The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
A tremendous crowd assembled when Bellingham was executed in 1812 for
the murder of Spencer Percival, at that time prime minister; but there
were no serious accidents, beyond those caused by the goring of a
maddened, over-driven ox which forced its way through the crowd.
Precautions had been taken by the erection of barriers, and the posting
of placards at all the avenues to the Old Bailey, on which was printed,
"Beware of entering the crowd! Remember thirty poor persons were pressed
to death by the crowd when Haggerty and Holloway were executed!" The
concourse was very great, notwithstanding these warnings. It was still
greater at Fauntleroy's execution in 1824, when no less than 100,000
persons assembled, it was said. Every window and roof which could
command a view of the horrible performance was occupied. All the avenues
and approaches, places even whence nothing whatever could be seen of the
scaffold, were blocked by persons who had overflowed from the area in
front of the gaol. At Courvoisier's execution in 1840 it was the same,
or worse. As early as six a.m. the number assembled already exceeded
that seen on ordinary occasions; by seven a.m. the whole space was so
thronged that it was impossible to move one way or the other. Some
persons were kept for more than five hours standing against the
barriers, and many nearly fainted from exhaustion. Every window had its
party of occupants; the adjoining roofs were equally crowded. High
prices were asked and paid for front seats or good standing room. As
much as £5 was given for the attic story of the Lamb's Coffee House; £2
was a common price for a window. At the George public-house to the south
of the drop, Sir W. Watkin Wynn, Bart., hired a room for the night and
morning, which he and a large party of friends occupied before and
during the execution; in an adjoining house, that of an undertaker, was
Lord Alfred Paget, also with several friends. Those who had hired
apartments spent the night in them, keeping up their courage with
liquids and cigars. Numbers of ladies were present, although the public
feeling was much against their attendance. One well-dressed woman fell
out of a first-floor window on to the shoulders of the crowd below, but
neither she nor any one else was greatly hurt. The city authorities had
endeavoured to take all precautions against panic and excitement among
the crowd, and caused a number of stout additional barriers to be
erected in front of the scaffold, and although one of these gave way
owing to the extraordinary pressure, no serious accident occurred.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account