Arthur Henry Franklin - who could not accept that a relationship was over.


Arthur Henry Franklin - who could not accept that a relationship was over.

On Tuesday the 25th of June 1935, 44 year old farmer, Arthur Franklin was hanged within Gloucester prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Bessie Gladys Nott.

28 year old Bessie had left her husband, Henry and her 7 year old son in November 1933 and moved in with her neighbours, the Franklin brothers, after a relationship developed between her and Arthur Franklin.  Both families lived at Hanham Woods, Hanham Abbot, near Bristol.  The affair started in 1934 and for around 18 months was successful, but in May 1935, Bessie decided to end it and go back to her husband.

  Around 10 a.m. on Wednesday the 8th of May, Bessie had packed her things and began her walk home.  She had only gone a little way when she was felled by a rifle shot from behind.  She was killed by a second shot fired at close range a few moments later.  Henry Nott who lived close by had heard the shots and Bessie’s scream and came to her aid.  

Franklin then pointed the gun at him and threatened to kill Henry.  Henry backed off and went back to his house to get his own shotgun.  Franklin followed and succeeded in shooting Henry too, but not fatally.  Fortunately he had run out of cartridges so was unable to kill Henry.

Franklin made no effort to escape and was arrested at the scene.  He admitted what he had done and gave the police a full statement.

The trial took place at Gloucester before Mr. Justice MacNaghten on the 5th of June 1935, lasting only eight minutes, as Franklin entered a guilty plea.  The judge told Franklin that he was entitled to legal aid but Franklin refused it. He also declined to appeal.

To comply with modern prison arrangements” a new execution chamber had been built on the end wall of A Wing of Gloucester prison in 1912. It had with two folding doors between it and the condemned cell. It was of slightly different design to that in many prisons, with the end wall of the wing separating the condemned cell from the gallows.

Just before 8.00 a.m. on the Tuesday morning Franklin was pinioned in his cell by Thomas Pierrepoint and led through the double doors directly onto the trap where Robert Wilson strapped his legs.  Pierrepoint gave him a drop of 7’ 6” as he weighed 148 lbs.  He was described as “stout and muscular” on the LPC4 form.  There was a large police presence outside the prison as it was expected the Mrs. Van de Elst would organise a demonstration against the hanging.  In fact she did not turn up.  Several hundred people waited to see the notices of execution posted.

The inquest on Franklin was held at 10.30 a.m. before Mr. John Waghorne the Cheltenham district coroner.  One of the jury men objected to having to view the body and was firmly told by the coroner that it was his duty to view it.  The medical officer of the prison, Dr. Edward Graham testified that the execution was expeditiously carried out that death was instantaneous. 

In 1937, Franklin’s 55 year old brother, Frank who had been deeply affected by his brother’s execution, shot himself.  In his suicide note he wrote “Time to get out of an insane world”.

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