Ruth Ellis

Ruth Ellis (née Neilson; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a British nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely. In her teens, Ellis had entered the world of nightclub hostessing, which led to a chaotic life that included various relationships with men. One of these men was David Blakely, a racing driver engaged to another woman. On Easter Sunday, 10 April 1955, Ellis shot Blakely dead outside The Magdala public house in Hampstead, London, and she was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman. At her trial in June 1955, she was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to death; on 13 July she was hanged at HMP Holloway. Early life Ruth Ellis was born Ruth Neilson in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales, on 9 October 1926, the fifth of six children. She moved to Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, with her family during her childhood. Her mother, Elisaberta (Bertha) Goethals, was a Belgian war refugee; her father, Arthur Hornby, was a cellist from Manchester. The Register of Marriages gives Arthur Hornby as marrying Elisa B. Goethals at Chorlton-cum-Hardy in 1920. Arthur had changed his surname to Neilson after the birth of Ruth's older sister Muriel in 1925. In 1928, when Ruth was aged two, Arthur's twin brother Charles was killed when his bicycle collided with a steam wagon. According to Muriel, Arthur became physically and sexually abusive shortly after his brother's death, with Bertha being aware of the abuse but taking no action. The sexual abuse eventually resulted in Muriel conceiving a child by her father at age 14, which led to Arthur being questioned, and ultimately released, by police; the child, a son, was brought up as a sibling to the other children. Arthur turned his attention towards Ruth after Muriel reached puberty, but Ruth continually resisted the abuse.