, and her beauty quickly garnered attention from men willing to offer her gifts and financial support. Despite the allure of London’s nightlife and glamour, Ruth’s early experiences with men and relationships would echo the same cycles of abuse and entrapment she had suffered at home.
A Turbulent Marriage and a Dark Love Affair
In 1950, Ruth married George Ellis, a 41-year-old alcoholic dentist. The marriage was fraught with violence and jealousy, with George becoming possessive and abusive. Ruth left him on several occasions, but she repeatedly returned to him, ensnared by financial dependence and emotional confusion. The couple eventually separated, and Ruth re-entered the nightlife she had grown accustomed to, working as a hostess and nude model.
In 1953, Ruth became the manager of a Mayfair nightclub, a position that brought her into contact with wealthier clientele. It was at this time that she met David Blakely, a handsome, wealthy racecar driver with a reputation for drinking and womanising. Blakely was already engaged to another woman, but that did not prevent him from beginning a tempestuous affair with Ruth.
Their relationship was fuelled by jealousy, abuse, and broken promises. There were rumours that Ruth had become pregnant with Blakely’s child, only to suffer a miscarriage after he struck her during an argument. Despite their toxic dynamic, Ruth clung to Blakely, unable to free herself from the destructive relationship.
The Murder of David Blakely
The volatile affair reached a deadly climax on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1955. Consumed by jealousy and emotional turmoil, Ruth tracked Blakely down to the Magdala pub in Hampstead, London. As he was locking his car outside, she approached with a .38 calibre revolver. The first shot missed, but the second hit Blakely, causing him to collapse to the ground. Ruth then stood over him and fired five more shots, the last at such close range that Blakely’s blood splattered onto her face. Dazed but calm, she turned to Blakely’s friend, Clive Gunnell, and said, “Will you call the police, Clive?”
Ruth was promptly arrested and confessed to the crime without hesitation. Her trial, which began on June 20, 1955, lasted just a single day. When asked by the prosecution what she intended to do when she fired the revolver, Ruth replied simply: “It was obvious that when I shot him, I intended to kill him.” With her confession, the jury took just 23 minutes to convict her of murder. The death sentence was mandatory under British law for murder at the time.
The Execution and Final Hours
The public was divided in their reaction to Ruth Ellis’s sentence. While some believed justice was served, many were appalled that a woman – a victim of abuse and emotional manipulation – was being sentenced to death. Her case sparked a broader debate about the ethics of capital punishment, particularly for women, and whether the law should distinguish between premeditated murder and crimes of passion.
In her final days, Ruth received a visit from the Bishop of Stepney, Joost de Blank, who offered spiritual comfort. On the morning of July 13, 1955, just before 9 am, Ruth’s final moments began when the hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, and his assistant entered her cell. Ruth was led to the execution chamber, where she was swiftly hanged.
Like the murder weapon used to kill Blakely, the noose that ended Ruth Ellis’s life became a macabre artefact in the Metropolitan Police Crime Museum. However, the Torquay Real Crime Museum has falsely claimed possession of the noose. Following British custom, Ruth was buried in an unmarked grave within the walls of Holloway Prison.
Aftermath and Legacy
Ruth Ellis’s execution sent shockwaves throughout the nation. The Daily Mirror poignantly remarked:
“The one thing that brings stature and dignity to mankind and raises us above the beasts will have been denied her—pity and the hope of ultimate redemption.”
Her case reignited public debate on capital punishment, with growing calls for its abolition. Many questioned whether Ruth’s execution was a miscarriage of justice, particularly given her history of abuse and the fact that her crime appeared to be one of passion rather than premeditation. In the years that followed, the death penalty continued to face fierce opposition, and while it was not abolished until 1965, Ruth Ellis remains the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom.
Revelations emerged after her death that cast further doubt on her trial and conviction. Desmond Cussen, a former lover of Ruth’s, had provided her with the revolver and had driven her to the scene of the murder. Despite this, Cussen was never charged. Additionally, the jury was not informed about Ruth’s traumatic childhood, including her father’s abuse, nor were they fully aware of Blakely’s violence towards her. These details would likely have influenced the outcome of the trial, had they been presented.
In the early 1970s, the remains of executed women at Holloway Prison, including Ruth Ellis, were exhumed. Her son, Andy, acting as her next of kin, arranged for her remains to be reburied in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, just three miles from where Blakely was buried. Ruth’s new headstone was inscribed with the name “Ruth Hornby 1926–1955,” reflecting the maiden name she had been born with before tragedy shaped her into a figure whose story would become a symbol of justice gone wrong.
Ruth Ellis’s life and death have continued to haunt the British conscience. Her execution played a crucial role in the eventual abolition of the death penalty in the United Kingdom, and her story remains a powerful reminder of the complexities of justice, mercy, and the law.
Comments