Drunks, Whores and Idle Apprentices: Criminal Biographies of the Eighteenth Century

by PHILIP RAWLINGS

  About sixteen years ago, to the best of my memory, my father who lived in good reputation in London, where I was born,2 put me to a boarding-school, and bestowed more money on my education, than on all the rest of my brothers and sisters, (I was the eldest of eighteen) for all which I never made any grateful return, which gives me great affliction, and the most pungent remorse, when added to my present load of trouble. To shew my early inclination to what has brought me to this deserved doom, I well remember, as I was standing by the side of Mr. Andrews, a waterman, in Charles-court in the Strand, my nurse being with me, I took a fancy to pull his watch out of his [p. 3] fob, at the same time laughing in his face; on detecting me, Mr. Andrews said, my dear, you begin betimes; the nurse, however, appeased him, so that no ill consequences followed: I mention this affair, as my friends rebuked me many times, by telling me of this deed, and my early inclination to what would, and indeed has proved my ruin.

  I was put to board with a worthy clergyman, by my father, at thirty pounds a year, in order to inure me to what was good, and improve me in learning; but my delight was riding of horses at livery-stables, ran away from school; the wicked disobedient child, soon finds out evil courses. The first injury I plunged myself into, was robbing my parents of a suit of cloaths, and pawning them to go to Sadler’s-wells. Now every fraud that my fertile brain could device, I put in practice in my father’s name, and got various sums of money, which answered my present purpose very well; however, my father had me catch’d, carried home, and kept me naked in a room several days, till I found an opportunity to get my sister’s cloaths, and with them on, I escaped from the house. I have been often brought home from Covent-Garden playhouse, by the orange women, to whom my father gave two shillings each time for their trouble. I was at length taken up by my father, and put into Covent-Garden round-house; but through the hole the prisoners received their victuals at, I escaped, though it was so small, no one could have conceived it possible. I learned more wickedness here in one night, than in all my preceding excursions, and verily believe, it tended greatly to fix me in the determinate resolution of aspiring at every act of wickedness, my unfortunate life has since been so fruitful of; making it my daily study [p. 4] to defraud every one who came in my way, and rob every one I could conquer.

  One day I and two other boys, went into a grocer’s shop in Drury-lane, for some sugar-candy, the grocer told me, he sold not small quantities, on which asking him, if he was above his business, and perceiving a watch hang up in the parlour, I rolled a halfpenny as by accident into the parlour before me, I got the poor grocer’s watch; in coming out, he asked me, how I dared to go there? he was answered by my throwing some powder sugar in his eyes, which was lying on the counter, and got off without any molestation.3

  Soon after this, coming from Westminster with my two companions, there was a man had a stand by the Horse-guards, to sell all sorts of handkerchiefs, muslin, lawn, stockings, and other things in the pedlery way; I made bold to take him on one side, to talk about what I was to buy of him, which he was told was to a considerable amount; whilst I was thus amusing him, my two comrades4 made off with the pedlar’s whole stock, to the amount of fourteen pounds, and upwards: I however resolved to leave my companions, being determined, for the future, not to keep company with any, but act entirely on my own bottom.

  I now set out for Newmarket; and, on my return home, hired a horse, under pretence of going express for a certain lord, well known on the turf, and came full gallop to the Blue Boar inn in Whitechapel, where I instantly ordered twelve stalls for the horses of my lord, which was to be there that night; telling the landlord, I was going to Hyde-park-corner for a running horse, and my haste occasioned me to come from my lord, without a sufficiency of money to defray all expences, and therefore begged him to let me have twelve [p. 5] guineas, to pay the charges of the horse and servant, and let his own servant go with me, to assist in bringing to the Blue Boar the running horse this night; all this he readily complied with; but the innkeeper’s servant I took French leave of in Piccadilly, put my horse up in the usual stable, and then went home to my lodgings.

  Shortly afterwards, I took upon me to go about the town in a genteel dress, with a green apron on, as a watch-maker, under pretence of buying pieces of handkerchiefs to send abroad to my friends; I commonly found ault with the thinness of them, holding them up with one hand, and putting a dozen, or a piece, with the other into my apron; generally in these expeditions, after a sufficient quantity was obtained, I went into the country, and what could not immediately be sold, were raffled for.—In practicing one of these tricks upon a good worthy woman, who kept shop in the Borough of Southwark, I was detected putting a piece into my apron; I immediately flattered the honest woman, that I was a weaver in Spitalfields, telling her, my uncle had a journeyman who had stole four pieces, and had sent me with that piece to match the other, upon information my uncle had, that the pieces were sold by his man at this shop; by this means I got clear off, the unsuspecting woman not knowing her own.

  In genteel apparel I next went among the silversmiths and jewellers, where my dexterity and success was so great, that I used among them in their respective branches, it is almost incredible what quantities of spoons, rings, buttons, buckles, stones, &c. I stole; the robberies of this kind are so numerous, that I cannot particularize them, but I made bold to borrow something from every silver-smith and jeweller in the bills of mortality,5 [p. 6] and not only in these attempts had the good fortune to escape, but on many occasions, had the most lavish encomiums passed on me, for the honesty of my looks, and the humanity expressed in the lineaments of the countenance. Alas! how seldom is it, that the outward appearance corresponds with the inward disposition. I am a shocking instance that my face was the most deceitful in the world. Of this kind of fraud and robberies, I believe I have not perpetrated less than two hundred.

  I went one day to Mr. Brogden, in Long-lane, West-smithfield, who lent out wearing apparel, of him I hired a suit fit for any little master in London; bought at the same time a satchel to put some books in; thus equipped, I went to Mr. Greg, a watch-maker in St. James’s-street; on going into the shop, I perceived there was but one man therein; upon his being told my father had bespoken a watch for me, and I wanted to know if it was ready, he replied, as indeed well he might, that he knew nothing of the matter, but that Mr. Greg his master, being at the coffee-house, he would go to him, and ask the qustion; the minute he was gone, I fixed my eye on a gold watch, chain and seal, with which I marched off with all speed, took a hackney coach in Pall-mall, away to Holbourn, and sold the watch, though it was worth fifty-five, for seven guineas only, to Mary Keen, a woman who understood that business much better than myself. She has been transported four times.

  At this time, and with this money, I went down to Reading in Berkshire, where I took great delight in going out with my gun; at length money falling short, I went to a milliner’s shop, under pretence of buying some lace, to go round a cap and handkerchief, for my sister; the milliner asked [p. 7] if I was not too young a man to be a judge of lace? I replied, being young I should hope for better usage, and left it entirely to her generosity to serve me of that which was best of the kind; at this moment I fixed my eye on a particular piece; pretending to have a bad cold, took my handkerchief out to wipe my nose, laid it down on this piece of lace, which repeating again, I took the lace up with my handkerchief, and put it in my pocket, and then told the milliner, I would stay till I was grown older; though it is clear I was too old for her now. I took my leave, and marched gravely off, without the least suspicion; and went directly to the Crown, the grand inn in Reading, hired a horse for Maidenhead, but pushed on for London, sold the horse in Smithfield for five pounds ten shillings, and lace to a milliner at Charing-cross, at a very decent price; at the same time cheapening6 some of her lace, made bold to steal one piece.

  Thus I found a method to deal among the milliners, without much danger of detection, women being less on their guard than men,
and always delighted with any one who will hear them prate and chatter. Very few milliners escaped my dexterity, for my youth, simplicity of manners, and engaging behaviour, caused me always to pass without suspicion; nay, on many occasions, I have been treated with extraordinary marks of civility and politeness, and with the best the house afforded, even after I had robbed them, which sometimes has squeezed my heart a little, but I was too far gone in the road of perdition to think of returning back.

  I now thought of amusing myself in the country; accordingly set out for Bath, Bristol, &c. in the first of these cities I took a room for myself [p. 8] in a widow-gentlewoman’s house, who kept a shop in the drapery way; she had a daughter, a neat, pretty, genteel girl, whom I courted more for the sake of being free with her, than any real love; then the mother began to trust me, and place great confidence in me, upon her daughter’s account, which continued to the mutual satisfaction of us all, till I found an opportunity to make off with between twenty-five and thirty pounds-worth of goods, taken out of the shop, and retired to Bristol, where I dealt a little among the milliners: returned for London, but being taken ill on my journey thither, I stopt two or three days at the Castle at Marlborough, where I observed a great quantity of plate, and other things of value lie very carelessly about, I only borrowed a silver tankard, and six table spoons, to assist in defraying my expences on the road: at Brentford I sold the tankard and spoons for five pounds ten shillings, and stole two pair of silver paste buckles, proceeding directly for London. I committed about fifty other robberies in the small way, which, as being trifles, are not worthy of farther mention.

  I have sometimes, for the sake of variety, gone to dyers and scourers shops, in the character of a gentleman; on seeing none but a woman there, I asked for my servant, who came there for my cloaths; being told there had been none, then on asking if my cloaths were done, (they not knowing but that I had some there) shewed me several suits, clean, and not clean, but I never took a cleaned suit, always pretending they should be wore once more before cleaned, desiring my servant might be sent home as soon as ever he came; so tying them up in a handkerchief, left the poor dyers and scourers to lament their folly and precipitation. I used to serve the hatters in the same manner, both in [p. 9] gold and silver laced hats, without being in the least suspected.

  I waited on a mercer on Ludgate-hill to cheapen some silks for waistcoats, with sattins, and some for gowns; I requested of the mercer to make a bill of parcels, put them up, and send his servant with me to my lodgings in Pall-mall; which being done and come there, on opening the bundle, told the servant there wanted a piece of sattin, and sent him immediately home for it: The bill amounted to forty-three pounds, and the parcel heavy, yet I easily (in the interval of the servant’s departure and return) found means to walk off with all. I left an answer on the bill of parcels which was left upon the table, that my judgment was not sufficient for such a large sum, without advice whether I should pay him at his return, or never. I went directly to Mr. Howard’s, in Long-lane, Smithfield, and sold the whole parcel for eighteen pounds; telling me, any quantity brought to him he would buy. This gave me great encouragement to continue in the mercers business: I served several other mercers in the same manner.

  Not long after this I went to a gentleman in Long-acre, hired a chariot and pair of horses, to go to Windsor, intending to stay a fortnight; accordingly I set off, and stayed pretty near the time agreed on; I sent my servant to Eton, with a view of defrauding my landlord, and for this purpose asked him for twenty guineas, with which he very readily complied; the pretext was to purchase a pair of horses: having thus succeeded, I slipped on one side, and set off for London, leaving the man, chariot and horses to come at their leisure. The next day I sent for a sword-cutler, to bring me half a dozen swords to my own lodgings in the Hay-market, that I might take my choice in [p. 10] variety, but brought never a cut and thrust, I sent him back for some; and when he was gone, I took a walk out with the half dozen swords, with an intention never more to return.

  I then took lodgings in Duke’s court, St. Martin’s lane, where I had not been long, but I sent the servant of the house to a jeweller, to bring me a variety of rings, the jeweller immediately sent one of his servants with some of all sorts; no sooner were they under my eye but I fixed on two, set with diamonds; I told the man, as I was no judge of their value, he would give me leave to shew them to a friend at next door, he readily assented, and so left the honest servant for his own amusement in my new lodgings: for I used to take a lodging one day, and serve a tradesman in this manner, and leave it the next.

  Soon after, I put on the dress of a gentleman’s servant, went to a very great milliner’s in Pall-mall, as from a lady in Grosvenor-square, lately come from abroad, who wanted some assortments of her best lace, and desired one of her people with me; according to my application it had the desired effect: I brought the servant to a house under some repair, that I had the knowledge of; I took the box of laces, went up stairs to shew my pretended lady, leaving the servant in the hall, to whom immediately returning, I told her my lady was in bed, and she must come again in an hour, but must leave the laces, with a bill of the rates or prices of each sort; she went away very contentedly, and I had the generosity to follow with the whole box, and made clear off. I thought it now high time to leave off dealing with milliners. The garb of a gentleman’s servant in livery, I always found the best to deceive with at this time, and made use of it on divers occasions, [p. 11] with my two companions before mentioned, Abraham Crabb, and Campbell Hamilton, and being apprehended for a small theft, made myself an evidence against them both; Crabb was tried at the Old-Bailey, in February 1749–50, in the mayoralty of Sir Samuel Pennant, for stealing a peruke, value twenty shillings, and John Beaumont for receiving, knowing it to be stolen. The evidence (as an accomplice) I gave was, that I was about fifteen years of age, and deposed that I had followed the business of thieving two years; the prisoners, however, were acquitted, there being no evidence to the fact but my own.7 Crabb was again indicted with Campbell Hamilton, for stealing on the 10th of December 1749, a silver watch, value four pounds, the property of Mr. Jonathan Scriven, in his dwelling house; and Catherine Hall, widow, for receiving it, knowing it to be stolen: my evidence was here also unsupported by any other;8 though what I swore upon this and the former trial was nothing but the truth, with respect to all the prisoners; the silver watch belonged to the grocer in Drury-lane, already mentioned. I resolved never to have companions in any of my exploits, judging that I might one day or another be detected by my associates, as I had done by them.

  Many surprizing pranks have I used with all trades in London; but at last pursued by my evil genius, I went into the shop of Mr. Honychurch, under St. Dunstan’s church in Fleet-street, on the 5th of November 1750, and stole a silver watch, with which I got off, imprudently keeping it till the next day, I offered it pawn to Mr. Price on Snow-hill; it being advertised, he stopped me, sent for mr. Honychurch, and carried me out of the city to justice Fielding, who committed me to New-prison, Clerkenwell,9 thence removed to Newgate, [p. 12] took my trial on the 10th of December 1750, in the mayoralty of Francis Cokayne, Esq; was capitally convicted, and received sentence of death with fifteen others, among whom were Mr. Baker, the sugar-baker; and Mr. Joshua West, a clerk of the Bank.10

  In the course of my trial, which is all fact as sworn against me, it proceeds thus: Mr. Honychurch deposed that the watch was taken with the prisoner on the 6th of November, was lost on the 5th, had his name and number on it, never had been sold, and by advertising it, by that means it was stopped. William Batersby, Mr. Honychurch’s servant, gave his testimony, that he was alone in the shop, the prisoner came in with a watch to have it cleaned, he then appeared in another complexion than now, he had on a laced hat, a waistcoat with either gold or silver button-holes; he desired his watch to be taken to pieces, while that was doing, he said that some of the work was dropt; adding, he was sure some of them were lost! I looked upon the ground
, there were none down, but all right before me; then he was for taking it to show some other watch-maker, I said I must not take it to pieces and put it together again for nothing, he said, I will take and shew it to another man, and if he says there is nothing lost, I will bring it again; he took it not put together, also two new wheels, a third and contrite wheel away with him, which lay before me; when he stayed longer than I expected, I began to suspect him, and looking about saw a hook was empty, where a new watch hung just before he came in. I went to the watch-maker where I supposed he would go to, and asked for him; he told me no such person had been there. Then I told my master the affair, who told me by his book it was a watch he had made for a gentle[p. 13]man in Devonshire. When Mr. Price sent for my master, I went with him, and knew the prisoner. On being asked by the court, if there been any person in the shop betwixt the time he last saw the watch, and the prisoner’s coming in; replied, not one person from opening the shop, till the watch was lost, but him.

  James Bruin, servant to Mr. Price, declared, that between six and seven o’clock on the 6th of November in the evening, as he was sitting in the parlour, sombody came in and asked for Mr. Price; on going into the shop saw the prisoner, who was dressed in a silver laced hat, a green waistcoat with gold button holes, who said he wanted to see the master, if he was not engaged; on being told that he could do as well, he took a watch out of his pocket, and I saw it was the watch advertised that day, I went and told my master of it, who came down stairs, and told the prisoner he had stole it, which he denied. My master sent directly for Mr. Honychurch; his man came, and said the prisoner was the person that was at his shop yesterday morning. While our man was gone, the prisoner owned to my master and I, that he had stole it; we went before justice Fielding the next day, and the prisoner was committed. So far the trial, in which the fact was but too plainly fixed on me: however, in my defence I urged that all said of me was false; I did not deny but I carried the watch to be pawned; I was coming down Snow-hill, and a well dressed man asked me if I had mind to earn a shilling; I said yes, so carried it to pawn; then the young gentleman said, there was a watch stolen, so stopped me; but neither judge nor jury paid any regard to such a pitiful come off. I put myself in a wretched habit, thinking that joined to my youth, might excite the pity of all parties.11