On 21 May 1722, Thomas Smith and John Hawkins were executed at Tyburn for highway robbery. Smith committed a petty theft under Ludgate, while Hawkins took part in a major mail coach robbery. Their cases highlight both opportunistic crime and organised theft in early 18th-century London.
Tag Archives: 18th century crime
This Day in History: 19 May 1743
Gabriel Beaugrand was convicted of manslaughter on 19 May 1743 after a tavern dispute in Newport Street turned deadly. What began as a drunken argument over status at sea ended in a fatal stabbing. Beaugrand was branded rather than executed, while his uncle Lewis Brunet was acquitted.
This Day in History: 7 May 1740
John Sawney was executed on 7 May 1740 for robbing Sarah Cockram of her cloak in Drury Lane. A former sailor turned soldier, his life spiralled into crime and drink. Captured moments after the theft, he was convicted and sentenced to death in a stark example of 18th-century justice
This Day in History: 7 April 1725
In 1725, Mary Hanson was convicted of murdering her brother-in-law, Francis Peters, during a drunken domestic dispute in St Katherine’s, London. With no prior quarrel or motive, the case shocked contemporaries and stands as a stark example of how sudden violence could lead swiftly to execution in 18th-century England.
This Day in History: 2 April 1788
n 1788, tailor David Clary was convicted of deliberately setting fire to his own home in London—triggering a blaze that endangered neighbouring properties. With no direct witnesses, the case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence, revealing one of the earliest and most striking examples of suspected insurance fraud.
This Day in History – 26 March 1735
In 1735, George Ward led a violent armed robbery in a Clerkenwell bakehouse, shooting and robbing Thomas Gibson. This Old Bailey case reveals a brutal insider-led burglary, a chilling confession, and the unrepentant final days of a condemned man in Georgian London’s criminal underworld.
This Day in History: 18 February 1775 — John Smith and the Fatal Return
On 18 February 1775, John Smith was tried at the Old Bailey for returning from transportation before his fourteen-year term had expired. Originally sentenced to death for highway robbery and reprieved, he was again condemned to die before being transported once more, on the eve of the American Revolutionary War.
This Day in History: 13 February 1706 — Peter Blake and the Crime of Bigamy
On 13 February 1706, Peter Blake married his first wife in Salisbury. Sixteen years later, he was tried at the Old Bailey for bigamy after marrying again while she was still alive. Found guilty in 1722, he was sentenced to be burnt in the hand, a common branding punishment of the era.
This Day in History: 20 November 1782 — The Watch in the Moonlight
On 20 November 1782, John Reynolds stood trial for stealing a silver watch from a passer-by in London. Caught within minutes and tried at the Old Bailey, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years’ transportation. This retelling explores the danger, drama and consequences of petty theft in Georgian London.
This Day in History: 14 November 1770 — The Silver Tankard Affair
On 14 November 1770, John Buckley was tried at the Old Bailey for stealing a silver tankard from a London public house. Caught with it hidden under his coat, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years’ transportation. This retelling explores tavern culture, theft, and Georgian justice.
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