Last Man Hanged in England For Forgery

The last man hanged in England for forgery was William Booth of Beaudesert (translates "beautiful waste"!) Booth had earlier been caught and tried for the murder of his brother John, but he was acquitted for lack of evidence. He was again caught in 1812 and tried for forging coins and banknotes in the top floor of his farmhouse. This time he was sentenced to death. His execution was bungled and he fell though the scaffold's trap door to the floor. Within two hours, he was hanged successfully. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary's, but a county boundary dispute caused him to be exhumed and reburied. He may have been the only man in England to be twice tried, twice hanged, and twice buried.