Domestic theft – The Sage Page

This Day in History: 29 January 1695 — Jeane Bates and the Stolen Plate

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.