With special thanks to Mr. Dave Mossop for allowing me to publish the results of his years of painstaking research thus enabling this unique insight into 18th century crime and punishment. If you would like more detail on some of these cases or wish to view the trial transcripts, go to the Old Bailey on-line website at http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
329 death sentences were passed during the decade on 295 men and 34 women. Of these, 175 men and 15 women were duly executed. The period from 1759 to 1762 being remarkable for the low number of executions.
Overall reprieve rate : 42.25%, Male reprieves : 40.68%, Female reprieves : 55.89%.
1755
There were 7 “hanging days” at Tyburn with 21 or 22 men and 2 women being hanged.
A total of 38 men and 4 women were sentenced to death at the Old Bailey during the year of which 20 men and 1 woman were reprieved.
The Sessions held on the 16th of January resulted in 9 men and 1 woman being sentenced to death, of whom 6 man and the woman were reprieved. The February Sessions that began on the 24th resulted in a further 4 men being sentenced to death, of whom 3 were hanged.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 17th March (sentenced in 1754) | John Preston | Housebreaking |
| John Dyson | Housebreaking |
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 17th March (sentenced in 1755) | Joseph Gill | Highway robbery |
| Edward Merrill | Highway robbery | |
| Thomas Travis | Burglary | |
| John Burton | Burglary | |
| Edward Haynes | Stealing in a workhouse | |
| William Burk | Highway robbery |
6 men were sentenced to death at the April Sessions of whom 5 were hanged.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 12th May | Francis Prior | Stealing in a dwelling house |
| John West | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| William Powell | Horse theft | |
| William George | Horse theft | |
| Joseph Gold | Stealing in a shop |
3 men received death sentences at the 15th of May Sessions. Two resulted in reprieves but William Bowyer may have been hanged as there is no record of a reprieve for him.
The Sessions on the 2nd of July saw 5 men and 1 woman get the death sentence, of whom 2 or 3 men were hanged.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 28th July | John Sibthorp | Horse theft |
| William Bowyer and/or James Bignall | Privately stealing from person at large |
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 4th August | Barnaby Horan | Procuring men to enlist in foreign service |
The next Sessions began on the 10th of September and resulted in 4 men and 1 woman being sentenced to death. The woman was executed alone on the 15th of September and 3 of the men in November.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 15th September | Mabel Hughes | Murder |
2 men were condemned at the October Sessions on the 23rd of that month, of whom 1, Rowley Harrison, was hanged.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 12th November | John Benson | Highway robbery |
| Jonathan Wigmore | Shot at | |
| Samuel Dibble (Dipple) | Burglary | |
| Rowley Hanson | Highway robbery |
The December Sessions opened on the 4th and 5 men and a woman received death sentences, of whom 2 men were reprieved and 2 men were left for execution in 1746.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 8th December | Richard Jeffreys | Murder of Jeffey’s wife |
| Elizabeth Barnes |
1756
29 men were sentenced to death during this year and 15 men were hanged at Tyburn on 6 “hanging days”.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 23rd February (sentenced in 1755) | Thomas Broadhurst | Burglary |
| Christopher Wade | Highway robbery |
The first Sessions of 1736 were held on the 15th of January and resulted in 3 death sentences, of which one was commuted.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 23rd February (sentenced in 1756) | Alexander Thompson | Bankrupt, concealing assets |
| John Boswell | Highway robbery |
The next Sessions opened on the 25th of February and resulted in 2 death sentences, of which 1 was commuted.
6 men were condemned at the 28th April Sessions, with 1 hanged. There were no death sentences at the June Sessions.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 28th June | John Parkin | Uttering |
| Charles Cane | Stealing in a shop |
The Sessions on 14th of July resulted in 2 men being condemned, of whom 1 was reprieved.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 19th July | John Girle | Murder |
The September Sessions on the 15th saw 6 men condemned, of whom 4 were reprieved. One was hanged the following Monday for murder whilst the other was held over for execution in December
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 20th September | William Cannicut | Murder of wife |
5 men were sentenced to death at the October Sessions on the 20th of that month, with 3 reprieves.
A further 5 men were condemned at the December Sessions on the 8th with just 1 reprieve.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 20th December | John Cartwright | Stealing in a dwelling house |
| Jonathan Hirst | Highway robbery | |
| Francis Mugford | At large | |
| Bartholomew Ball | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| Edward McAllister | Highway robbery | |
| John Millward | Uttering | |
| John Jolly | Highway robbery |
1757
32 men and 4 women were sentenced to death during this year, of whom 20 men and 2 women were hanged in 1757 and 3 left for execution in 1758. There were 4 “hanging days” at Tyburn this year.
No death sentences were passed at the January Sessions. 5 men were sentenced to death at the 23rd of February Sessions, of whom 3 were hanged.
7 men and 2 women were condemned at the 20th of April Sessions and 5 of the men hanged. The May Sessions led to 2 men and a woman being condemned, the 2 men being reprieved.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 18th of May | Richard Hughes | Uttering |
| William Harris | Highway robbery | |
| Thomas Marsh | Highway robbery | |
| Benjamin Search | Highway robbery | |
| John Edwards | Highway robbery | |
| William Adam | Uttering | |
| John Macleary | Procuring men to enlist in foreign service | |
| Michael Sullivan | Procuring men to enlist in foreign service |
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 30h May | Mary Mussen | Murder of her bastard child |
The July Sessions saw 4 men and 1 woman condemned. One of the men was reprieved.
A further 9 men were sentenced to die at the September Sessions, of whom only 1 was reprieved.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 5th October | William Hadley | Housebreaking |
| Stephen Harding | Housebreaking | |
| John Pritchard | At large | |
| Eleanor Eddows | Uttering | |
| Andrew Smith | Uttering | |
| John Bradbury | Highway robbery | |
| Brent Coleman | Robbery in a dwelling house | |
| Richard Gregory | Robbery in a dwelling house | |
| John Roberts | Highway robbery | |
| Thomas Price | Highway robbery | |
| Bartholomew Goodfield | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| John Long | Horse theft |
Just 1 man was condemned at the October Sessions on the 26th of that month.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 23rd November | Henry Clark | Highway robbery |
The Sessions held on the 7th of December resulted in 4 death sentences being passed, 1 man being reprieved. The others were hanged in 1758.
1758
There were 5 hanging days at Tyburn in 1758 with 18 men and 2 women being executed. 23 men and 6 women were condemned during this year. It is not clear whether the 2 women executed for H/T coining were burnt or hanged.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Friday 31st March(sentenced in 1757) | William Green | Highway robbery |
| Jeremiah Bailey | Highway robbery | |
| Joseph Wood * | H/T Coining |
*Joseph Wood committed suicide in Newgate on the day of or day before execution but his dead body was hanged at Tyburn.
The first Sessions of the New Year were held on the 13th of January resulting in 4 men and 4 women being condemned, of whom 1 man and 1 woman were reprieved. One woman was respited until October as she was “quick with child”.
Just 1 man was sentenced to hang at the February Sessions on the 22nd and he was reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Friday 31st March(sentenced in 1758) | Joseph Wheely | Stealing in a dwelling house |
| Alice Davis | H/T Coining | |
| Samuel Ong | Highway robbery | |
| John Davis | Highway robbery | |
| John Allen | Highway robbery |
6 men were condemned at the April Sessions, of whom 2 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 1st May | William Stevens | Stealing in a warehouse |
| Richard Vaughan | Uttering | |
| William Boadger | Uttering | |
| James Cotes | Highway robbery |
No death sentences were passed at the May Sessions.
2 men were condemned at the June Sessions on the 28th and both hanged.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 1st July | Jacob Romert | Murder |
4 men and a woman were condemned at the September Sessions which opened on the 13th. The woman and one of the men being subsequently reprieved.
| Date of execution | Name | Crime |
| Monday 2nd October | Mary Larney | H/T Coining |
| John Currier | Uttering | |
| Richard Pensome | Highway robbery | |
| John Downes | Burglary | |
| Thomas Head | Stealing in a dwelling house |
5 men were condemned at the October Sessions, of whom 3 were reprieved. The final Sessions of 1758 took place on the 6th of December with a man and a woman being sentenced to die, both being reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 18th December | Robert Nowlan | Shot at |
| William Green | Horse theft |
1759
There were 3 hanging days at Tyburn this year with 5 men and a woman being executed. 15 men and one woman were condemned during this year.
There were no death sentences passed at the 17th of January Sessions. 2 men were condemned at the February Sessions on the 28th of that month of whom 1 was reprieved and there is no record of the fate of the other. 2 men and a woman were sentenced to hang at the April Sessions, the men being reprieved and the woman becoming the last to hang from the old “Triple Tree” gallows.
No death sentences were passed at the May Sessions on the 30th of that month.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 18th June | Catherine Knowland | Highway robbery |
Only one death sentence was passed at the Sessions on the 11th of July.
The September Sessions resulted in 4 men being condemned. One man was probably reprieved. Those hanged were executed on the new portable gallows.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 3rd October | Edward Norman | Highway robbery |
| James Innes | Shot at | |
| John Rice | Horse theft | |
| Richard Lamb | Murder |
The October Sessions resulted in 3 male death sentences, of whom 2 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 19th November | John Ayliffe | Utter |
3 men were condemned at the December Sessions, of whom 2 were reprieved and the other held over for execution until 1760.
1760
There were 5 hanging days at Tyburn in this year with 9 men and a woman being executed. 10 men and 2 women were condemned during this year.
The January Sessions on the 16th of that month resulted in just 1 death sentence (on Peter Hopewood.)
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 11th February(sentenced in 1759) | Thomas Hartshorn | Horse theft |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 11th February(sentenced in 1760) | Peter Hopewood | Horse theft |
3 men were condemned at the February Sessions, all being hanged.
A further man were sentenced to death at the April Sessions.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 28th April | John Guest | Burglary |
| Thomas Smith | Burglary | |
| William Beckworth | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| Robert Tilling | Burglary |
Lawrence the 4th Earl Ferrers was hanged at Tyburn on Monday the 5th of May, having been tried and condemned by his peers at Westminster Hall.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 5th of May | Lawrence Ferrers | Murder |
Just 1 woman was condemned at the May Sessions.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Saturday 24th of May | Ann Hullock | Murder of bastard child |
There were no death sentences at the July Sessions.
3 men were sentenced to death for murder at the September Sessions on the 10th of that month. Frederick David Stern died in Newgate on the day he was condemned, having previously refused food.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 15th September | John Dempsey | Murder |
| William Odell | Murder of wife |
A man and a woman were condemned at the October Sessions, the woman being reprieved.
Patrick McCarthy was hanged at Covent Garden, near the crime scene, on Saturday, the 25th of October. He was condemned on the Thursday. Had he been sentenced on the Friday, he would have been pardoned as George II died on Sunday, the 26th of October and George III granted a pardon to all criminals on his accession.
John Smith was the only person to receive a death sentence at the December 4th Sessions.
1761
There were 9 hanging days at Tyburn in 1741 with 16 men and a woman being hanged. 22 men and 5 women were condemned during this year.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 2nd February(sentenced in 1760) | John Smith | Horse theft |
3 men were condemned at the January Sessions on the 16th of that month and all hanged.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 2nd February (sentenced in 1761) | John Irwin | Highway robbery |
| Nicholas Campbell | Forgery | |
| George Barker | Uttering |
No death sentences were handed down at the February Sessions on the 5th of that month.
2 men and a woman were condemned at the April Sessions on the 1st. One of the men, Thomas Gardelle, was hanged in the Haymarket, opposite Panton Street, near the scene of his murder on Saturday, the 4th of April. The woman was reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 20th April | Thomas Davis | Uttering |
7 men were condemned at the May Sessions on the 6th. 3 were reprieved, one at the gallows.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 27th of May | William Dupuy | Highway robbery |
| Joseph Whalley | Highway robbery | |
| Charles Spruce | Stealing in a shop | |
| John Brett | Forgery |
There were no death sentences at the June Sessions.
4 men were sentenced to hang at the September Sessions on the 16th. 2 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 5th October | Donald Campbell | Forgery |
| Edward Gurnett | Stealing in a dwelling house |
3 men and a woman were condemned at the October Sessions on the 21st, of whom 1 man, John Perrot, was hanged at West Smithfield on Wednesday, the 11th of October for the crime of being bankrupt and concealing his effects.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 26th October | Richard Parrot | Murder of wife |
| Esther Rowden | Murder of bastard child |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 12th November | Samuel Lee | Uttering |
3 men and 3 women received death sentences at the December Sessions, the women being reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 14th December | Daniel Looney | Murder |
| Richard Greenstreet | P/T Murder of master |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 30th December | Thomas Aston | Highway robbery |
1762
There were 6 hanging days at Tyburn this year with 9 men and 2 women being hanged. 18 men and 4 women were sentenced to die in this year.
The 14th January Sessions led to two men being sentenced to death, 1 of whom was hanged.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 3rd of February | Samuel Harris | Highway robbery |
There were no death sentences passed at the February Sessions on the 24th of that month.
3 men were condemned at the April Sessions, of which 2 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 12th May | Edward Lewin | Housebreaking |
There were no death sentences passed at the May Sessions on the 26th of that month.
6 men and 2 women were sentenced to hang at the July Sessions, with 4 men being reprieved. John Plackett, from this group, was hanged for highway robbery at New Road Islington on Wednesday, the 28th of July and afterwards hanged in chains on Finchley Common.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 19th July | Sarah Metyard (mother) | Murder |
| Sarah Morgan Metyard (daughter) | Murder |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 26th July | James Hardy | Highway robbery |
3 men were condemned at the 15th of September Sessions and all 3 were hanged.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 13th October | James Collins | Highway robbery |
| James Wheam | Highway robbery | |
| John Kello | Forgery |
A further 3 men were condemned at the 20th October Sessions, of whom none were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 10th November | James Farr | Forgery |
| William Biddle | Forgery | |
| William Sparry | Forgery |
2 women and 1 man were condemned at the December Sessions on the 8th, although all were reprieved.
1763
There were 11 hanging days at Tyburn, this with 34 men and 3 women being hanged. 58 men and 6 women were condemned during this year.
8 men were condemned at the January Sessions on the 14th of that month, of whom 4 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 17th January | Emmanuel Mountain | Murder |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 9th February | Morrit Delaney | Highway robbery |
| John Collins | Highway robbery | |
| William Champ | Horse theft |
A man and a woman were condemned at the February Sessions on the 23rd of that month, the woman being later reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Saturday 26th February | Daniel Blake | Murder |
The next Sessions opened on Wednesday, the 13th of April, with 6 men and a woman being condemned. 4 of the men were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 4th of May | John Rice | Forgery |
| Paul Lewis | Shot at | |
| Hannah Dagoe | Stealing in a dwelling house |
8 men were condemned at the May Sessions on the 18th, with 3 being reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 15th June | James Chapman | Highway robbery |
| Richard Fossat | Highway robbery | |
| Michael Riley | Highway robbery | |
| Jonathan Dennison | Highway robbery | |
| John Swift | Stealing in a shop |
9 men were condemned at the 6th July Sessions, of whom 5 were to hang.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 24th August | George Saunders | Stealing in a shop |
| Lewis Mackeley | Housebreaking | |
| William Holloway | Highway robbery | |
| James Geary | Burglary | |
| James Murray | Murder |
11 men and 2 women were condemned at the September Sessions on the 14th, of whom 3 men and a woman were reprieved. All those not reprieved were hanged on the 21st of October.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 19th September | Hester Levingstone | Murder |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 12th of October | Peter Tobin | Highway robbery |
| Cornelius Connoly | Highway robbery | |
| Dennis Buckley | Highway robbery | |
| William Higgins | Highway robbery | |
| Thomas Madge | Personate | |
| Francis Smith | At large | |
| William Barlow | Uttering | |
| James Brown | Highway robbery |
11 men were sentenced to hang at the October Sessions on the 19th. 5 were subsequently reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Saturday 26th of October | Richard Cinderbury | Murder |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 23rd November | Hugh Maloney | Personate |
| George Anderson | Housebreaking | |
| Charles Brown | Stealing in a shop | |
| John Broughton | Forgery | |
| Patrick O’Hara | Highway robbery |
4 men and 2 women received death sentences at the Sessions on the 7th of December. One each of the men and women were reprieved
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 28th December | John Brannon | Burglary |
| Joseph Jervis | Robbery in a dwelling house | |
| Charles Riley | Robbery in a dwelling house | |
| Mary Robinson | Robbery in a dwelling house |
1764
There were 10 hanging days at Tyburn, this with 28 men and 1 woman being hanged. 49 men and 7 women were condemned during this year.
7 men and 2 women were condemned at the January Sessions on the 13th, of whom 4 of the men and the 2 women were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 15th of February | James Anderson | Highway robbery |
| Thomas Thompson | Burglary |
4 men and a woman were condemned at the February Sessions on the 22nd of that month with only 1 man being reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 7th of March | John Prince | Forgery |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 28th March | Ann Baker | Highway robbery |
| Peter Robins | Burglary | |
| James Rockett | Highway robbery | |
| Timothy Steward | Highway robbery |
The 2nd of May Sessions led to 11 men and one woman being condemned. 4 men and the woman were reprieved. William Turner, who had been convicted of highway robbery, died in prison before sentencing.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 6th June | John Leaving (or Larey) | Highway robbery |
| George Knight | Highway robbery | |
| John Fairbrother | Stealing in a shop | |
| Daniel Overton | Burglary | |
| Joseph Redman | Highway robbery | |
| John Dixon | At large | |
| John Ives | Housebreaking |
4 men and a woman were sentenced to hang at the June Sessions, one of the men and the woman being reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 11th June | John Turtle | Murder |
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 11th July | John Adams | Personate |
| Henry Harriman | Highway robbery |
3 men and a woman were sentenced to death at the 25th of July Sessions, with the woman being subsequently reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 15th August | Archibald Nelson | Personate |
| John Lacey | Highway robbery | |
| Thomas Edwards | Highway robbery |
The next Sessions began on the 12th of September and resulted in 8 men being condemned. Only 2 were reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 10th of October | Thomas Hands | Burglary |
| Thomas Forster | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| Joseph Derbin | At large | |
| John Jourdan | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| George Williams | Stealing in a dwelling house | |
| William Hill | Highway robbery |
3 men received death sentences at the October Sessions which opened on the 17th. OneI of these was subsequently reprieved.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Wednesday 14th November | David Spence | Stealing in a warehouse |
| John Carlow | Stealing in a warehouse |
8 men and a woman were sentenced to hang at the 12th of December Sessions, of whom 1 man and the woman were reprieved. Francis Stone, was hanged for murder within the normal 2 working days after sentence, and the rest suffered in January 1765.
| Date | Name | Crime |
| Monday 17th December | Francis Stone | Murder |
Analyses by year.
| Year | Men | Women | ||
| Sentenced to death | Hanged | Sentenced to death | Hanged | |
| 1755 | 38 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 1756 | 29 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 1757 | 33 | 20 | 3 | 2 |
| 1758 | 23 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1759 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1760 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1761 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 1762 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| 1763 | 58 | 34 | 6 | 3 |
| 1764 | 49 | 28 | 7 | 1 |
| Sub totals | 295 | 175 | 34 | 15 |
| Total death sentences 329 | Total executed 190 | |||
Analysis of executions by crime.
| Murder | 21 |
| Murder bastard child | 3 |
| P/T murder | 1 |
| Highway robbery | 59 |
| Housebreaking | 10 |
| Burglary | 13 |
| Horse theft | 10 |
| Stealing in a dwelling house | 13 |
| Rape | 1 |
| H/T coining offences | 3 |
| Arson | 0 |
| Forgery | 8 |
| Robbery in a dwelling house | 6 |
| Uttering | 15 |
| Stealing in a shop/warehouse | 11 |
| At large | 4 |
| Other crimes | 12 |
| Total | 190 |
Note : Other crimes include personating, shot at, concealing assets in bankruptcy, and enlisting men in foreign service.
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