A blacksmith and a needlewoman left the public- house shortly before 2 a.m. when the blacksmith noticed his purse was missing. 1 crown-piece, 7 half-crowns, and 7 shillings were inside the purse. The prosecutor Andrew Lesley said the needlewoman Mary Smith stole his purse some hours earlier when they were in her room having sex.Continue reading “Dirty money”
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Death row.
The chapel door creaks open displacing the silence. A woman appears with rags and a bucket. She places them on the alter at Jesus’ feet. She kneels before the crucifix and genuflects. Rising to her feet she reverentially backs away. Rays of late May sunlight stream through the chapel window, prisms of peach and goldContinue reading “Death row.”
A Bad Penny
In the early hours of January 1826, she creeps out of the gin house not daring to look back. Earlier that evening Samuel Rigby used his charms to cajole the young girl into selling him a jar of gin for a half-penny. She laughed and called him cheap, but the proprietor hadn’t seen the funnyContinue reading “A Bad Penny”
Mary Smith: Harmony ‘Beyond the Seas’
Mary Smith: A Short Biography. Part 1 From the East End of London to the shores of Botany Bay The Prospect of Whitby Inn, Wapping Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 February 1827 Mary Smith expertly navigates a path over the icy cobblestones on Ratcliff Highway, her well-worn boots allowing the frozen snow to numb herContinue reading “Mary Smith: Harmony ‘Beyond the Seas’”
Pennies from heaven.
The man was rough with her and deserved to be taught a lesson. And now, at Norwich gaol she kills time waiting for the turnkey. She leaves the castle prison in the dead of night. The convicts chained together and ready to depart. Anxiously she steps off the coach onto the sandy bank of theContinue reading “Pennies from heaven.”
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right. You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click theContinue reading “Introduce Yourself (Example Post)”
