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THIS PAGE CONTAINS PHOTO'S OF DEAD PEOPLE CHILDREN BEWARE
ON THIS PAGE YOU WILL FIND A LIST OF SOME THE EXECUTIONS,HANGING AND TRAGIC DEATHS THAT OCCURRED IN COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE 1700-1900
Coventry.
The assizes were opened either the day before those for Warwickshire or the same day
or after the close of the Warwickshire Assizes. There were at least 23 executions at Whitley Common.
23 executions were carried out. It is not known how many death sentences
were passed as there are no surviving records for these. 14 reprieves have
been traced at the National Archive.
In the period 1757 to 1799 there were 47 death sentences passed of which 19 were carried out.
In the years 1735 – 1756, 20 death sentences were commuted and reports of
4 executions have been found. It is likely that other executions took place in this period
Name Crime Execution date
Joseph Wright Sodomy F 15 August 1755
Thomas Grimes Sodomy F 15 August 1755
Jonathan Filley H/T coining W 8 September 1756
Joseph Lee H/T coining W 8 September 1756
John Rew Robbery in a dwelling house W 19 April 1758
William Ogden Stealing in a dwelling house W 10 August 1763
Margaret Brown Stealing in a dwelling house W 10 August 1763
John Phillips Stealing in a dwelling house W 10 August 1763
Margaret Clarke At large W 10 August 1763
Jane Smith At large F 21 December 1764
Thomas Farn & Murder of Charles Pinchbeck M 2 August 1773
John How Murder of Charles Pinchbeck M 2 August 1773
Thomas Morris Burglary W 10 April 1776
John Sutley Burglary W 10 April 1776
Thomas Summers Bestiality W 28 April 1784
Thomas Bissell Forgery M 18 April 1785
William Hawkins Forgery M 18 April 1785
John Farmer Horse theft M 18 April 1785
Josiah Neal Dayus Robbery in a dwelling house W 19 April 1786
Mary Welkin Arson W 11 April 1787
Anthony Fanshaw Robbery in a dwelling house W 18 August 1790
John Phillips Robbery in a dwelling house W 18 August 1790
Matthew Archer Robbery in a dwelling house W 18 August 1790
Warwickshire.
The assizes were always held at Warwick. At least 144 executions took place, generally at Gallows Hill,
Warwick.
In the years 1735 – 1756, 84 death sentences were commuted and 16 executions reported.
In the period 1757 to 1799 there were 486 death sentences passed of which 128 were carried out,
plus 1 possible. It is possible that 3 further executions took place in this period.
Execution date Name Crime
August 1735 John Amus Murder of Dodd, turnkey of Oxford gaol
10 September 1736 John Lloyd Robbery in a dwelling house
April 1737 Thomas Savage Murder Hanged in chains 12 miles from Warwick
13 April 1739 Mary Brittain Murder of her bastard
John Jones Horse theft
William Butler Burglary
14 April 1742 Robert Mansell Wilmot Highway robbery
John Andy Housebreaking
Lent 1744 John Jeffrey Murder of his wife Execution
25 April 1745 David Smith Murder of his wife
Lent 1748 Charles Wright Sheep theft Execution
18 November 1748 Thomas Sideway Horse theft
Summer 1749 William Hunter Broke out of gaol & robbed gaoler Execution
13 April 1750 William Priest At large
21 April 1753 James Williams Highway robbery
1 August 1755 Samuel Hawkforth Murder of Eleanor Keatley
17 April 1756 James Edwards Highway robbery
25 August 1756 John Collins Riot at Nuneaton
Edward Cross Riot at Nuneaton
14 May 1757 Thomas Heritage Sheep theft
26 August 1757 Joseph Butler Highway robbery
John Clarkson Highway robbery
5 April 1760 John Webb Murder of Elizabeth Masters
7 August 1761 Richard Corden H/T coining
12 August 1762 Anne Morrell Murder of her bastard
17 September 1763 John Smith At large
3 May 1764 John Browne Horse theft
17 April 1765 Edward Drury, Murder of Thomas Edwards
Robert Lesley
Moses Baker Hanged at Stoneleigh Common afterwards in chains there
6 September 1765 George Carter Highway robbery
3 April 1767 Michael Allum Murder of William Muddyman
25 April 1767 Henry Capes Highway robbery
9 August 1769 John Armstrong Housebreaking
10 May 1771 William Jenkinson Housebreaking
Charles Hasloe Burglary
22 April 1772 John Jones Highway robbery
Joseph Robinson Highway robbery
12 April 1773 Edward Glasrott Sacrilege stealing from a church
21 August 1773 James Duckworth H/T coining
19 March 1774 John Cliff Sacrilege stealing from a church
9 August 1774 William Cranmore Highway robbery
5 May 1775 Thomas Aldridge Highway robbery
Summer 1775 Hannah Saunders Highway robbery execution
15 April 1776 William Whick Housebreaking
Edward Baker Burglary
20 August 1778 Alice Curtis Murder of her bastard
Mary Knight Murder of her son, Roger (6)
26 March 1779 Robert Jones Murder of Josiah Connep
16 April 1779 John King Highway robbery
James Edmonds Highway robbery
John Colborne Burglary
Aug/Sept 1780 John Shepherd Burglary
2 April 1781 John Donnellan Murder of Sir Thodosius Boughton
2 April 1781 John Hammond Murder of Wilfred Barwick
Thomas Pitmore Murder of Wilfred Barwick Hanged at Washwood Common, afterwards in chains there
18 April 1781 John Leviston Burglary
12 September 1781 Richard Hopkins Rape
John Griffiths Rape
John Murphy Rape
29 March 1783 John Clay Murder of Ann Hands
Hanged in chains at Chilvens Coton
11 April 1783 James Knight Robbery in a dwelling house
Joseph Knight Robbery in a dwelling house
Walter Bakewell Highway robbery
26 April 1784 Guy Earl Housebreaking
James Griffith Burglary
William Stringer H/T coining
27 August 1784 Thomas Buckler Burglary
John Buck Burglary
22 April 1785 Elizabeth Green Stealing in a dwelling house
John Chatburn Cattle theft
Samuel Smith Stealing in a dwelling house
Samuel Packwood Housebreaking
John Slight Horse theft
John Shardlove Horse theft
13 August 1785 John Richardson Highway robbery
3 April 1786 Eleanor Haywood Murder of her bastard
William Wood Murder of Rebecca Brindley
15 April 1786 William Prested Sheep theft
John Thay (17) Horse theft
Ann Sutton Theft
2 April 1787 John Barnes Burglary
20 April 1787 David Wright Privately stealing from the person
John Swift Highway robbery
24 August 1787 John Nicholls Burglary
George Whittall Highway robbery
Charles Hunt Rape
John Wilmot Highway robbery
18 April 1788 John Hawkes Highway robbery
Joseph Huckwill Highway robbery
William Turrell Privately stealing from the person
Former member of the "Culworth Gang" of whom 4 were hanged at Northampton in 1787
25 July 1788 Brian M'Mahon Murder of William Whitmore
8 August 1788 John Smith Highway robbery
Former member of the "Culworth Gang" of whom 4 were hanged at Northampton in 1787
William Giles H/T coining
1 May 1789 Thomas Hall Highway robbery
28 August 1789 Matthew Delane Highway robbery
16 April 1790 Thomas Longshaw Burglary
Thomas Wiggins Burglary
William Cooksey Cattle theft
Richard Cox Horse theft
Richard Francis, Highway robbery
John Johnson, Highway robbery
William Collis Highway robbery
Charles Hargrove Highway robbery
15 April 1791 William Terry Burglary
Richard Gill Burglary
Edward Harris Burglary
8 September 1791 Francis Field Riot
John Green Riot
William Millinton Horse theft
Edward Brown Highway robbery
20 April 1792 William Pears, Highway robbery
Richard Pearson Highway robbery
James Wright Highway robbery
Luke Parker Theft
Benjamin Phillips Housebreaking
7 September 1792 Daniel Ryan Burglary
26 April 1793 Richard Palmer Forgery
Ann Cooke Highway robbery
Bickley Barnes Highway robbery
16 August 1793 William Downs (17) Burglary
James Wilson (16), Robbing Birmingham Coach Office
Edward Revey Robbing Birmingham Coach Office
James Clarke Robbing Birmingham Coach Office
2 September 1793 John Wyatt Horse theft
14 August 1795 James Price H/T coining
John Lappidge H/T coining
Richard Orton Forgery
Margaret Boulker Riot
John Ward Riot
28 March 1796 Patrick Welch, Murder of Joseph Pinfold
William Howard Murder of Joseph Pinfold
William Ridley Murder of Joseph Pinfold
8 April 1796 William Allen H/T coining
5 August 1796 Thomas Ward Burglary
3 April 1797 John Brown Murder of Sergeant Cartwright
15 April 1797 Charles Hawkins Horse theft
Richard Tallis Sheep theft
Edward Walker Horse theft
20 April 1798 William Parsons Burglary
John Robinson Burglary
Francis Holmes Sheep theft
John Chandler Sheep theft
George Knight Sheep theft
Thomas White Sheep theft
12 April 1799 William Jameson Horse theft
James Buck Highway robbery
9 August 1799 John Smith Housebreaking
MORE BACKGROUND TO SOME DEATHS/HANGINGS
1734 Thomas Wildley, a woolcomber, murdered his aunt, Susannah Wall, and Ann Shenton,
her daughter, who kept the White Lion in Smithford Street.
1758 John Rue hanged for house-breaking
1765 Thomas Edwards, a farmer, was murdered near Whoberley, by Moses Baker, a weaver
of Coventry, and two dragoons named Drury and Leslie. They were hung afterwards at
Gibbet Hill
1772 Mary Cloes, of Gosford Street was burnt to death by spontaneous combustion. The
deceased was so excessively addicted to dram-drinking, that she occasionally drank a
quart of rum, or of aniseed water, daily; and thus filling her veins with spirits,
she became inflammable as a lamp.
1772 Charles Pinchbeck, keeper of the Stoke toll-gate, near Binley, was robbed and
murdered in his own house by two burglars named Farn and Howe.
1785 Bissell and Hawkins were hanged for forgery, and Farmer for horse stealing.
1787 Mary Felkin set he Golden Horse public house on fire. She was convicted and
executed for the offence.
1790 Farnsworth, Phillips and Archer were hanged for robbing the 'Shepherd and
Shepherdess' public house in Keresley
1800 Bissaker and Henshaw were hanged for forgery.
1810 Obadiah Yardley, having committed suicide, his body was buried near to the
junction of Hannah Lane with the Stoney Stanton Road, against the canal bridge.
1817 Thomas Lawson, butcher, was killed in his bed by the falling of his house, in
the Great Butcher Row.
1817 Charles Sanders was executed at Warwick, for the murder of an old man named
Rogers at Keresley.
1818 William Law was killed by a man named Jackson, of Foleshill, in a quarrel on the
Warwick Road, when returning from Kenilworth Statutes.
1821 Edward Bradshaw was executed on Whitley Common for burglary at the Punch Bowl
public house, Spon End, and cutting and wounding Mr. Lines, the Landlord.
===========
Part 2
I have extracted the following names from the F. White & Co.s Warwickshire Directory
1874, History of Coventry. This is part two.
Anyone spot an ancestor here?
1831 Mary Ann Higgins was executed on Whitley Common for murdering her uncle by means
of poison, an old man of the same name, residing in Spon Street.
1831 a meeting of ribbon weavers... and in the course of collecting a meeting for the
evening, a party entered the factory of Josiah Beck... and set fire thereto. Two of
those apprehended, Sparkes and Burbery, were condemned to death....afterwards commuted
to transportation for life.
1849 Mary Ball was hanged in front of the gaol for poisoning her husband at Nuneaton.
1849 Mr. William Wombell was killed by an elephant at Coventry Show Fair.
1861 A fire occurred in the rick-yard of Mr. Sammon, Tile Hill.
1872 A murder was committed at Priors Hardwick. The culprit was Edward Hancock, a
butcher, who stabbed his wife.He was executed at Warwick gaol.
1873 Dr. Waters, an eminent physician, was thrown from his horse after visiting a
patient, at Sowe, and died from the effects of the fall the day after.
1873 A shocking murder and suicide occurred at King's Wood, near Warwick. The parties
were Francis Spencer Hildrick, aged 73, and Joseph Parsons, aged 43, whom it appears
lived together in a cottage for 20 years. They lived in a rather peculiar manner, no
female being allowed to enter the premises. At night Parsons returned home about
eleven o'clock, and he and Hildrick were seen conversing together on the road.
Parsons walked into the house, took down a gun, and deliberately shot Hildrick
through the head, who dropped dead. Parsons re-loaded the gun, and, after three
fruitless attempts to discharge it, shot himself, and the wound proved fatal.
1873 At Bishop Itchington John Smith and a sheep dog were killed by lightning whilst
sheltering under a tree. Thomas Atkins, a labourer, who was also sheltering under the
same tree, was severely stunned.
OLD COVENTRY STOCKS IN MARKET PLACE
County Hall, Cuckoo Lane and Prison Governor's House, Pepper Lane.
Since 1988 when the court moved to Much Park Street the building has attracted the interest of several breweries for conversion to a pub cum wine bar. Sadly much of the original courtroom furniture has been stripped away.
The County Hall, a stone-built courthouse, was erected in 1783-84, and was one of the few 18th century public buildings in the city. Land adjacent was used as a gaol and the Prison Governor's House is still attached to the County Court building.
GIBBET HILL BETWEEN COVENTRY AND KENILWORTH THE PLACE WHERE MANY EXECUTIONS TOOK PLACE
