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Solomon's Noose - The True Story of Her Majesty's Hangman of Hobart.
The story of a young convict, Solomon Blay, who became Her Majesty's hangman in Van Diemen's Land; the man who personally had to deliver an Empire's judgment on 200 men and women, and endured his own noose of personal demons and demonisation in order to "survive"; all in the context of the great struggles of good-evil, life-death, hope-despair, which drew the attention of Darwin, Twain, Trollope and Dickens as Van Diemen's Land evolved from a Hades of Evil to sow the seeds of nationhood. The book paints a vivid picture of the society and poverty from which Blay's character was forged in England and the desperate, brutal nature of being a convict in Van Diemen's Land. Solomon's Noose is an important book in exposing the dark 'underbelly' in the formation of modern Australia.
"From the furthest corner of that foreign country, the past, comes the haunting story of the convict who became the British Empire's youngest executioner. Beware the shock of the true." - Andrew Rule, award-winning journalist and author.
"Impressive research and a story that challenges the imagination - except that it's true. A prisoner elects to become a hangman - to improve his lot in life. All this set against the Gothic world of Van Diemen's Land in the time of convicts, bushrangers and rough justice." - Les Carlyon, bestselling author of Gallipoli and The Great War.
"From the furthest corner of that foreign country, the past, comes the haunting story of the convict who became the British Empire's youngest executioner. Beware the shock of the true." - Andrew Rule, award-winning journalist and author.
"Impressive research and a story that challenges the imagination - except that it's true. A prisoner elects to become a hangman - to improve his lot in life. All this set against the Gothic world of Van Diemen's Land in the time of convicts, bushrangers and rough justice." - Les Carlyon, bestselling author of Gallipoli and The Great War.
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 10, 2016
This was a fascinating read both of Tasmania's penal history and the inner workings of the whole justice system. Solomon Blay was Tasmania's executioner/hangman for almost 50 years and this book details many of the cases and executions he was involved in. It was a very grim and harsh time and the job of hangman was a lonely and alienating one. He was ostracised by the whole community and it would have been difficult to imagine the personal demons he would have been dealing with. This was an insightful look into our past and especially the hardships faced by so many in this land that started off as a prison but became so much more. Personally I also enjoyed reading about so many familiar places in Tasmania that still imbibe so much history and keep the past in the present.
January 8, 2019
‘This is the story of Solomon Blay, a unique man in a unique time in a unique place: Van Diemen’s Land.’
Solomon Blay (20 January 1816 – 20 August 1897) was Her Majesty’s hangman in Van Diemen’s Land between 1840 and 1891. Solomon Blay was born in Oxford where, after convictions for theft, he was convicted of counterfeiting and was sentenced to fourteen years transportation to Van Diemen’s Land. He turned 21 years of age during the voyage. Solomon Blay was 24 years old when he applied for the position as ‘a sheriff’s operator’ and on 3 August 1840, he was approved ‘to be employed as Hangman at Hobart Town’. During his career, Solomon Blay hanged some 200 men and women. He died on 20 August 1897, aged 81, and was buried in a pauper’s grave at Cornelian Bay.
Mr Harris has researched Solomon Blay’s life. He paints a vivid picture of the poverty in which Blay grew up which makes some of his choices more understandable. Why did Blay apply to become the hangman? Simply to survive and to improve his lot in life. But being the hangman had its own difficulties. He frequently had to walk to his jobs because no coachman would carry him. While this book contains information about some of the hangings Solomon Blay conducted, it is the convict-related history which held my attention. Through Mr Harris’s depiction of Solomon Blay’s life, I gained a different perspective of convict life (and death) in my home state of Tasmania.
If you are interested in Tasmania’s penal and colonial history, I recommend this book.
Today, there is a silhouette sculpture of Solomon Blay in a paddock to the side of the Midland (Heritage) Highway in Tasmania, just south of Oatlands. This depicts the path Solomon Blay would have walked from Oatlands to Hobart for hangings.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Solomon Blay (20 January 1816 – 20 August 1897) was Her Majesty’s hangman in Van Diemen’s Land between 1840 and 1891. Solomon Blay was born in Oxford where, after convictions for theft, he was convicted of counterfeiting and was sentenced to fourteen years transportation to Van Diemen’s Land. He turned 21 years of age during the voyage. Solomon Blay was 24 years old when he applied for the position as ‘a sheriff’s operator’ and on 3 August 1840, he was approved ‘to be employed as Hangman at Hobart Town’. During his career, Solomon Blay hanged some 200 men and women. He died on 20 August 1897, aged 81, and was buried in a pauper’s grave at Cornelian Bay.
Mr Harris has researched Solomon Blay’s life. He paints a vivid picture of the poverty in which Blay grew up which makes some of his choices more understandable. Why did Blay apply to become the hangman? Simply to survive and to improve his lot in life. But being the hangman had its own difficulties. He frequently had to walk to his jobs because no coachman would carry him. While this book contains information about some of the hangings Solomon Blay conducted, it is the convict-related history which held my attention. Through Mr Harris’s depiction of Solomon Blay’s life, I gained a different perspective of convict life (and death) in my home state of Tasmania.
If you are interested in Tasmania’s penal and colonial history, I recommend this book.
Today, there is a silhouette sculpture of Solomon Blay in a paddock to the side of the Midland (Heritage) Highway in Tasmania, just south of Oatlands. This depicts the path Solomon Blay would have walked from Oatlands to Hobart for hangings.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
November 17, 2015
If are the least bit interest in the early years of white settlement in Australia then this book is for you. Our small isle called Tasmania was the sight of our first penal colony along with Sydney Cove at a comparable time.
We are all shocked by the treatment of our native forefathers, the aborigines, but this book tells us also about the tragic history of the first convicts. After performing minor crimes in the U.K.,, these poor people were subjected to extreme "torture" - the only word available for the horror of their treatment. No wonder Australia is noted for it's support for the under-dog whether it be in sporty, music, the arts, family, politics or everyday life.
This biography is about the last hangman in Tasmania. The tragedy is the death by hanging for anything from murder to blasphemous language towards their "superiors".
We are all shocked by the treatment of our native forefathers, the aborigines, but this book tells us also about the tragic history of the first convicts. After performing minor crimes in the U.K.,, these poor people were subjected to extreme "torture" - the only word available for the horror of their treatment. No wonder Australia is noted for it's support for the under-dog whether it be in sporty, music, the arts, family, politics or everyday life.
This biography is about the last hangman in Tasmania. The tragedy is the death by hanging for anything from murder to blasphemous language towards their "superiors".
October 14, 2016
I found this book slightly annoying. It purports to be 'the true story of Her Majesty's Hangman of Hobart' and it does tell the story of Solomon Blay, a convict hangman in the colony of Tasmania. But it also delves into many side alleys that are not relevant to the story.
That said, it is interesting as a broader history of the convict settlement, telling of the brutal way that the convicts were treated in those times.
It is a little repetitive, so some tighter editing may also have helped.
That said, it is interesting as a broader history of the convict settlement, telling of the brutal way that the convicts were treated in those times.
It is a little repetitive, so some tighter editing may also have helped.
September 26, 2018
For lovers of Tasmanian content and convict lives. Touches on the time of Charles Darwin, the fate of the Tasmanian Aboriginals and even Mark Twain.
An interesting glimpse in the making of the state of Tasmania and the reality of Hobart in the early years. Harris delivers good background on the debate regarding capital punishment and harsh punishment of convicts for often small and insignificant crimes.
A system so harsh, some murdered friends to face the hangman and be freed.
Harris relates the origins of the idea that rehabilitation may be more effective than punishment. Highlighting the realities of a brutal system where younger convicts were placed at the mercy of older offenders, subjected to "unnatural acts" and lost all hope of ever being free.
Primarily it is the story of a unskilled convict who made a choice. With little chance to better his lot, he chose to dispatch his fellow criminals to survive. Also how he perfected his chosen craft but often suffered for his choice within the community.
An interesting glimpse in the making of the state of Tasmania and the reality of Hobart in the early years. Harris delivers good background on the debate regarding capital punishment and harsh punishment of convicts for often small and insignificant crimes.
A system so harsh, some murdered friends to face the hangman and be freed.
Harris relates the origins of the idea that rehabilitation may be more effective than punishment. Highlighting the realities of a brutal system where younger convicts were placed at the mercy of older offenders, subjected to "unnatural acts" and lost all hope of ever being free.
Primarily it is the story of a unskilled convict who made a choice. With little chance to better his lot, he chose to dispatch his fellow criminals to survive. Also how he perfected his chosen craft but often suffered for his choice within the community.
December 9, 2017
Solomon’s Noose is an incredibly well written and researched book. It describes the settlement of Tasmania by prisoners and the almost unimaginable hardships that they suffered. Solomon Blay, the hangman, dispatched more than two hundred souls to the afterworld.
The research and detail in this book are staggering. That said, and given the title, it was a little disappointing to find myself twenty-five percent through the text before the first hanging occurred. I am not a historian but read for enjoyment and found the early part of the book drawn out. From the time, Blay starts hanging prisoners the flow and pace of the book picks up.
I ranked Solomon’s Noose four stars which is a hard ranking given the quality of the writing and research. However, enjoyment plays a big part in my assessments, and I thought the early part of the book was too dry. Historians and learned scholars will disagree with me.
The research and detail in this book are staggering. That said, and given the title, it was a little disappointing to find myself twenty-five percent through the text before the first hanging occurred. I am not a historian but read for enjoyment and found the early part of the book drawn out. From the time, Blay starts hanging prisoners the flow and pace of the book picks up.
I ranked Solomon’s Noose four stars which is a hard ranking given the quality of the writing and research. However, enjoyment plays a big part in my assessments, and I thought the early part of the book was too dry. Historians and learned scholars will disagree with me.
December 21, 2017
This is one of the most readable and thorough books on convict-era Australia.
If you were to pick up this book only hoping to learn about Solomon Blay, you may be disappointed by the many tangents of early white-Australian history that Steve Harris investigates. However, if you read this story hoping to learn about the era instead of the man, then you're likely to be as satisified as I.
Solomon Blay was in Australia for sixty years, and this book covers all of those years. This is a huge period of change for Australia, and Harris documents much of it in plain english with suitable and enchanting quotes. I am only disappointed that I chose to read this book so late in my convict-era research!
If you were to pick up this book only hoping to learn about Solomon Blay, you may be disappointed by the many tangents of early white-Australian history that Steve Harris investigates. However, if you read this story hoping to learn about the era instead of the man, then you're likely to be as satisified as I.
Solomon Blay was in Australia for sixty years, and this book covers all of those years. This is a huge period of change for Australia, and Harris documents much of it in plain english with suitable and enchanting quotes. I am only disappointed that I chose to read this book so late in my convict-era research!
December 11, 2025
My own interest in the story was sparked after visiting the old gaol and standing at the gallows. That physical experience added a weight to the pages as I read. Solomon’s Noose is meticulously researched exploration of Tasmania’s dark colonial past. What struck me most was how thoroughly Harris uncovers the brutality and tension of the era—he doesn’t sensationalise it, but instead presents the violence, politics, and personalities of the time with clarity and depth. The book feels both informative and captures the history of Tasmania.
October 30, 2020
Probably the best book of the genre I've read, though it comes as a surprise that even though the author is/was an editor, there are a few repeated and clunky turns of phrase that could have been scrapped. Only a one star deduction for that, given it is only a matter of opinion. Over all, a really gripping read with fascinating subject matter and a tonne of varied sources weaved into Blay's narrative throughout.
December 28, 2019
This was a slow read, mainly due to the amount of information.
What an amazing story of Vandiemen land’s longest serving hangman. So much Tasmanian and world history, links to literary figures that I never knew existed.
Also interesting insight into world views and crime; not to mention prisoner exportation.
What an amazing story of Vandiemen land’s longest serving hangman. So much Tasmanian and world history, links to literary figures that I never knew existed.
Also interesting insight into world views and crime; not to mention prisoner exportation.
May 3, 2020
Great history, nicely presented. Good mix of fact and construction.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews