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: Ordinary of Newgate
This Day in History – 28 February 1750
On 28 February 1750, James Sandiland was convicted at the Old Bailey for aiding armed smugglers of the Hawkhurst Gang in Kent. Despite claiming to be a respectable butcher, he was sentenced to death and executed at Tyburn for his role in landing untaxed tea and brandy.
This Day in History: 18 January 1694 — John Edwards and the Broad Cloth Theft
On 18 January 1694, John Edwards, a plasterer of Aldgate, was implicated in the theft of forty yards of white broad cloth. Found guilty of felony, he was sentenced to death. His repentance and execution at Tyburn weeks later are recorded in the Ordinary of Newgate’s account, revealing the harsh realities of seventeenth-century justice.
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