On 25 April 1746, nineteen-year-old servant Matthew Henderson was executed for murdering his mistress, Elizabeth Dalrymple. His confession shocked London: he claimed he had no clear motive, only a sudden temptation that led to one of the Old Bailey’s most disturbing domestic murders.
Tag Archives: Murder trial
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: 20 January 1690 — Elizabeth Deacon and the Death of Mary Cox
On 20 January 1690, Elizabeth Deacon brutally assaulted her servant maid Mary Cox, tying, whipping, burning and beating her over several days. Tried at the Old Bailey for wilful murder, Deacon was found guilty and sentenced to death, though execution was respited due to pregnancy. The case exposes the dangers faced by servants in seventeenth-century London.
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.
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