In 1743, apprentice Elizabeth Cannon and lodger Ann Ellard robbed their bedridden mistress after a night of drunken planning. Caught within hours, they confessed and were sentenced to death. This tragic Old Bailey case reveals how quickly crime, drink, and desperation could lead to the gallows in Georgian London.
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This Day in History: 10 April 1771
In 1771, sailor John Commings was convicted of perjury after falsely accusing Captain Richard Broad of murdering Thomas Scott aboard the King David. This remarkable Old Bailey case exposed contradictions, collapsing testimony, and the deadly danger of false evidence in an age when a man’s life could hang on a witness’s word.
This Day in History – 25 March 1797
In 1797, Elizabeth Willoughby was caught smuggling escape tools into Newgate Prison for condemned prisoner William Harper. This Old Bailey case reveals a bold jailbreak plot involving saws, chisels, and deception—offering a vivid glimpse into crime, punishment, and prison life in Georgian London.
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