Elizabeth Berry, a 31-year-old widow and nurse, became the first woman to be hanged at Walton Prison in Liverpool in 1887. Accused of murdering her daughter, Edith Annie, whom she invited to spend a few days with her at the workhouse. Edith fell ill, displaying symptoms of poisoning, and died on March 14, 1887. The suspicious deaths of Elizabeth’s husband, son, and mother were also noted, with insurance payments received for each. Elizabeth’s trial revealed insurance policies on Edith’s life, and she was found guilty of murder, receiving a mandatory death sentence. Notably, James Berry, the chief hangman, had danced with Elizabeth at a police ball two years before the execution. Despite his discomfort, Berry carried out the execution, and Elizabeth was buried within the prison precincts. The case highlighted the role of insurance, the intensity of interactions between the executioner and the condemned, and the contrast with later, more silent executions in the 20th century. Elizabeth Berry’s execution was one of the last female hangings at Walton Prison, with only one more occurring in 1894. The prison later witnessed one of the last executions in Britain in 1964.