Half-hanging explained

Half-hanging is a method of torture, usually inflicted to force information from the victim, in which a rope is pulled tightly around the victim’s neck and then slackened when the victim becomes unconscious. The victim is revived and the process repeated.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule in Ireland, government forces,^[1] in particular the militia^[2] and yeomanry, frequently used half-hanging against suspected rebels. A prominent victim of half-hanging was Anne Devlin, the housekeeper of Robert Emmet.^{[3] [4]}

See also

• Hanging
• Waterboarding
• John Smith (housebreaker), who earned the nickname Half-hanged Smith after surviving a sentence of hanging^[5]

Notes and References

1. Book: Hay . Edward . History of the Irish Insurrection of 1798,: Giving an Authentic Account of the Various Battles Fought Between the Insurgents and the King's Army, and a Genuine History of Transactions Preceding that Event. With a Valuable Appendix . 1847 . John Kenedy . 27 June 2024 . en.
2. Book: Pakenham . Thomas . The year of liberty : the great Irish rebellion of 1798 . 1997 . Weidenfeld & Nicolson . London . 978-0-297-82386-5 . 36 . 27 June 2024.
3. Book: Madden . Richard Robert . The Life and Times of Robert Emmet, Esq . 1847 . James Duffy . 10, Wellington Quay, Dublin . 187 . 27 June 2024 . en.
4. Book: Ward . James . Memory and Enlightenment: Cultural Afterlives of the Long Eighteenth Century . 11 November 2018 . Springer . 978-3-319-96710-3 . 168 . 27 June 2024 . en.
5. Book: Deary, Terry. Loathsome London. Scholastic. London. 2005. 1st. Horrible Histories. 63. Cool for Criminals. 9780439959001.