Capital Punishment
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In the
1700's there were still over 200 crimes that could carry
Capital Punishment.
By the end of the 1700's pressure
was growing for a change and by 1837 only 4 main offences
still carried Capital Punishment.
The pages on this website about crime
in the 1600's show records of people who were hung for
simple thefts.
Whilst this did still happen the
courts seem to have been more realistic for their times and
most people who were hung were found guilty of charges that
were considered more serious in their day although of course
nowadays we would still consider then undeserving of a death
sentence.
Bearing in mind the rural nature
of Essex and the powers of the landowners thefts of
livestock and horses were still likely to attract a death
sentence.
An example of capital punishment
was in August 1780 when Samuel Parker and John Fox went to
Stow Maries and burgled the house of Mr Howard.
They were quickly caught and taken
before Essex Assizes on 11 August 1781. They were sentenced
to death by hanging.
The sentence was carried out
publicly at Chelmsford Prison on 17 August 1781.
Image of hanging at
Bury St Edmunds Prison in 1828 courtesy of wikepedia
The number of highway robbery
sentences indicates what a lawless period this must have
been to live through for travellers
The 24 murders include 4 mothers
who murdered their infant children, usually illegitimate at
birth.
Although 255 people are listed as
hung in this period of 57 years it still represents less
than 5 people per year. Those statistics show the reasons why people were executed in the 1700's.
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