We may never know the identity of history’s most fumbling executioner, but any such list would include the name Jack Ketch near the top.
In the olden days, state executioners were considered a class not too far removed from the criminals they punished. They were ostracized, not allowed into churches nor invited into homes. Their children were often barred from schools. Jack Ketch is assumed to have had a troubled past, as he spent time in Marshalsea Prison. He became an executioner in 1663.
Ketch quickly became known for his incompetence. Hangings were his forte, but because he had no experience as an ax-wielder, beheadings were problematic. It took Ketch four tries to behead Lord William Russel, who plotted to murder King Charles II. The first three landed well aside the neck, causing Russel to suffer terribly before the final blow. The execution was so brutal that it offended even those who attended beheadings for entertainment, and Ketch was forced to write an apology.
A similar fate befell the Duke of Monmouth. Ketch needed seven or eight blows to separate his head, and in fact tried to quit in frustration halfway through. Finally, Ketch used a butcher knife to hack through the Duke’s neck. Again, observers were incensed and threatened Ketch for his incompetence.
Ketch became famous in his time and can be found in English literature, including mentions in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, Dombey and Son, The Pickwick Papers, and David Copperfield. More recently, he’s appeared in C. M. Kornbluth’s science fiction story The Marching Morons (1951), and Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver (2003) and The System of the World (2004).
Despite Ketch’s notoriety, we think there’s more to his story.
