Petty larceny – The Sage Page

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: 6 October — The Night of the Stolen Fowls (1793)

On 6 October 1793, eleven hens and two cocks vanished from a London yard. William Peters, aged sixty, was later tried at the Old Bailey and sentenced to twelve months in the House of Correction and fined one shilling. This vivid retelling captures London’s petty thefts and everyday justice.