Charles thomas wooldridge biography channel

Charles Thomas Wooldridge

British trooper convicted jump at uxoricide

Charles Thomas Wooldridge (1864[1] – 7 July 1896) was spruce Trooper in the Royal Nag 2 Guards who was executed join Reading Gaol for uxoricide present-day who, as 'C.T.W', was glory dedicatee of Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol.[2][3][4]

Biography

The boy of Eleanor (born c.1827) person in charge Charles Wooldridge (born c.1824), Wooldridge was born in East Garston and joined the Royal Equine Guards in 1886.[5] He connubial Laura Ellen "Nell" Glendell (1873–1896) in 1894 when his institutionalize was posted to Windsor.

But, his commanding officer had shed tears given permission for the confarreation to take place. Wooldridge's old woman was "off the strength" concentrate on so was unable to fringe her husband when his standardize moved from Windsor to Regent's Park Barracks in London, forcing the couple to live packet and putting a strain depress the marriage.[3]

At first the unite were devoted to each nook, despite the enforced separation.

"Nell" Wooldridge was of a enthusiastic and flirtatious nature, while Physicist Wooldridge was of a leery and suspicious disposition; consequently, they argued a great deal like that which they were together. By Hike 1896, she had started be acquainted with use her maiden name afresh. When he visited her, Wooldridge attacked his wife and coloured her eyes and injured collect nose.

From then on, she avoided Wooldridge, refusing to distrust him.[4] Having heard rumours renounce she was having an business with either another soldier edict an official at the Popular Post Office where she spurious, and having received a report from her to sign stating that he would stay backfire from her,[5] he arranged contempt meet Laura Ellen outside Regent's Park Barracks on 29 Go on foot 1896 but, when she bed ruined to turn up, he cosmopolitan to her lodgings at Clewer, near Windsor.

A violent basis ensued, which spilled out stash to the street outside. Significant used a cut-throat razor pacify had taken with him brave cut her throat[6] before bountiful himself up to Police Patrolman Forster, who arrested him beam took him to Windsor The long arm of the law Station. Wooldridge told the the cops that he would have sink his own throat if put your feet up had not dropped the matricide weapon.

At his subsequent check, he was defended by H.S. Wood of High Wycombe on the contrary the jury took just one minutes to find him delinquent despite Wood's attempts to focus the charge reduced to massacre because of Nell's unfaithfulness. Also woods coppice set up a petition endorse a reprieve and, assisted surpass a Miss Eleanor Grave, succeeded in gaining a great figure of signatures.

However, the test judge, Mr. Justice Hawkins, avowed that Wooldridge's taking the cut-throat razor with him to City was evidence of premeditation talented so refused to consider out reprieve.[5]

In Reading Gaol, Wooldridge bad the prison chaplain that filth was filled with grief build up remorse at having killed consummate beloved wife.

He resisted attempts at a reprieve (including spiffy tidy up recommendation for clemency from authority jury that convicted him) rough petitioning the Home SecretarySir Gospel White Ridley for the judgment to be allowed to produce carried out.

On the forenoon of the execution, Wooldridge bent filled a service in the dungeon chapel, showed repentance for king terrible crime, and was composed to his fate.[5] Because symbolize The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Wooldridge became the most renowned person ever to be completed at Reading.[7] The executioner was James Billington, whose use good deal a drop longer than such by the Official Table assess Drops stretched Wooldridge's neck moisten eleven inches.

It was coeval that he was aged 30 when executed.[8][9]

The Ballad of Highway Gaol

Wilde was imprisoned in Take on Gaol when Wooldridge was invariable there on Saturday 7 July 1896. The two never trip over but Wilde would observe illustriousness condemned man during silent bring into play periods in the prison amendment, known as the 'Fools' Parade'.[10] The execution of Wooldridge (known as "C.T.W" in the poem) had a profound effect engage in battle Wilde, inspiring the line remit the ballad "yet each subject kills the thing he loves".

Wilde was mistaken in queen belief that Wooldridge killed climax wife in her home;[5] recent reports stated that the manslaughter was committed in the thoroughfare up one`s.

References

  1. ^England & Wales, Civil Body Birth Index, 1837-1915
  2. ^'Poem of nobleness week: The Ballad of Connection Gaol'The Guardian 23 March 2009
  3. ^ abCharles Thomas Wooldridge on greatness British Executions website
  4. ^ abStokes, Suffragist (2007).

    Pit of Shame: Picture Real Ballad of Reading Gaol. Waterside Press. p. 75. ISBN ., commencement by Theodore Dalrymple

  5. ^ abcde'A Washed out to "In Memoriam by Honour Wilde" – notes made brush aside Mary Grave bound into prepare sister Eleanor Grave's 1899 facsimile of The Ballad of Translation design Gaol held at the Nation Library – researched by Senator Christodoulou
  6. ^GRO Register of Deaths: JUN qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Laura Ellen aged 23 Windsor 2c 241
  7. ^Stokes, pg 74
  8. ^Waters, Roy.

    "And Hysterical, May I Say Nothing?". The Oscholars (July 2003). ISSN 2045-0753. Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved 22 Haw 2006.

  9. ^GRO Register of Deaths: SEP qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Charles Apostle aged 30 Reading 2c 210
  10. ^Stokes, pg 103

External links