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
Tag Archives: History
This Day in History: 6 May 1685
On 6 May 1685, twenty-three prisoners were executed at Tyburn following an Old Bailey session. Despite the Ordinary’s efforts, many remained unrepentant, hoping for pardon until the end. The account reveals a sombre mass execution marked by silence, resignation, and the harsh realities of early modern justice.
This Day in History: 24 April 1723
On 24 April 1723, five men were tried for the murder of Anne Bristol after she was found dying on Smallberry Green. Witnesses heard screams, surgeons found brutal injuries, and confessions were read—yet every accused man was acquitted.
This Day in History – 22 April 1789
In 1789, servant Sarah Natchell was accused of stealing over £45 from Bartholomew Coffee House in West Smithfield. Though only convicted of stealing tea-cloths, the betrayal of household trust earned her a harsh sentence: seven years’ transportation to New South Wales aboard the Lady Juliana.
This Day in History: April 15th, 1692
Henry Harrison was executed in 1692 for the murder of Dr Nicholas Clench, a London physician. The case centred on financial motive, suspicious circumstances, and Harrison’s contradictory statements at trial, highlighting how early modern justice often relied on credibility as much as concrete evidence.
This Day in History: April 14th, 1860
In 1860, a routine police check in Marylebone turned violent when two men brutally attacked Constable Thomas Bell with life-preservers. Mistaking them for help, he was struck down and left bleeding in the street. Both attackers were later captured and sentenced to eight years’ penal servitude.
This Day in History: April 13th, 1743
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.
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: 9 April 1684
On 9 April 1684, two women named Mary Corbet were tried at the Old Bailey—one for counterfeiting coin, the other for murdering her concealed newborn child. Both were sentenced to death, yet later records hint at a royal pardon, leaving their ultimate fates uncertain and historically ambiguous.
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.
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