Staffordshire Assizes were always held at Stafford. 467 death sentences led 109 executions, plus 14 probable ones. Executions took place at Sandyford near Stafford up to 1793 and from then on the flat roof of the gatehouse of the Stafford County Gaol in Gaol Road Stafford (first there Ebenezer Colston).
| Assize date | Name | Crime | Execution date |
| 1735 – 3 executions | |||
| W 23 July | James Seaborne | Horse theft | ??/08/1735 |
| “ | Thomas Amison | Horse theft | ??/08/1735 |
| “ | Philip Giles | Horse theft | ??/08/1735 |
| 1736 – 3 executions | |||
| W 11 August | William Burton | Horse theft | ??/09/1736 |
| “ | Edward Wilson | Burglary | ??/09/1736 |
| “ | John Evans | Burglary | ??/09/1736 |
| 1737 – No executions | |||
| 1738 – 2 executions | |||
| Tu. 21 March | Charles Cadman | Burglary | ??/04/1738 |
| “ | Charles Winn | Broke fishpond | ??/04/1738 |
| 1739 – 3 executions | |||
| Th. 15 March | Thomas Willot | Murder of Thomas Plumb | ??/04/1739 |
| Hanged in chains on Mere Heath. | |||
| “ | Thomas Andrews | Burglary | ??/04/1739 |
| W 22 August | John Bagley | Burglary | ??/09/1739 |
| 1740 – No confirmed executions – probably 5 men were hanged | |||
| W 12 March | Blackmore Bill | Highway robbery | Unknown |
| “ | William Simms | H/T coining | Unknown |
| Tu. 5 August | John Goodwin | At large | Unknown |
| “ | Lawrence Roberts | At large | Unknown |
| “ | John Temple | Burglary | Unknown |
| 1741 – No confirmed executions – probably 3 men were hanged | |||
| Tu. 24 March | John Bright | Unknown | Unknown |
| “ | James Causeway | Unknown | Unknown |
| “ | Thomas Plant | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1742 – No confirmed executions – probably 3 men & 2 women were hanged | |||
| Tu. 30 March | Henry Manwaring | At large | Unknown |
| “ | Elizabeth Woodward | At large | Unknown |
| “ | Jane Turner | Murder of her female bastard | Unknown |
| F 20 August | Thomas Darncy | At large | Unknown |
| “ | Thomas Ball | Burglary | Unknown |
| 1743 – 1 execution | |||
| W 23 March | Edward Perry | At large | S 16 April |
| 1744 – No confirmed executions – probably 1 man hanged | |||
| W 25 July | John Taylor | At large | Unknown |
| 1745 to 1749 – No executions | |||
| 1750 – 1 execution | |||
| W 28 March | Heelinge Yardley | Murder of wife, Sarah | S 21 April |
| 1751 & 1752 – No executions | |||
| 1753 – 2 executions | |||
| W 14 March | William Wardle | Horse theft | S 7 April |
| “ | Joseph Williams | Highway robbery | S 7 April |
| 1754 – No executions | |||
| 1755 – 2 executions | |||
| Th. 24 July | Thomas Williams | Highway robbery | S 9 August |
| “ | William Anderson | At large | S 9 August |
| 1756 – 2 executions | |||
| S 3 April | John Clarke | Horse theft | S 24 April |
| “ | John Mole | Highway robbery | S 24 April |
| 1757 – 2 executions | |||
| W 2 March | Thomas Pearciful | Highway robbery | S 19 March |
| “ | Nathaniel Alman | Murder of wife, Sarah | M 7 March |
| 1758 – 1 execution | |||
| W 22 March | Henry Smith | Murder of wife, Jane | M 27 March |
| 1759 & 1760 – No executions | |||
| 1761 – 1 execution | |||
| F 23 March | Abraham Durham | Highway robbery | S 25 April |
| 1762 – No executions | |||
| 1763 – 1 execution | |||
| Th. 24 March | Mary Saunders | Murder of her female bastard | M 28 March |
| 1764 – 2 executions | |||
| Th. 29 March | William Robinson | Burglary | S 2 June |
| “ | Humphrey Walters | Highway robbery | S 21 April |
| 1765 – No executions | |||
| 1766 – 4 executions | |||
| Th. 27 March | William Stuart | Housebreaking | S 12 April |
| “ | Nicholas M’Donagh | Housebreaking | S 12 April |
| “ | Joseph Hunt | Highway robbery | S 12 April |
| Th. 17 July | William Baylis | Housebreaking | S 2 August |
| 1767 – No executions | |||
| 1768 – 2 executions | |||
| Th. 24 March | John Lee | Burglary | S 16 April |
| W 3 August | John Tibbetts | Horse theft | S 20 August |
| 1769 to 1771 – No executions | |||
| 1772 – 1 execution | |||
| Th. 26 March | Thomas Davis | Murder of Elizabeth Parker | M 30 March |
| 1773 – 3 executions | |||
| Th. 11 March | John Carter | Arson | S 3 April |
| “ | John Wilkes | Highway robbery | S 3 April |
| W 18 August | John Challenor | Murder of his father, John | M 23 August |
| 1774 – 2 executions | |||
| Th. 10 March | William Hood | Burglary | ??/ April |
| Th. 21 July | Samuel Silvers | Burglary | S 6 August |
| 1775 – No executions | |||
| 1776 – 3 executions | |||
| Th. 14 March | Job Jackson | Murder of daughter, Catherine | M 18 March |
| “ | John Wanklin | Burglary | S 30 March |
| “ | James Bond | Forgery | S 30 March |
| 1777 – 2 executions | |||
| Th. 27 March | William Hobens | Murder of Sarah Speed | M 31 March |
| W 30 July | John Martin | Murder of William Broome | M 4 August |
| 1778 – 3 executions | |||
| Th. 26 March | James Griffin | H/T coining | S 11 April |
| “ | Thomas Rushbury | H/T coining | S 11 April |
| “ | Thomas Beardmore | Burglary | S 11 April |
| 1779 – 4 executions | |||
| Th. 25 March | Francis Roberts | Stole in dwelling house | S 10 April |
| “ | Thomas Davis | Horse theft | S 10 April |
| “ | George Eastthop | Murder of Benjamin Smith | M 29 March |
| Th. 22 July | John Croft | Burglary | S 7 August |
| 1780 – 5 executions | |||
| W 8 March | John Johnson | Burglary | S 25 March |
| “ | David Upton | Highway robbery | S 25 March |
| W 16 August | John Sandum | Burglary | S 2 September |
| “ | Thomas Turner (47) | H/T possession of coining | S 2 September |
| implements | |||
| “ | Mary Kellicks | Burglary | S 23 September |
| 1781 – No executions | |||
| 1782 – 2 executions | |||
| W 13 March | William Ball | Stole in dwelling house | S 30 March |
| “ | John Longmore | Murder of William Snibson | M 18 March |
| 1783 – 2 executions | |||
| W 12 March | John Shepherd | Highway robbery | S 29 March |
| “ | Stephen Barlow | Riot | M 17 March |
| 1784 – 5 executions | |||
| W 10 March | John Grain | Horse theft | S 27 March |
| “ | Thomas Tyers | Horse theft | S 27 March |
| “ | John Oakley | Horse theft | S 27 March |
| “ | John Green | Murder of Ann Austin | M 15 March |
| S 7 August | William Cole | H/T coining | S 28 August |
| 1785 – 1 execution | |||
| W 9 March | John Robinson | Burglary | W 16 March |
| 1786 – 6 executions | |||
| W 15 March | Jacob Stanley | Burglary | S 1 April |
| “ | John Insley | Burglary | S 1 April |
| “ | James Whitehouse | Burglary | S 1 April |
| “ | Samuel Brown | Burglary | S 1 April |
| “ | John Plimmer | Sheep theft | S 1 April |
| “ | John Waltho | Sheep theft | S 13 April |
| 1787 – 1 execution | |||
| W 14 March | William Bagnall | Sheep theft | S 31 March |
| 1788 – 2 executions | |||
| W 12 March | Thomas Davis | Horse theft | S 29 March |
| “ | Charles Marsh (Townsend) | Housebreaking | S 29 March |
| 1789 – 6 executions | |||
| Th. 26 March | Stephen Hately | Robbery in a dwelling house | S 11 April |
| “ | Joseph Gorton | Burglary | S 11 April |
| Th. 13 August | David Jones | Stealing in a dwelling house | S 29 August |
| “ | James Lawrence | Horse theft | S 29 August |
| “ | James McCabb | Highway robbery | S 29 August |
| “ | Richard Romfree | Highway robbery | S 29 August |
| 1790 – 4 executions | |||
| W 10 March | Joseph Wassell | Burglary | S 27 March |
| “ | Edward Green | Burglary | S 27 March |
| “ | John Stokes | Burglary | S 27 March |
| “ | James Shipley | Murder of mother, Ann | M 26 July |
| 1791 – 2 executions | |||
| W 9 March | Daniel Hall | Burglary | S 26 March |
| “ | Joseph Rogers | Housebreaking | S 10 September |
| 1792 – No executions | |||
| 1793 – 7 executions | |||
| Th. 14 March | James Stubbs | Highway robbery | S 6 April |
| “ | John Riddle | Murder of Thomas Ward | W 20 March |
| “ | John Bettley | Aiding above murder | W 20 March |
| “ | Richard Ellis | Aiding above murder | W 20 March |
| “ | Samuel Capewell | Burglary | S 6 April |
| W 31 July | John Hackett jr | Burglary | S 17 August |
| “ | Ebenezar Coulson | Murder of Henry Yates | M 5 August |
| 1794 – 1 execution | |||
| W 26 March | James Belfield | Horse theft | S 12 April |
| 1795 – 4 executions | |||
| W 25 March | Thomas Jones | Horse theft | S 11 April |
| “ | Joseph Foster | Horse theft | S 11 April |
| “ | William Nield | Horse theft | S 11 April |
| W 5 August | Joel Lunn | Housebreaking | S 22 August |
| 1796 – 4 executions | |||
| W 9 March | Michael Doricott | Murder of Joseph Bache | M 14 March |
| “ | John Horton | Burglary | S 26 March |
| “ | James Nightingale | Burglary | S 26 March |
| “ | Thomas Brown | H/T coining | S 26 March |
| 1797 – 1 execution | |||
| W 23 August | Thomas Wilmot Oliver | Murder of John Wood | M 28 August |
| 1798 – 4 executions | |||
| W 28 March | Andrew Burns | Highway robbery | S 14 April |
| “ | Patrick Farrell | Highway robbery | S 14 April |
| W 8 August | Edward Kidson | Cattle theft | S 25 August |
| “ | Robert Lander | Highway robbery | S 25 August |
| 1799 – 2 executions | |||
| W 27 March | Charles Squires | Murder of Joseph Green | M 1 April |
| W 24 July | William Lea | Counterfeiting | S 10 August |
| Eo = ordered for execution. | |||
Support the Archive
If you have found this article useful and would like to help preserve and maintain this historical archive, please consider supporting the site.