On 18 December 1865, London clerk George Wheeler pleaded guilty to embezzlement at the Old Bailey. Sentenced to penal servitude, he passed through Newgate, Pentonville and Portland prisons before his release in 1869. His story reveals the realities of Victorian imprisonment beyond the courtroom.
Tag Archives: local-history
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.
This Day in History — 25 September 1789
Mary Stultz — Petticoats and Prison (25 September 1789)
On this day, Mary Stultz stole a flannel petticoat and linen shirt. Convicted at the Old Bailey, she was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for goods worth just two shillings
The Sage Page 