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Women and the Gallows 1797-1837: Unfortunate Wretches
In the last four decades of the Georgian era 131 women went to the gallows. What were their crimes? And why, unlike most convicted felons, were they not reprieved?
Women and the Gallows 1797 – 1837 brings new insights into their lives and the events that led them to their deaths, and includes chapters on baby murder among domestic servants, counterfeiting, husband poisoning, as well as the infamous Eliza Fenning case.
Plus, for the first time, all the stories of the women have been compiled in a unique chronology.
Women and the Gallows 1797 – 1837 brings new insights into their lives and the events that led them to their deaths, and includes chapters on baby murder among domestic servants, counterfeiting, husband poisoning, as well as the infamous Eliza Fenning case.
Plus, for the first time, all the stories of the women have been compiled in a unique chronology.
184 pages, Hardcover
Published February 19, 2018
27 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Clifford
10 books14 followers13 Park Lane is Naomi’s debut historical crime novel and is based on a real-life case from 1872 in which Marguerite Diblanc, a young Belgian cook, murdered her mistress, a mysterious French widow.
Naomi Clifford grew up in London. After reading history at Bristol University, she spent two years in Nashville, Tennessee, and following her return worked for a variety of magazines and websites.
She has published several non-fiction history books focusing primarily on women and crime.
Naomi Clifford grew up in London. After reading history at Bristol University, she spent two years in Nashville, Tennessee, and following her return worked for a variety of magazines and websites.
She has published several non-fiction history books focusing primarily on women and crime.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 20, 2019
In Women and the Gallows 1797-1837, Naomi Clifford narrates the tales of the women executed in England and Wales in the late Georgian era. She examines some cases in more detail than others, dividing them into two groups: crimes against the person, and those against property. Before getting to them, Clifford describes the often gruesome processes involved in taking the condemned to the gallows then killing them. She argues that entitles those women to bear the epithet of “unfortunate wretches”, which is also the subtitle of her book. What follows is a compilation of vignettes and articles on women executed for a wide range of crimes: murder, of course, using various methods, but also petty treason, theft, fraud, forgery, and arson. Some of the cases are famous, or infamous, such as Eliza Fenning and Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch, while others were new to me. One of the book’s strengths is how Clifford gathers all these stories together to provide a useful resource for other historians. Indeed, Clifford states that her book is just a collection of stories about women who were hanged during those years rather than attempt a broad history of capital punishment. The two are not mutually incompatible, however, as Clifford’s introductory analysis shows for her chosen period. Nevertheless, while Women and the Gallows is a solid addition to the field, there is a sense of an opportunity missed.
March 11, 2018
This book was reviewed in JANE AUSTEN'S REGENCY WORLD's March/April 2018 edition; the review piqued my interest. Clifford has written a book pulling out the stories of a group of women who were among the 131 female prisoners executed by hanging in the Georgian period between 1797 and 1837. She did not play sides; I would estimate half of the women whose stories she told in detail were obviously guilty and about half were likely or definitely innocent. The real crime, however, is that these women were sentenced to death while so many convicted of similar crimes were reprieved, acquitted, transported... The crimes, as Clifford notes, seem absurd to the modern reader, especially that the English gentry had made so many different things punishable by death. The legacy the book leaves with me is that poor young servant women were likely to be impregnated and abandoned; that left either a life of exclusion, shame, and poverty, or a life continued after the murder of the newborn illegitimate child. Georgian punishments were severe and quick, and in many instances, they should not have been. A very detailed exploration of the Regency's criminal systems and the many flaws it contained.
January 19, 2021
I had to put down Naomi Glenn’s other book because I found the historical facts so horrifying. I should have known what I was letting myself in for here, and to a certain extent I did. Glenn provides good historical context and her writing is lively, but the stories she describes are incredibly sad. We open with the execution of a servant, Eliza Fenning, for supposedly attempting to murder her employers by poisoning them with arsenic; except that it is not certain there was arsenic involved, Eliza also got sick, her employers lied (possibly to protect their own family member from prosecution), and the misogynist jackass judge basically didn’t allow her to present a defense. Eliza, however, was known for being far too independent-minded and reading books, to the horror of her employers, so that was that, and she was executed. Her parents were left completely destitute after pawning and selling everything they owned to pay for her legal defense, and later to reclaim her body from the executioners.
This sets the tone for the rest of the book, which is quick reading but really just miserable, in general. A key takeaway from the book is the uneasy relationship between servants and employers - especially the women, often incredibly young, who joined a household and lived in very close proximity to their employers but might be exploited, or feel exploited, and might not be considered fully trustworthy; and who in turn might be mistreated to the point of death (or flat-out murdered) by an untrustworthy employer. Women gave birth to illegitimate children and were accused of killing them; women participated in theft at the behest of their boyfriends and ended up executed alongside them. Basically, if you’re looking for fun true crime stories you’re not going to find them here; the lives of poor and marginalized women in the Georgian period were often brutal and short, and most of the women who were executed were poor and marginalized. It’s almost a relief to come across the indefatigable con woman Mary Bateman, who scammed, stole, and occasionally poisoned her way across Yorkshire. An interesting read.
This sets the tone for the rest of the book, which is quick reading but really just miserable, in general. A key takeaway from the book is the uneasy relationship between servants and employers - especially the women, often incredibly young, who joined a household and lived in very close proximity to their employers but might be exploited, or feel exploited, and might not be considered fully trustworthy; and who in turn might be mistreated to the point of death (or flat-out murdered) by an untrustworthy employer. Women gave birth to illegitimate children and were accused of killing them; women participated in theft at the behest of their boyfriends and ended up executed alongside them. Basically, if you’re looking for fun true crime stories you’re not going to find them here; the lives of poor and marginalized women in the Georgian period were often brutal and short, and most of the women who were executed were poor and marginalized. It’s almost a relief to come across the indefatigable con woman Mary Bateman, who scammed, stole, and occasionally poisoned her way across Yorkshire. An interesting read.
January 2, 2018
This is a great book for anyone who is interested in the criminology and life in the late Georgian era 1797-1837. Clifford tells the true stories of crimes committed by women, several of which are the extremely sad cases of infanticide, many of which leave you wondering whether, had they been tried today, would they really have been found guilty? As Clifford quite correctly says in her book, ‘late Georgian justice was swift and severe’.
The book includes stories of murder, fraud, arson and poisonings, but it is interesting to note the crimes that people found themselves hanged for - sheep stealing committed by mother and son, she met her fate at the noose, but her son was transported. All crimes committed by women who met their fate, guilty or otherwise at the gallows. Many met the hangman’s noose for crimes which today we would consider relatively minor and yet, at that time men were able to commit rape and worse and receive a far more lenient sentence. Clifford carefully sets the stories in their historical context and her thorough research shines through. It is beautifully written and an easy read, despite the difficult subject matter.
It is a mixture of quite well-known cases such as Mary Bateman, the so-called Yorkshire Witch and Eliza Fenning, who was hanged for attempted murder by poisoning, through to Charlotte Long, who was hanged for setting fire to hayricks.
The final section of the book provides a brief account of all the women who were executed between 1797 and 1837, it’s a much longer list than you would imagine. As to how many of these women really were guilty, we will of course never know, so you’ll need to read the book and make your own judgement. What an interesting, if somewhat tragic read. I would most definitely recommend it.
The book includes stories of murder, fraud, arson and poisonings, but it is interesting to note the crimes that people found themselves hanged for - sheep stealing committed by mother and son, she met her fate at the noose, but her son was transported. All crimes committed by women who met their fate, guilty or otherwise at the gallows. Many met the hangman’s noose for crimes which today we would consider relatively minor and yet, at that time men were able to commit rape and worse and receive a far more lenient sentence. Clifford carefully sets the stories in their historical context and her thorough research shines through. It is beautifully written and an easy read, despite the difficult subject matter.
It is a mixture of quite well-known cases such as Mary Bateman, the so-called Yorkshire Witch and Eliza Fenning, who was hanged for attempted murder by poisoning, through to Charlotte Long, who was hanged for setting fire to hayricks.
The final section of the book provides a brief account of all the women who were executed between 1797 and 1837, it’s a much longer list than you would imagine. As to how many of these women really were guilty, we will of course never know, so you’ll need to read the book and make your own judgement. What an interesting, if somewhat tragic read. I would most definitely recommend it.
February 10, 2018
*Thanks to Pen & Sword for the review copy*
This fascinating and sobering book documents the circumstances of women sentenced to death by hanging from 1797 to 1837. Their crimes ranged from murder (poisoning was a popular method) to forgery of banknotes (a reminder that even minor crimes carried a sentence of capital punishment at the time). Some of the women seemed to be obviously guilty, while other cases heavily relied on circumstantial evidence or the testimony of more powerful witnesses. The cases of infanticide carried out by unwed mothers are particularly tragic - an illegitimate child (perhaps the product of a coerced relationship or rape) often meant the loss of not only social standing but also the opportunity to earn a livelihood, as few employers would accept a "fallen" woman under their roof, much less provide for the child. For those women who already lived hand to mouth, having a second mouth to feed was financially destructive and threatened their own survival. Many of the cases covered in the book reflect on the highly controlled and limited nature of women's lives at the time and the little agency women had when it came to changing their situation: an unhappy marriage ended by poison, a needy infant silenced by neglect or murder, a debt settled by forgery. Of course, some of the accused appeared to be mentally ill; others seem to have acted with purely malicious intent. The book is divided into crimes against people and property with chapters devoted to more specific cases, making it an easy book to set down and pick back up without losing flow. A chronology at the end of the book presents summaries of each woman's case and notes the relevant in-depth chapter.
This fascinating and sobering book documents the circumstances of women sentenced to death by hanging from 1797 to 1837. Their crimes ranged from murder (poisoning was a popular method) to forgery of banknotes (a reminder that even minor crimes carried a sentence of capital punishment at the time). Some of the women seemed to be obviously guilty, while other cases heavily relied on circumstantial evidence or the testimony of more powerful witnesses. The cases of infanticide carried out by unwed mothers are particularly tragic - an illegitimate child (perhaps the product of a coerced relationship or rape) often meant the loss of not only social standing but also the opportunity to earn a livelihood, as few employers would accept a "fallen" woman under their roof, much less provide for the child. For those women who already lived hand to mouth, having a second mouth to feed was financially destructive and threatened their own survival. Many of the cases covered in the book reflect on the highly controlled and limited nature of women's lives at the time and the little agency women had when it came to changing their situation: an unhappy marriage ended by poison, a needy infant silenced by neglect or murder, a debt settled by forgery. Of course, some of the accused appeared to be mentally ill; others seem to have acted with purely malicious intent. The book is divided into crimes against people and property with chapters devoted to more specific cases, making it an easy book to set down and pick back up without losing flow. A chronology at the end of the book presents summaries of each woman's case and notes the relevant in-depth chapter.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews