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Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis (née Neilson; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a Welsh-born nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely.
Ellis was abused by her father from the age of 11 and entered the world of nightclub hostessing as a teen, which led to a chaotic life that included various relationships with men. One of these men was 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. She was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman. At her trial in June 1955, Ellis was found guilty of premeditated murder and was sentenced to death; on 13 July she was hanged at Holloway Prison.
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 who played on Atlantic liners. The Register of Marriages gives Arthur Hornby as marrying Elisa B. Goethals at Chorlton-cum-Hardy in 1920. Arthur later changed his surname to Neilson.
Arthur's twin brother Charles was killed in 1928, when Ellis was two years old. Arthur began to be physically and sexually abusive to his elder daughter Muriel. Bertha, despite being aware of the abuse, took no action. Muriel stated this was due to how badly Arthur treated her mother; it made Bertha afraid to say anything. As a result of the sexual abuse, 14-year-old Muriel conceived a child by her father. Although Arthur was subsequently questioned by the police, he was released. Bertha then passed as the child's mother. Arthur began targeting Ruth when she turned 11. Muriel often tried to prevent it, kicking Ruth out of the house when Muriel sensed trouble. The sisters never openly discussed their father's sexual abuse.
Ellis briefly attended Fairfields Senior Girls' School in Basingstoke until 1940, after which she attended Worting village school before leaving school when she was 14 years old. Her first employment was as an usherette at a cinema in Reading. Arthur moved to London on his own shortly after, accepting a job offer for the live-in position of caretaker-chauffeur for Porn & Dunwoody Ltd., a lift manufacturer. In 1941, Ellis befriended Edna Turvey, the girlfriend of her older brother Julian, who was on leave from service in the Royal Navy. Edna introduced Ellis to what Muriel later called "the fast life." Eventually, Ruth and Edna moved to London and lived with Arthur. His abuse against Ellis continued while he simultaneously engaged in an affair with Edna, although the affair ended when Bertha caught the pair in bed after making an unannounced visit. Bertha moved to London following the discovery of her husband's affair.
In 1944, when Ellis was 17 years old, she became pregnant by Clare Andrea McCallum, a married Canadian soldier. As a result, she was forced to move to a nursing hospital in Gilsland, Cumberland. On 15 September, she gave birth to her son, Clare Andrea (Andy) Neilson. McCallum stopped sending money around a year after the delivery. Andy, who eventually went to live with Bertha, was supported by Ellis through her employment in several factory and clerical jobs.
By the end of the 1940s, Ellis had become a nightclub hostess in Soho through nude-modelling work, which paid significantly more than her previous jobs. Morris Conley, her manager at the Court Club in Duke Street, blackmailed his hostess employees into sleeping with him. By early 1950, Ellis was making money as a full-service escort and became pregnant by one of her regular clients.
On 8 November 1950, Ellis married 41-year-old George Johnston Ellis, a divorced dentist with two sons, at the register office in Tonbridge, Kent. A regular customer at the Court Club, George was a violent and possessive alcoholic who became convinced that his new wife was having an affair. Ellis left him several times but always returned. When she gave birth to a daughter, Georgina, in 1951, George refused to acknowledge paternity; they separated shortly afterwards and later divorced.
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Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis (née Neilson; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a Welsh-born nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely.
Ellis was abused by her father from the age of 11 and entered the world of nightclub hostessing as a teen, which led to a chaotic life that included various relationships with men. One of these men was 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. She was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman. At her trial in June 1955, Ellis was found guilty of premeditated murder and was sentenced to death; on 13 July she was hanged at Holloway Prison.
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 who played on Atlantic liners. The Register of Marriages gives Arthur Hornby as marrying Elisa B. Goethals at Chorlton-cum-Hardy in 1920. Arthur later changed his surname to Neilson.
Arthur's twin brother Charles was killed in 1928, when Ellis was two years old. Arthur began to be physically and sexually abusive to his elder daughter Muriel. Bertha, despite being aware of the abuse, took no action. Muriel stated this was due to how badly Arthur treated her mother; it made Bertha afraid to say anything. As a result of the sexual abuse, 14-year-old Muriel conceived a child by her father. Although Arthur was subsequently questioned by the police, he was released. Bertha then passed as the child's mother. Arthur began targeting Ruth when she turned 11. Muriel often tried to prevent it, kicking Ruth out of the house when Muriel sensed trouble. The sisters never openly discussed their father's sexual abuse.
Ellis briefly attended Fairfields Senior Girls' School in Basingstoke until 1940, after which she attended Worting village school before leaving school when she was 14 years old. Her first employment was as an usherette at a cinema in Reading. Arthur moved to London on his own shortly after, accepting a job offer for the live-in position of caretaker-chauffeur for Porn & Dunwoody Ltd., a lift manufacturer. In 1941, Ellis befriended Edna Turvey, the girlfriend of her older brother Julian, who was on leave from service in the Royal Navy. Edna introduced Ellis to what Muriel later called "the fast life." Eventually, Ruth and Edna moved to London and lived with Arthur. His abuse against Ellis continued while he simultaneously engaged in an affair with Edna, although the affair ended when Bertha caught the pair in bed after making an unannounced visit. Bertha moved to London following the discovery of her husband's affair.
In 1944, when Ellis was 17 years old, she became pregnant by Clare Andrea McCallum, a married Canadian soldier. As a result, she was forced to move to a nursing hospital in Gilsland, Cumberland. On 15 September, she gave birth to her son, Clare Andrea (Andy) Neilson. McCallum stopped sending money around a year after the delivery. Andy, who eventually went to live with Bertha, was supported by Ellis through her employment in several factory and clerical jobs.
By the end of the 1940s, Ellis had become a nightclub hostess in Soho through nude-modelling work, which paid significantly more than her previous jobs. Morris Conley, her manager at the Court Club in Duke Street, blackmailed his hostess employees into sleeping with him. By early 1950, Ellis was making money as a full-service escort and became pregnant by one of her regular clients.
On 8 November 1950, Ellis married 41-year-old George Johnston Ellis, a divorced dentist with two sons, at the register office in Tonbridge, Kent. A regular customer at the Court Club, George was a violent and possessive alcoholic who became convinced that his new wife was having an affair. Ellis left him several times but always returned. When she gave birth to a daughter, Georgina, in 1951, George refused to acknowledge paternity; they separated shortly afterwards and later divorced.