|
Executions at Tyburn 1705 – 1714. |
With
special thanks to Mr. Dave Mossop for allowing me to publish the results of his
years of painstaking research thus enabling this
unique insight into 18th century crime and punishment. If you would like more detail
on some of these cases or wish to view the trial transcripts, have a look at
the Old Bailey on-line website at http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
446 death sentences were passed during the decade, on
280 men, 112 women and 54 people whose details were not recorded. Of these 142 men, 36 women and possibly 3
other people were duly hanged at Tyburn and 1 woman burned at the stake. At least 2 of the men
were quartered after hanging. Overall
reprieve rate: 59.87 %. Male reprieves: 49.29%.
Female reprieves: 66.97%.
Reprieve rates are based upon executions at Tyburn only. 6 men and 1 woman were hanged in other
locations and 1 woman burned at West Smithfield.
Where women pleaded pregnancy, which a very large number did, they were
examined by a panel of matrons and if found to be “quick with child,” they were
respited until after they had given birth.
If not “quick,” they could be hanged.
Most of those respited were reprieved although you will see cases, e.g.
Deborah Churchill, where they were called to former judgement and subsequently
executed.
1705
There were
a minimum of 9 men (see December below) and 7 women executed at Tyburn, plus a
woman at West Smithfield. The fate of 14
other condemned persons is not known.
22 men, 10
women and 8 persons, whose sex was not recorded, were sentenced to death at the
Old Bailey during this year.
The
Sessions held on the 15th of January resulted in 4 men and 2 women being
sentenced to death of whom 2 men were reprieved and the 2 women found to be
“quick with child.”
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 7th February |
Joseph Johnson |
Highway robbery |
|
John Norton |
Stealing in a shop |
The 28th of
February Sessions resulted in 7 men and 1 woman being sentenced to death, of
whom at least 2 men and the woman were hanged.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 9th March |
Edward Fuller |
Murder |
|
William Pullmam |
Highway robbery |
|
|
Elizabeth Harman |
Not known |
2 men and 4
women were sentenced to death at the 18th of April Sessions. Both men and 1 woman were subsequently
reprieved. Cecelia Labree
was burnt at
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 4th May |
Margaret Green |
Burglary |
|
Jane Dyer |
Theft |
Only 1
person was condemned at the Sessions that opened on the 23rd of May. There is no confirmed record of an execution for
this person but see below.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 1st June |
Unnamed female |
Not known |
|
Unnamed female |
Not known |
It is
possible that these 2 women had been called to former judgement or that 1 of
them was the person sentenced in May.
The
Sessions on the 4th of July resulted in no death sentences.
The next
Sessions began on the 29th of August and resulted in 8 men (including one boy)
and 3 women being sentenced to death. 4
of the men and 2 of the women were hanged.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 19th September |
John Meadows |
Murder |
|
James King |
Horse theft |
|
|
Richard Lewis |
Highway robbery |
|
|
Eleanor Jackson |
Housebreaking |
|
|
Anne Gardiner |
Housebreaking |
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 21st September |
Murder |
The 10th of
October Sessions resulted in 2 death sentences with no further details
available.
The
December Sessions opened on the 5th resulted in 6 death sentences of whom only 1 man is confirmed as hanged. A reprieve arrived after he had been
suspended for 18 minutes and he was cut down and survived. He was reprieved and was able to record his feelings. His execution is included in the totals.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 12th December |
Housebreaking |
1706
There were
a minimum of 9 men executed at Tyburn, plus a man at Turnham Green. The fate of 21 other condemned is not clear.
2 men received pardons.
14 men, 12 women
and 9 persons, whose sex was not recorded, were sentenced to death at the Old
Bailey during this year.
The first
Sessions of 1706 were held on the 16th of January and resulted in 1 woman
receiving the death sentence. There is no record of her execution.
The next
Sessions opened on the 20th of February and resulted in 4 female death
sentences. A conditional pardon was granted to 21 women on
3 people
were condemned at the April 3rd Sessions - their fate is not known.
The 8th of
May Sessions resulted in 2 men and 3 women receiving death sentences. 2 of the
women were found to be “quick with child” and 1 man and the other woman were
reprieved.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 15th May |
Housebreaking |
6 male
death sentences were passed at the Sessions on the 3rd of July with 2 recorded
executions.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 19th July |
John Willis |
Murder |
|
Benjamin Arnold |
Housebreaking |
The August
Sessions on the 28th saw recorded 2 death sentences. It is not known what happened to these
people.
2 men and 4
women were sentenced to death at the October Sessions on the 16th of that
month, with the 4 women and 1 man reprieved.
Roger Lowen was hanged at Turnham Green,
presumably near the crime scene, on Friday, the 25th of October.
8 men were
condemned at the 4th of December Sessions with 2 men being reprieved.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 13th December |
Richard Morris |
Housebreaking |
|
Thomas Arnold |
Housebreaking |
|
|
Arthur Chambers |
Not known |
|
|
William Bentley |
Not known |
|
|
William Dabell |
Not known |
|
|
James Gardiner |
Housebreaking |
1707
18 men, 1
woman and 5 of unknown gender were sentenced to death during this year. 12 men,
1 woman and possibly 3 other people were hanged at Tyburn this year. 2 men were hanged at other locations and 1
man received a pardon. The fate of 4
others is unknown.
Only 1 man
was condemned at the January Sessions on the 15th.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 24th January |
Highway robbery |
5 people
were sentenced to death at the 26th of February Sessions, 4 for
housebreaking. There is no record of any
executions.
The
newspaper the “Post Boy” records 3 executions on Wednesday, the 5th of March
but gives no details.
2 men and a
woman were sentenced to death at the 23rd of April Sessions and all were
hanged.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 2nd May |
John Goodwin (Plug/Gooding) |
Burglary |
|
Thomas Dickson |
Burglary |
|
|
Alice Gray |
Aiding rape |
1 man was condemned
at the 28th of May Sessions and he was hanged.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 6th June |
Burglary |
1 man was
condemned at the 9th of July Sessions and he was reportedly hanged.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 18th July |
John Wittingham |
Not known |
2 men were
sentenced to death at the 3rd of September Sessions and both hanged. William Elby (Dunn)
was hanged for murder on Saturday, the 13th of September at Fulham and afterwards
hanged in chains.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 12th September |
Housebreaking |
2 men were
condemned at the October Sessions on the 15th of that month of whom 1 was
executed. John Herman Brown was hanged for arson in St. James’ Street and
afterwards hanged in chains at
The
Sessions held on the 10th of December resulted in 9 men receiving death
sentences. 1 man was reprieved and another respited on the way to Tyburn.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 17th December |
John Hall |
Burglary |
|
Richard Low |
Burglary |
|
|
Stephen Bunch |
Burglary |
|
|
William Davis |
Housebreaking |
|
|
Joseph Montisano (Day) |
Housebreaking |
|
|
William Kite |
Rape of 7 year old |
1708
16 men and
11 women and two other persons were sentenced to death during this year. 1 man
was called to “former judgement” from a previous year and 1 man received a
special verdict. 8 men and 4 woman were hanged at Tyburn. 1 man and 1 woman received
pardons. The fate of 16 others is
unknown.
The first
Sessions of the year were held on the 15th of January resulting in 3 men and 1
woman being condemned plus John Reid who was called to “former judgement.” The
woman and 3 of the men were reprieved.
|
Date of execution |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 28th January |
Alexander Carrol |
Murder |
|
John Reid |
Horse theft |
1 man and 3
women were sentenced to death at the February Sessions on the 25th with 2 women
being later reprieved as 1 was found to be “quick with child” and the other
because she was “very aged.” Deborah
Churchill, who had been found quick, was subsequently
hanged in December.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 3rd March |
Thomas Ellis |
Housebreaking |
|
Anne Simmons |
Privately stealing from person |
The April
Sessions opened on the 14th with 1 man receiving the death sentence and one man
being called to former judgement. Both
were hanged, alongside John Mawgridge who had
received a special verdict in 1706. He
had been convicted of murder but this was in effect appealed to the Queen’s
Bench. They affirmed the conviction but Mawgridge escaped abroad and was later recaptured in
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 28th April |
David Bayly |
Murder (brother) |
|
William Gregg |
High Treason |
|
|
John Mawgridge |
Murder |
There were no
death sentences at the 20th of May Sessions.
2 men were
sentenced to death at the 7th of July Sessions with both being reprieved.
3 people
were condemned at the September Sessions which opened on the 8th, 1 of them being
subsequently hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 24th September |
Burglary |
3 men and 3
women were condemned at the 13th of October Sessions of whom 2 men and 1 woman
were reprieved.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 27th October |
John Barnes |
Murder |
|
Mary Ellener |
Murder bastard |
|
|
Aggitha Ashbrook |
Murder bastard |
The final
Sessions of 1708 took place on the 8th of December with 5 men and 4 women being
sentenced to die, of whom all were reprieved, 3 women pleaded pregnancy. Deborah
Churchill was called to former judgement from February and was subsequently
hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 17th December |
Accessory to murder |
1709
21 men, 4 women
and 12 other persons were sentenced to death during this year. 1 man was called
to “former judgement.” 4 men and 4
others received pardons. 12 men and 2 women were hanged at Tyburn. The fate of 16 others is unknown.
1 man
received the death sentence at 17th of January Sessions which was later
commuted. Another man was called to
former judgement.
5 men and 2
women were condemned at the March Sessions on the 2nd of that month of whom
just 1 man is confirmed as hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 23rd March |
George Skelthorp |
Highway robbery |
2 men and 2
others were condemned at the 4th of May Sessions with the 2 others being
reprieved.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 18th May |
Richard Dove |
H/T clipping coins |
|
Mark Harris |
Housebreaking |
1 man and 2
others were condemned at the 8th of June Sessions with 1 man being subsequently
hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 24th June |
Housebreaking |
2 men and 2
others were sentenced to death at the July Sessions on the 20th. 2 men were subsequently hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 3rd August |
Richard Juice |
Unknown |
|
Thomas Sollars |
Unknown |
The 7th of September
Sessions resulted in 2 men, 2 women and 4 others being condemned. The 4 others
were reprieved.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 16th September |
Richard Northcoat |
Housebreaking |
|
Josiah Vanhuyse |
Housebreaking |
|
|
Mary Day |
Burglary |
|
|
Ann Harris |
Stealing in a dwelling house |
The 12th of
October Sessions resulted in death sentences on 2 unnamed persons.
8 men were
condemned at the December Sessions that opened on the 7th, of whom 4 were
reprieved.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 16th December |
Aaron Jones |
Housebreaking |
|
Joseph Wells (Walls) |
Housebreaking |
|
|
John Long |
Highway robbery |
|
|
Thomas Smith |
Burglary |
1710
14 men, 7
women and 12 other persons were sentenced to death during this year. 7 men and 5 women received pardons. 4 men and
2 women were hanged at Tyburn. The fate
of 15 others is unknown.
The January
Sessions on the 13th of the month resulted in 2 men and 2 others receiving
death sentences. All were reprieved.
5 people
were condemned at the 6th of March Sessions.
Only 1 woman is recorded as having been hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 17th March |
Grace Tripp |
Accessory to murder |
2 men were
sentenced to death at the April Sessions on the 19th with both receiving pardons.
2 men and 2
others were condemned at the May Sessions on the 24th, of whom only 1 man was
pardoned and the other died in prison.
2 men and 2
others were condemned at the 5th of July Sessions, of whom only 1 man was to
hang.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Wednesday 26th July |
Thomas Macnammara (Mortimer) |
Highway robbery |
2 men and 6
women were sentenced to death at the September Sessions on the 6th of that
month. 1 man and 1 woman were hanged.
|
Date |
Name |
Crime |
|
Friday 15th September |
Charles Dean |
Burglary |
|
Mary (Jane) Forrest |