[ponderingturtle]

Originally Posted by EHocking

Cite?
Most were civil servants and paid, others were dragooned into it.
There is this;
In17th century Sweden there was a practice of offering the job to a person on death row in lieu of their own execution. But again, most were appointed by the monarch or career executioners.

It also became a family business in some cases

"For over 200 years the Grossholtz or Grosholtz family worked as executioners in France and Germany. Often the children would follow in the father's footsteps. This is how the family dynasty came about. As far as I can tell the family lived in the village of Landser where the first executioner resided."

http://memorykeepernotes.blogspot.co...ecutioner.html