Overview of Burning at the Stake in England and Wales Burning at the stake in public was used in England & Wales to punish heresy for both sexes and for women convicted of High Treason or Petty Treason. Men who were convicted of high treason were hanged, drawn and quartered but this was not deemed acceptable for women as … Read more
The Crime of Petty Treason In these male-dominated times, men were considered more valuable in law than women. So if a woman killed her husband, she was guilty not merely of murder but the much more serious crime of Petty Treason. Petty Treason was defined by the Treason Act of 1351 and encompassed the killing … Read more
Background Margaret Beddingfield, who went by the name of Ann, was a Suffolk farmer’s daughter who was born in 1742. She married 24-year-old John Beddingfield, also a farmer, on Tuesday, July the 3rd, 1759, and his wealthy parents gave them a good farm near the village of Sternfield in Suffolk, some 18 miles from Ipswich. … Read more
Up to 1790, women convicted of High Treason and Petty Treason were burned at the stake. Although I am sure you have a perception of what High Treason is, as a crime in those days, it also encompassed several other offences, notably coining. Coining covered several individual offences relating only to gold and silver coins, e.g. clipping … Read more
