Executions in Berkshire 1735-1799

324 death sentences led to 85 confirmed executions and 2 probable ones. Executions took place at Early near Reading unless otherwise specified.

Assize date	Name	Crime	Execution date
1735 & 1736 – No executions

1737 – 2 executions
M 28 February	William George	Murder Elizabeth Blackford	S 19 March
M 18 July	Watkins Foreman	Housebreaking	W 3 August

1738 – 2 executions
M 27 February	James Brown	At large	S 11 March
“	John Sturabout	Murder of Giles Blagrove	S 11 March

1739 – 3 confirmed executions, plus 1 probable (Thomas Hitchcock)
M 5 March	Nathaniel Taylor	Highway robbery	S 17 March
M 30 July	Thomas Hitchcock	Arson	Unknown
“	Robert Milloway	Highway robbery	S 18 August
“	William Parrott	Highway robbery	S 18 August

1740 & 1741 – No executions

1742 – 3 executions
M 8 March	Paul Davis &	Housebreaking	S 20 March
“	Jacob Shervill	Housebreaking	S 20 March
“	John Parker	Sheep theft	S 20 March

1743 – 1746 – No executions

1747 – 1 execution
M 16 March	James Townley	Cattle theft	S 25 April

1748 – 1 execution, plus 1 probable
M 29 February	Francis Spicer	Murder of George Nicholls	S 2 April
	Hanged at Shinfield Green
M 18 July	John Strong	Sheep theft	Unknown

1749 – No executions

1750 – 3 executions
M 15 March	John Wells	Housebreaking	S 21 April
M 23 July	James Knight	Horse theft	S 11 August
“	John Horridge	Burglary	S 11 August

1751 – 2 executions
M 4 March	George Hussey	Highway robbery	S 23 March
M 15 July	Samuel W Burgoyne	Horse theft	S 27 July

1752 – 2 executions
F 28 February	James Whiting &	Highway robbery	S 14 March
“	Benjamin Whiting	Highway robbery	S 14 March

1753 – 2 executions
M 5 March	John Heath	Burglary	S 24 March
S 28 July	William Cowderoy	Robbery	??/August

1754 – 6 executions
M 4 March	John Heddington	Burglary	S 23 March
“	John Burgh	Burglary	S 23 March
“	William Hooper	Burglary	S 23 March
“	Thomas Forster	Burglary	S 23 March
M 22 July	Thomas Bastin	Housebreaking & cattle theft	S 10 August
“	John Palmer	Housebreaking & cattle theft	S 10 August

1755 – 2 executions
S 12 July	William Hill	Horse theft	Tu. 26 August
“	Margaret Wright	Murder of her bastard	Th. 17 July

1756 – No executions

1757 – 3 executions
W 30 March	William Short	Sacrilege	S 16 April
“	Robert Plank	Highway robbery	S 16 April
“	John Barnet	Burglary	S 16 April

1758 – No executions

1759 – 3 executions
Tu. 13 March	Thomas Harris	Rape of daughter Ann (11)	Unknown
“	William Cooper	Highway robbery	Unknown
“	Thomas Cross	Highway robbery	Unknown

1760 – 1 execution
M 3 March	John Vaughan	Highway robbery	S 22 March

1761 – 3 executions
M 2 March	Ann Giles	Arson	S 21 March
M 6 July	John Tucker	Bestiality	S 25 July
“	William Allen	Housebreaking	S 25 July

1762 & 1763 – No executions

1764 – 1 execution
M 5 March	Thomas Watkins	Murder of Mary Holland	F 9 March
	Hanged at Windsor and afterwards in chains there

1765 – No executions

1766 – 4 executions
M 3 March	Richard Maysey	Horse theft	Unknown
M 1 December	Daniel Eckland	Riot	Tu. 6 January ’67
“	William Simpson	Riot	F 26 December
“	John Shelton	Riot	F 26 December
	Eckland, Simpson & Shelton tried by a Special Commission at Reading

1767 – 2 executions
M 27 July	William Bryant &	Highway robbery	S 15 August
	Thomas Bryant	Highway robbery	S 15 August

1768 – 1772 – No executions

1773 – 2 executions
M 26 July	William Waldron	Sheep theft	M 16 August
“	John Blagro	Highway robbery	M 16 August

1774 – 2 executions
M 28 February	Richard Hoare	Housebreaking	S 26 March
M 11 July	Richard Myott	Burglary	S 30 July

1775 – No executions

1776 – 1 execution
M 4 March	William Clifford	Burglary	S 23 March

1777 – No executions

1778 – 3 executions
M 2 March	Richard Latham	Highway robbery	S 21 March
M 27 July	Richard Watkins	Burglary	S 15 August
“	Stephen Dicker	Robbery in dwelling house	S 15 August

1779 – No executions

1780 – 2 executions
M 24 July	Richard Odcroft	Horse theft	S 12 August
“	Joseph Sansum	Burglary	S 12 August

1781 – 4 executions
M 5 March	Robert Jennings	Highway robbery	S 24 March
M 23 July	John Lightfoot	Highway robbery	S 11 August
“	William Matthews	Highway robbery	S 11 August
“	John Keeling	Highway robbery	S 11 August

1782 – No executions

1783 – 2 executions
M 3 March	Daniel Gibbs &	Burglary	S 22 March
“	William Wayne	Burglary	S 22 March

1784 – 2 executions
M 19 July	Richard Bailey	Highway robbery	S 7 August
“	Benjamin Griffiths	Housebreaking	S 7 August

1785 – 2 executions
M 28 February	William Prizey	Burglary	Th. 24 March
M 4 July	John Kimber	Housebreaking	S 23 July

1786 – 3 executions
M 6 March	Richard Hemmings	Horse theft	S 25 March
“	John Steptoe	Sheep theft	S 25 March
“	William Cripps	Housebreaking	S 25 March

1787 – 3 executions
M 5 March	Abraham Tule (19)	Murder of William Billimose	F 9 March
“	William Hawkins (16)	Aiding above murder	F 9 March
	Both hanged on Mortimer Common, afterwards in chains there
“	John Butler	Shot at Benjamin Andrews	S 24 March

1788 – 3 executions
M 3 March	Thomas Rider	Stole in dwelling house	S 22 March
“	Richard Holloway	Horse theft	S 22 March

1789 – No executions

1790 – 1 execution
M 12 July	John Lloyd	Murder of William Lailey	Th. 15 July

1791 – 1 execution
M 1 August	James Chapman	Housebreaking	S 20 August

1792 – 1794 – No executions

1795 – 1 execution
M 13 July	James Barnes	Housebreaking	S 1 August
	First execution on the “New Drop” outside Reading Gaol

1796 – 1 execution
M 4 July	Thomas Collins	Burglary	S 23 July

1797 – 1 execution
S 4 March	Alexander Brown Rose	Housebreaking	S 25 March

1798 – 2 executions
S 3 March	John Williams	Highway robbery	S 24 March
“	John Davis	Highway robbery	S 24 March

1799 – 4 executions
M 4 March	Joseph Edwards	Stole in dwelling house	S 23 March
M 1 July	John Talbot	Highway robbery	S 20 July
“	William Matthews &	Horse theft	S 20 July
“	Thomas White	Horse theft	S 20 July

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