Background
Blay was born in Oxford and convicted of theft several times.
Blay was born in Oxford and convicted of theft several times.
Once his sentence was served, he gained notoriety as a hangman in Hobart, and is believed to have hung over 200 people in the course of a long career spanning from 1840 to 1891. This made him the longest serving hangman in the British Empire. After being involved in attempted counterfeiting (which was a crime punishable by death) he was sentenced and transported to Australia in 1836.
He arrived at Hobart at 21 years of age, While still a convict he became a police constable in Brighton but lost the position due to problems with alcohol and was sent to a chain gang.
He unsuccessfully tried to escape. In 1840 he applied for the position of hangman and he performed his first hanging in at the age of 25.
He lived in Oatlands, and executed prisoners at the gaol there, but travelled all over Tasmania to execute prisoners. He used the short drop method of hanging for many years, which essentially kills by strangulation.
Later he adopted the more humane longer drop method.
In 1862 he executed Margaret Coghlan, who was the last woman to be executed in Tasmania. He often had difficulties obtaining transportation as some coachmen would refuse to transport him or his fellow passengers should shun him. As hangman he was paid a modest wage, a payment per hanging, and was entitled to keep the clothes of the prisoners he hung.
He performed his last hanging at the age of 71.
He died and was buried in an unmarked pauper"s grave at Cornelian Bay in Hobart.