The Execution of Jonathan Wild, Thief-Taker General

Jonathan Wild (Wolverhampton, England, 1682/3 – London, England, 24th May 1725)

Our notorious guest today is a man whom we have met before, a supporting player in the tale I told last year of Joseph "Blueskin" Blake. Today though, on the anniversary of his execution, the stage belongs squarely to Jonathan Wild, the man known throughout England as the unflinching Thief-Taker General.

An arch manipulator and expert schemer, Wild enjoyed a reputation for his unerring commitment to fighting crime in London, known for a talent for retrieving stolen goods and bringing the guilty to justice. In fact this supposed champion of justice was a gang master himself, controlling an enormous network of thieves, fences and informers, moving vast amounts of stolen property across England and into Europe. He raked in a fortune in rewards for supposedly retrieving items that his own gangs had stolen, setting aside a good portion for the purposes of blackmail and bribery should it be needed. 

A ticket to the execution of Jonathan Wild

Even when the authorities became aware that something might be amiss, Wild proved too slippery for them for a good long time but eventually the net began to tighten. As 1724 became 1725, bad things were afoot in the world of the Thief-Taker General. The captain of the sloop used by Wild to ferry stolen goods to Europe was informed on by a crewman over a length of stolen lace after the two argued over money. When Wild bailed out the captain, the affronted crewman informed on the Thief-Taker and his empire began to crumble. The authorities moved in to search his warehouses and found items that appeared to be stolen; though Wild protested his innocence, it would do him no good.

With Wild arrested and taken to Newgate, the outraged public demanded justice against the man they had once thought a hero. He mounted an impassioned defence but with evidence and witnesses mounting up, Jonathan Wild's fate was sealed. He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the matter of the stolen lace.

As the morning of his execution dawned, Wild took a quantity of laudanum with the intention of cheating the hangman. His scheme failed and he was taken in a state of delirium to Tyburn. All along the route the crowd jeered and heckled and pelted the once powerful Thief-Taker with missiles including dead animals and faeces. The cart stopped a number of times to allow Wild alcoholic refreshments at inns along the route but inevitably they eventually came upon Tyburn and the immense crowd gathered to witness the final moments of the once-admired crime fighter.

The skeleton of Jonathan Wild at the Royal College of Surgeons

Joining Wild on the gallows that day were three other convicts and the executioner was Richard Arnet, who had once been a guest at the wedding of the Thief-Taker. With a great noise from the crowd drowning out the last prayers of the condemned men, the nooses were put in place and the cart pulled away. Wild did not die without a struggle, desperately clutching onto the men who were hanging beside him in an effort to give himself leverage but it was a wasted effort and before an audience of thousands, Jonathan Wild died.

According to Wild's wishes his wife, Mary, arranged for his body to be secretly buried in the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church, whilst circulating rumours that it had been taken to the Surgeon's Hall. In fact, the efforts proved wasted and within the week the anatomists descended on St Pancras and dug up the Thief-Taker General, spiriting him away to the Royal College of Surgeons, where his remains are still on display.

The Murderous Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers

Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers (London, England, 18th August 1720 – London, England, 5th May 1760)

Copper engraving of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, 1810

Today we greet a singular sort of criminal in the shape of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers. The scandalous Earl Ferrers holds the dubious honour of being the last member of the House of Lords to be hanged in England.

Ferrers had lived a life of hedonistic excess, fuelled by family money and privilege and his private life was far from happy. Tired of his maltreatment, Ferrers' wife, Mary, succeeded in the remarkable business of obtaining a legal separation from her husband on account of his intolerable cruelty. It was agreed that Mary's maintenance would be provided in the form of rental income from estate properties and the collection of this rent was placed in the trusted hands of John Johnson, a family retainer and steward of no small experience.

On 18th January 1760, which carrying out his usual business of collecting rent, Johnson was summoned to his master's home at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire. Here the Earl accused him of conspiring to defraud him and, as the argument became more heated, Ferrers shot Johnson. The old man survived and though a doctor named Kirkland was summoned, the Earl refused to let his victim leave. Once Ferrers had fallen into a drunken slumber, Johnson was taken home and died soon afterwards. 

The Earl assured the unfortunate man's family that he would provide for them on the condition that no prosecution was brought but by now the stage was set. Scandal around the crime was immediate and uproarious and when Ferrers' trial began in Westminster Hall, London was on tenterhooks.

Earl Ferrers shooting his steward, from the Newgate Calendar

The Earl defended himself against Attorney General Charles Pratt and pleaded not guilty on the grounds of insanity. Though it can hardly be doubted that there was insanity in his family, his eloquent defence was hardly indicative of a man of unsound mind and Ferrers was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was held at the Tower of London until the appointed day of execution, which was 5th May 1760.

On the fateful spring day, Ferrers dressed in his wedding suit and travelled in his own, very grand carriage, to Tyburn, where executioner, Thomas Turlis, awaited him and received a £5 tip for his troubles. Although reports of a silken noose were untrue, here the notorious Earl knelt to pray on a black silk cushion before calmly facing his fate. In deference to his elevated status, the scaffold had been engineered so that he might stand on a platform that would descend, leaving him at the end of the noose in an early version of the now-familiar drop method.

Just before noon Earl Ferrers took his place on the platform; his head was covered and the platform descended. It took Ferrers just under five minutes to die and as was his sentence he was eventually cut down and taken to Surgeon's Hall for dissection, his infamous career at an end.

The Last Hanging at Tyburn

To end the week of Halloween, we return to the Tyburn gallows on the anniversary of the last public hanging at this iconic place, that of a highwayman named John Austin. Now, I take as my inspiration the notes of my dear of grandmother Gilflurt and unfortunately, a rather ribald night with the Duke of Marlborough resulted in a gin spillage that has smudged the date somewhat and she is too cloudy to recall at present. Historians are not in agreement on the date of this final hanging with both 3rd and 7th November 1783 given as likely candidates. Since the trial at the Old Bailey definitely took place on 29th October, I am going to plump for 3rd so let us continue!

On 23rd October 1783, John Spicer was on the road for London, having left Grays in Essex with the intention of finding a new situation in life. Unfamiliar with the city, Spicer had been glad to make the friendship of two men who offered to direct him to reputable lodgings and travelled with him for a couple of days. However, rather than conduct him safely to a rooming house, the men took their victim to open fields near Bethnal Green and threatened him with a cutlass, leaving him in no doubt that he would die if he did not go along with their demands to hand over his valuables. Despite being outnumbered and unarmed, Spicer fought furiously but Austin and his accomplice were able to wrestle him to the ground, tying his hands tightly and taking all of his possessions.

The attack was interrupted by James Strong, a local man who had been working in his employer's garden. His efforts to apprehend the assailants were unsuccessful but he took the badly wounded Spicer to the infirmary, where his injuries were tended. It appeared then that Austin and his accomplice had made good their escape but the greedy felon returned to the scene of his crime in daylight to see if he had left anything behind. Strong apprehended Austin, who complained that he was an innocent man; he explained that he had been forced to participate in the robbery by a stranger, who threatened him with death if he did not comply. Whilst the men waited for the watch to arrive, Austin was locked in a stable and, when he was released, the takings from the robbery were found concealed in his makeshift prison.

Industry and Idleness, Plate 11; The Idle 'Prentice Executed at Tyburn by William Hogarth 

After hearing the testimonies and defence, the judge, Mr Eyre, passed sentence of death on Austin and just days later he was taken by cart to the Tyburn gallows amid a crowd of spectators. The condemned man apparently passed the journey in a dignified fashion though panic overtook him as the noose was fixed and he told the crowd, "Good people, I request your prayers for the salvation of my departing soul; let my example teach you to shun the bad ways I have followed; keep good company, and mind the word of God." This short speech completed, the cap was put over his head and as he began to speak again the cart started forward and the noose tightened; rather than face a quick death, Austin was slowly strangled for ten minutes.

Austin was the last man to die at Tyburn and from that day hangings moved to Newgate. There are many more stories to tell of this dark place but for now, I hope you pass a restful Sunday and take care on the road to London, no matter how friendly your travelling companions might seem.

For Halloween... A Tale of Tyburn

Joseph "Blueskin" Blake (All-Hallows-the-Great, London, England, baptised 31st October 1700 – London, England, 11th November 1724) 

In the spirit of Halloween and all things dark and gruesome, today the salon is visited by a most notorious fellow in the rogueish shape of Joseph "Blueskin" Blake. Highway robber, thief and all-round violent chap, Blake enjoyed a career as a professional criminal before his story reached a violent end.

No contemporary illustrations of Blake exist though he can be seen in the second panel of George Cruikshank's 1839 engraving, The Last Scene. Blake is cutting Jack Sheppard free of the gallows although in reality, Blake was already dead by the date of Sheppard's execution. 

Born to brandy shop owner Jane Blake and her husband, Nathaniel, Joseph Blake was fortunate enough to undertake some formal education as a boy and during his schooldays he made friends with William Blewitt, who would later introduce him to an influential accomplice in the form of Jonathan Wild, the infamous Thief-Taker General. Wild lived a double life, on one hand a champion of law and order with an enviable arrest record whilst behind the scenes he ran an enormous criminal empire.

Before the age of 18 Blake was already roaming the city as an accomplished pickpocket, known on the streets as Blueskin. The origins of Blake's nickname are lost to history but by 1719 he was terrorising the roads as a highway robber, moving into a street gang three years later and all the time evading any whisper of serious punishment.

However, Blake's run of fortune was to end in the winter of 1722 when Wild's men caught up with the gang. Desperate to escape, Blake sustained a head injury and was laid low enough to be apprehended. With the shadow of the Tyburn Tree casting a long shadow, Blake agreed to give evidence against his partners in crime, including his old school pal, Blewitt. While three of his former gang mates went to the gallows, Blake sat back and waited to receive a financial reward but his hopes were to be crushed when he found himself held in custody. With the risk of transportation ever-present, the shrewd criminal became a model prisoner, winning his release in the summer of 1724. Upon winning his freedom he went straight to the top of the criminal tree, forming a partnership with the legendary escapee, Jack Sheppard, one man who had refused point blank to work with the Thief-Taker General. 

Blake (second from right) slashes Wild's throat

Within a month of his release from gaol, Blake and Sheppard burgled the house of William Kneebone and took their rich pickings to a fence, William Field. Unfortunately for them, Field was also on Jonathan Wild's payroll and he went straight to the Thief-Taker, taking with him news of the burglary. Sheppard was arrested on 23rd July 1724 and taken to Newgate; his trial was swift and he was convicted three weeks later on the testimony of Wild, Kneebone and Field.

With Sheppard dealt with, Wild turned his attention to Blake, taking him into custody on 2nd October. His trial took place on 15th October and Blake encountered Wild outside the courtroom. Knowing that his former paymaster was due to give evidence, Blake attempted to convince Wild to go easy on him in court and an argument ensued that ended when Blake assaulted Wild, slashing his throat with a concealed pocket knife. News of the the attack caused a spontaneous demonstration in Newgate and the prisoners began to revolt, with Sheppard using the distraction to make yet another of his infamous escapes.

As Wild was taken away for medical attention on the serious but not fatal wound, Blake was convicted and sentenced to death. His date with the hangman was set for 11th November and by the time he reached Tyburn after journeying along packed roads, he was barely coherent with drink. The criminal's attack on the hated Thief-Taker had made him something of an unlikely hero and a crowd gathered to watch his execution, with Blake's short yet eventful career ended by the noose on  cold winter day, his body buried at St Andrew, Holborn.

Recaptured just a day before Blake's date with the gallows, Sheppard was hanged on 16th November, no chance of a final, daring escape. Wild recovered from the throat wound Blake inflicted but the damage to his criminal career and public persona was immense; he too would face the hangman within the year, becoming part of the criminal history of the capital. 

So ends a dark tale of crime, corruption and the Tyburn tree... do enjoy your Halloween!