Who Killed the King?

The mystery behind the executioner’s identity

There has been speculation about who chopped off the king’s head ever since Charles’ execution almost four centuries ago. The executioner and his assistant both wore face masks, fake hair and beards to conceal their identity from those present at the execution, perhaps fearing that there would be repercussions for their part in Charles’ death. It has even been suggested that the executioner’s failure to call out “Behold the head of a traitor!” when he lifted Charles’ decapitated head was because he did not want his voice to be recognised.

In hindsight, the executioner and his assistant were wise to disguise themselves, considering the reprisals that occurred when Charles II returned to assume his late father’s throne in 1660. Following the Restoration, the Indemnity and Oblivion Act granted amnesty to those who had supported the Parliamentarians, aside from 104 people – 49 of whom were named, plus the two executioners.

The man who is often cited as the most likely to be the king’s executioner was Richard Brandon, who was the common hangman of London from 1639 to 1649, A pamphlet titled The Confession of Richard

Brandon was published shortly after his death in June 1649, just five months after the execution. Although he always denied being the man who killed the king, the pamphlet reportedly recorded Brandon’s deathbed confession –but it is widely considered to be a forgery.

Other candidates have been suggested over time but none of them have been confirmed as the executioner. Although we will likely never know who the executioner was, we do know that they must have been a professional, as they managed to sever the king’s head in one go.