On 29 January 1695, Jeane Bates, using a false name, stole silver plate and household goods from her employer Peter Courtney. Tried at the Old Bailey, she was identified as a repeat offender, found guilty of felony, falsely claimed pregnancy, and was executed at Tyburn. Her case reveals the harsh punishment for servant theft in seventeenth-century London.
Tag Archives: crime
This Day in History: 27 January 1688 — Mary Aubry and the Dismembered Murder
On 27 January 1688, French midwife Mary Aubry murdered her abusive husband in London and dismembered his body. Tried at the Old Bailey on 22 February, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to burning at the stake, carried out at Leicester Fields on 2 March 1688. Her case became one of early modern England’s most notorious.
This Day in History: 1 December 1838 — The Servant, the Spoons and the Silver Basket
On 1 December 1838, servant Ludlow Tedder stole two silver spoons and a valuable bread-basket from her master, Fitzowen Skinner. Tried at the Old Bailey later that month, she was convicted and transported for ten years to Van Diemen’s Land. This retelling explores trust, temptation and punishment in Victorian London.
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: 11 November 1794 — The Tale of the Pewter Pots
On 11 November 1794, John Webb stood trial at the Old Bailey for stealing pewter pots from a London innkeeper. Convicted and sentenced to seven years’ transportation, his story reveals how small acts of tavern theft could send Georgian Londoners halfway across the world.
This Day in History: 24 October 1787 — The Alehouse Quarrel
On 24 October 1787, John Millan stood trial at the Old Bailey for the manslaughter of James Carter after an alehouse quarrel. Witnesses described a single blow and a fatal fall. The jury found him not guilty, ruling the death an accident — a glimpse of mercy in Georgian London’s rough justice.
The Night Before: 22 October 1781 — The Thief in the Alehouse
On the night of 22 October 1781, John Tucker stole a silver watch from a fellow drinker in a London alehouse. Tried at the Old Bailey two days later, he was transported for seven years. This vivid retelling captures the perils of alehouse friendship and Georgian justice.
This Day in History: 21 October — The Gentleman of the Road (1772)
On 21 October 1772, highwayman Henry Duffill stood trial for robbing travellers on a London road with pistol and politeness. He was tried at the Old Bailey and was sentenced to death for highway robbery. His story captures the fading glamour of England’s “gentlemen of the road.”
This Day in History: 20 October — The Highwayman and the Flintlock (1779)
On 20 October 1779, highwayman John Staples robbed a traveller at pistol-point on a London road. Captured soon after and tried at the Old Bailey, he was sentenced to death for highway robbery. His case captures the fading days of England’s flintlock outlaws and the end of the highwayman era.
This Day in History: 7 October — The Silk Handkerchief Job (1806)
On 7 October 1806, pickpocket William King stole a silk handkerchief from George Pritchard in London. Convicted at the Old Bailey, King was sentenced to seven years’ transportation. This retelling explores how a single handkerchief theft reveals the harsh justice and fragile fortunes of Georgian London’s street life.
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