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Gathering the Jewels features over 30,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, archives and libraries throughout Wales.
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Condemned Cell at Ruthin Gaol, Denbighshire
On 17 February 1903, William Hughes, a Wrexham miner originally from Denbigh, was found guilty of shooting his wife and was hanged at Ruthin prison. The condemned cell shows William Hughes waiting to be led to his execution. On the day of the execution the scaffold would have only been around 15 yards away from the cell. The cell also had a hole knocked through the outer wall which led to the 2nd storey of the gallows ensuring that the prisoner only had to walk a few final steps. It was reported that the last thing Hughes did before he left his cell was look at a photograph of his family. As far as is known William Hughes was the only person to be hanged at Ruthin Gaol.
