Tag Archives: january 17th

This Day in History: 17 January 1681 — Elizabeth Wigenton and the Murder of Her Apprentice

On 17 January 1681, Elizabeth Wigenton, a coat-maker of Ratcliff Parish, was tried at the Old Bailey for the wilful murder of her thirteen-year-old apprentice. After binding and beating the girl so violently that she died, Wigenton was found guilty of murder. This case reveals the brutal realities of apprenticeship and justice in seventeenth-century London.

This Day in History: January 17th

Here are 10 historical events that took place on January 17th, listed in chronological order: 395: Roman Emperor Theodosius I dies, leading to the permanent division of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western halves. 1773: Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle. 1781: American Revolutionary War: Battle of CowpensContinue reading “This Day in History: January 17th”