| Catherine Murphy (counterfeiter) |
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Catherine Murphy (died March 18 , 1789 ) was the last woman to suffer Execution By Burning in England . She was executed at Newgate Prison on March 18 1789 , for the Crime of Coining . Her co-defendants, including her husband, were executed at the same time by Hanging , but as a woman the law provided that she should be burnt at the stake. However, at that time, the practice was to hang the woman for half an hour before setting her alight, and this was done in Catherine Murphy's case. It is likely she was already dead before being set alight so her execution's status as a burning is questionable. Burning as a method of execution was abolished the following year. EXTERNAL LINKS |