1820—MARCH 17—Robert Hollick, convicted of robbing Thomas Gittins and Thomas Hawker on the highway at Claines, and cruelly ill-treating the latter, was this day executed. As he was being led out of his cell, his mother, sister, wife, and child, came to see him, not having visited him previously. The execution was delayed awhile to grant them an interview—which, as may be supposed, was a most distressing one. It did not, however, unnerve the culprit, who died with great firmness, though fully admitting the justice of his sentence. 1821—MARCH 23—Thomas Dyer, capitally convicted of horse stealing, was executed at the County Gaol, but died protesting his entire innocence of the crime laid to his charge. He left a paper behind him, stating the names of the parties from whom he bought the horses, and the sums of money he had given for them; but it does not appear that anybody thought it worth while to make further inquiries about the matter. 1821—AUGUST 24—William Mantle and William Bird were executed at the County Gaol; the former convicted of stealing sheep, the property of Mr. Henry Hyde of Little Kyre; and the latter of breaking into the house of Mr. John Bird of Bromsgrove, and stealing wearing apparel, &c. The ropes were nearly extended to their full length when tied round the unhappy culprits’ necks, so that scarcely any fall took place, and they died in great agony, especially Bird. Their remains were interred in St. Andrew’s churchyard. 1823—MARCH 24—James Davis and Joseph Rutter, two young men convicted at the Lent Assizes—the former of horse stealing and the latter of sheep stealing—were executed at the County Gaol. Davis was a deserter from the army, and appeared to have stolen from sheer want. Rutter’s had been a long course of crime. Davis began to address the crowd when brought upon the scaffolding, warning them to avoid Sabbath breaking and vicious practices; when Rutter said, impatiently, “Come, let’s have no more of that;” and they were immediately hurried into eternity. He literally preferred hanging to a homily. 1826—JULY 21—John Hobday, a young man only twenty-one years of age, having been convicted at the Midsummer Assizes of a burglary at the Bell Inn, Kidderminster, and a savage assault upon the officers who apprehended him at Birmingham, was executed at the County Gaol this day. He was reported to be very penitent, and prepared for death. 1830—MARCH 11—Michael Toll, convicted of the wilful murder of Ann Cook, a woman with whom he lived, by knocking her into a pit at Oldswinford, was executed this day in front of the County Gaol. His body was given to the surgeons to anatomise, and afterwards exposed to public gaze at the Infirmary. In his stomach were found a number of pieces of blanket, which he had swallowed in order to produce suffocation.