On 5 March 1839 two teenagers, Charles Chapman and Eliza Clements, were convicted at the Old Bailey for stealing a handkerchief in Fenchurch Street. Sentenced to ten years’ transportation, they were shipped to Van Diemen’s Land, where absconding, labour assignments, marriage and conditional pardons shaped their new colonial lives.
Tag Archives: Old Bailey trial
This Day in History: 25 February 1784 — John Smith and the Harley Street Robbery
On 25 February 1784, John Smith was convicted at the Old Bailey for robbing Francis Franco at pistol-point in Harley Street. Though sentenced to death for stealing over sixty pounds in gold and a watch, his sentence was commuted, and he was transported to America for seven years.
This Day in History: 21 February 1787 — Charles Shaw and the Robbery at St Paul’s
On 21 February 1787, Charles Shaw was tried at the Old Bailey for robbing John Hughes near St Paul’s Churchyard. Accused of tripping him and stealing a silver watch worth forty shillings, Shaw was found guilty of highway robbery and executed at Newgate Prison on 26 April 1787.
This Day in History: 20 February 1771 — Richard Mortis and the Moonlight Ambush
On 20 February 1771, Richard Mortis was tried at the Old Bailey for shooting Thomas Parkinson in a moonlit field after a dispute over poaching. Found guilty of willful and malicious shooting, Mortis was sentenced to death and executed on 27 March 1771, reflecting the harsh capital laws of Georgian England.
This Day in History: 18 February 1775 — John Smith and the Fatal Return
On 18 February 1775, John Smith was tried at the Old Bailey for returning from transportation before his fourteen-year term had expired. Originally sentenced to death for highway robbery and reprieved, he was again condemned to die before being transported once more, on the eve of the American Revolutionary War.
This Day in History: 12 February 1819 — John Barker and the Albion Tavern Theft
On 12 February 1819, John Barker was tried at the Old Bailey for stealing wine-glasses, a pepper-box and other items from the Albion Tavern in Aldersgate Street. Found guilty after the goods were discovered hidden on him, the 46-year-old waiter was sentenced to three months’ confinement.
This Day in History: 11 February 1818 — George Tomkins and the Three Sixpences
On 11 February 1818, George Tomkins was tried at the Old Bailey for stealing three sixpences from his employers on Holborn Hill. Caught in the act by a shopman and found guilty, the 36-year-old porter was sentenced to one month’s confinement, highlighting how even small thefts were prosecuted in Georgian London.
This Day in History: 6 February 1806 — Thomas Crumpton and the Stolen Copper
On 6 February 1806, Thomas Crumpton stood trial at the Old Bailey for stealing copper and metal goods worth just over a pound. Found guilty, he was sentenced to twelve months in the House of Correction and fined one shilling, highlighting how minor thefts were punished in Georgian London.
This Day in History: 5 February 1808 — Edward Westbrooke and the Stolen Cotton
On 5 February 1808, London’s highest criminal court, the Old Bailey, heard the case of Edward Westbrooke, who stood accused of stealing hundreds of printed cotton handkerchiefs and other textiles — goods of considerable value in the commercial heart of Georgian England. His trial, conviction and ultimate fate reveal much about how property, punishment andContinue reading “This Day in History: 5 February 1808 — Edward Westbrooke and the Stolen Cotton”
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