Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Great Britain, wrote a letter the day before her 13 July 1955 hanging saying her solicitor, Victor Mishcon, could "reveal the truth." The note, addressed to MP George Rogers who sought clemency for her, will be auctioned in London with an estimate of £1,500–£2,000. Auctioneers say the letter may hint that Desmond Cussen supplied the gun Ellis used; the claim is attributed to the auction house. Ellis's grandchildren are seeking a posthumous pardon, citing prior abuse and the case's significance in debates over capital punishment.
Last Woman Hanged in Britain Left Final Letter Saying Her Solicitor Could "Reveal the Truth" — Note to Be Auctioned
Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Great Britain, wrote a letter the day before her 13 July 1955 hanging saying her solicitor, Victor Mishcon, could "reveal the truth." The note, addressed to MP George Rogers who sought clemency for her, will be auctioned in London with an estimate of £1,500–£2,000. Auctioneers say the letter may hint that Desmond Cussen supplied the gun Ellis used; the claim is attributed to the auction house. Ellis's grandchildren are seeking a posthumous pardon, citing prior abuse and the case's significance in debates over capital punishment.
01:44 AM, 11/16/2025Society
Ruth Ellis’s final letter hints that her solicitor could "reveal the truth"
A handwritten note by Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Great Britain, was written the day before her execution on 13 July 1955. Addressed to Labour MP George Rogers, who had campaigned for clemency on her behalf, the prison-sheet letter says her solicitor could disclose "the truth." The document is due to be offered at auction in London.
"I gather you will speak to Mr Victor Mishcon, and then you will find out the truth,"
Forum Auctions in London describes the note — headed with Ellis's name, prisoner number and the date — as a rare and poignant relic. The house estimates the sale price at £1,500–£2,000.
Rupert Powell, deputy chairman at Forum Auctions, says the letter "hints at Ellis divulging to her lawyer Victor Mishcon that she had been given the gun which she used to kill her lover David Blakely by Desmond Cussen, who had also showed her how to use it." This characterization comes from the auction house's interpretation of the letter and related accounts.
Ellis was convicted of killing David Blakely after shooting him outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead following a turbulent relationship marked by mutual infidelity. According to contemporary reports cited by the auction house, Ellis underwent an illegal abortion during the relationship and was at one point struck in the stomach by Blakely, an assault that reportedly caused a miscarriage. These details have been part of the historical record and later debate over her case.
George Rogers visited Ellis in prison and obtained her agreement to ask the Home Secretary for clemency; the appeal was refused and Ellis was hanged at Holloway Prison on 13 July 1955.
The case intensified public debate about capital punishment in mid-20th-century Britain. Two years after Ellis's execution, in 1957, the legal defence of diminished responsibility was introduced, altering how some violent crimes were treated in court.
Ellis's descendants are now pursuing a posthumous pardon, arguing she was a victim of sustained physical and emotional abuse prior to the killing. The auctioned letter — likely one of her last — adds a personal and contested document to the long-running conversation about her conviction, the circumstances around the killing and the broader legal and social context.
Note: Where interpretation is offered (for example, the claim that Desmond Cussen supplied the gun), it is attributed to the auction house; the letter itself does not name every detail that later commentators have suggested.