After the execution William Palmer was left hanging for one hour, in
accordance with the sentence. Prison records tell us that the body was taken
to the Death House (the prison mortuary). A death
mask was made. No coffin was supplied, his naked body was put in a sack
and placed in a grave which had first been lined with quicklime. It is believed
that he was the last culprit to be buried 'without a shell' in any prison
in this country. The reason for the quicklime was a desire for the physical
remains to be destroyed as quickly as possible, however, it is now known
that quicklime would, in fact, preserve a body.
He
was buried in a grave beside the prison chapel. A plan of prison graves
are in the prison records but bodies were not buried in separate graves
but are buried four or five to a grave to save space.
The
prison burial ground is located next to the chapel. In 1834 executed prisoners
were ordered to be buried within the prison grounds. William Palmer's grave
is under the window on the right. The picture is from the Staffordshire
Multimedia Archives www.archive.sln.org.uk
Mr.
Chris Copp, from the County Museum based at Shugborough Hall, has informed
me that the spot where Palmer was buried now lies beneath an artificial
football pitch inside the prison.
Death
Certificate details:-
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Introduction
