Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 08 December 2023), December 1783, trial of ELEANOR M'CABE ANN SHERLOCK (t17831210-14).

ELEANOR M'CABE, ANN SHERLOCK, Violent Theft > robbery, 10th December 1783.

14. ELEANOR M'CABE and ANN SHERLOCK were indicted for feloniously assaulting Rossiter Linton in the dwelling-house of Elizabeth Martin , on the 7th day of November last, and putting him in fear and danger of his life, and feloniously taking from his person and against his will one watch, with the inside case made of metal and the outside case made of shagreen, value 10 s. and 5 s. and 6 d. in monies numbered, the property of the said Rossiter Linton .

ROSSITER LINTON sworn.

I am a weaver ; I met the two prisoners in Drury-lane on the 7th of November, and they asked me to go with them to their room; it was between nine and ten.

Was you drunk or sober? - I was sober.

Really sober? - Yes; I agreed to lay with one of them for one shilling, and I gave it her; that was the prisoner Sherlock.

Did you go to bed? - No, I was not in bed; when I had got some part of my clothes off she called the other up, an they threw me down on the bed, and one of them lay over me, and the other took my breeches from me and ran down with them, and took my watch and money out; I had the breeches in my hand at the time they threw me down; there was 5 s. 6 d. and my watch in my breeches; it was M'Cabe that ran down stairs with it; Sherlock I were she would take away my life if I made my resistance, she threw up the breeches again, and I put my things on and went down; somebody without tried lock the door, and the street-door was locked on the outside and they stopped and the street-door and searched if I had any money about me, and they pulled off my shoes.

What did they do with your shoes? - They let me put them on again when they saw there was no money in then; they searched all my pockets, and took my breeches down the thigh to see if there was any money in the breeches; then they me go.

How long might you be kept in the house? - About a quarter of an hour from first to last. There were only these two up stairs; M'Cabe had gone down stairs, and then Sherlock called her up again.

Had you any candle in the room? - Yes.

Could not you make any thing of a struggle against these two? - I dare not do it, they swore they would take my life if I did, and there were more of them at the door.

Jury. What street was it in? - In Cross Lane .

Did you see any knife, or any thing of that sort? - No.

Are you positive them were the two women? - Yes.

You are positive? - Yes.

When were they taken up? - About an hour after; the watch was found upon them the next day.

Prisoner Sherlock. The next morning when he took us up to the justice, he said if I could raise five shillings and sixpence he would make it up; I sent this handkerchief and an apron to pawn, and a gown that I had, and I made up five shillings and sixpence.

Prosecutor. No, my Lord, she kept urging me and pulling me about in the room, but I had nothing to say to her.

(The remainder of this Trial in the next Part, which will be published in a few days.)

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 08 December 2023), December 1783 (t17831210-14).

Old Bailey Proceedings front matter, 10th December 1783.

THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS ON THE KING's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Gaol Delivery for the CITY of LONDON; AND ALSO The Gaol Delivery for the County of Middlesex; HELD AT JUSTICE HALL in the OLD BAILEY, On Wednesday the 10th of DECEMBER, 1783, and the following Days;

Being the FIRST SESSION in the Mayoralty of The Right Hon. ROBERT PECKHAM , Esq; LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON.

TAKEN IN SHORT HAND BY E. HODGSON, And Published by Authority.

NUMBER I. PART III.

LONDON:

Printed for E. HODGSON (the Proprietor) And Sold by J. WALMSLAY, No. 35, Chancery Lane, and S. BLADON, No. 13, Pater-noster Row.

MDCCLXXXIII.

[ PRICE SIX-PENCE.]

THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS UPON THE

KING's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Gaol Delivery for the CITY of LONDON, &c.

Continuation of the Trial of Eleanor M'Cabe and Ann Sherlock .

EDWARD LUCAS sworn.

I am constable to St. Giles's; the prisoners were taken up by the watchmen, I believe the very night the man was robbed; I was at the Public Office in Hyde-street, the next morning, and the magistrate ordered me to search them; I searched Sherlock, and under her arm-pit I found this watch.

To Prosecutor. Is that your watch? - Yes.

How long had you had it? - Not above five or six hours, I only bought it that afternoon.

Are you sure it is your watch? - Yes.

Who did you buy it of? - I changed it with a young man a companion of mine.

THOMAS WELLS sworn.

I am a watchman; as I was attending the prisoners in the justices yard, I saw Mr. Lucas take a watch from the prisoner Sherlock.

PRISONER M'CABE's DEFENCE.

As I was going down Cross-lane I heard a great noise, and I went in, and the prosecutor was standing, and he said he was robbed; I went to a public-house, and the constable came and took me.

PRISONER SHERLOCK's DEFENCE.

I met the prosecutor, he asked me if I would have any thing to drink, and we went together into Cross-lane; I told him I had no apartment, but I would take him to a place I knew, and I took him to one Mrs. Martin's; he said he had no money; he said, if I would let him sleep all night he would let me have his watch for a crown; I said then I will call up the woman of the house. We had not been in bed quite an hour before he demanded the watch, and I would not let him have it without the five shillings; the watchman took us both to the watch-house, and the next morning he said if I would give him five shillings and sixpence and his watch he would make it up; I sent my handkerchief and gown to pawn, and when the five shillings and sixpence came and his watch, that watchman and another went out to him and told him not to make it up at all. We have no witnesses.

Court to Wells. You took them up that night? - Yes.

What time of night was it that you took them up? - Eleven o'clock.

Was the prosecutor sober? - Yes, to all appearance.

What did he tell you then? - He told me he had lost a watch and five shillings and sixpence.

Court to Jury. Gentlemen of the Jury, this is a very serious story, because the prisoners stand charged with a capital offence; and if you are satisfied with the evidence, there seems to be nothing in the case that authorizes me to wish you to reduce the offence from what the law describes it to be; for a robbery, you well know, is a taking by force and violence the property of another, from his person: it is not often indeed that we meet with robberies of this kind committed under circumstances of violence on the person; but when we do meet with cases of this sort, they certainly deserve punishment; though women of this bad character must of necessity be in such a country as this, yet they ought to confine themselves to their trade, bad as it is; and in this case undoubtedly they have committed a plain robbery on this man, and if you are satisfied as to the evidence you are bound to find them guilty.

ELEAN. M'CABE, ANN SHERLOCK ,

GUILTY , Death .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 08 December 2023), December 1783 (t17831210-14).

Old Bailey Proceedings front matter, 10th December 1783.

THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS ON THE KING's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Gaol Delivery for the CITY of LONDON; AND ALSO The Gaol Delivery for the County of Middlesex; HELD AT JUSTICE HALL in the OLD BAILEY, On Wednesday the 10th of DECEMBER, 1783, and the following Days;

Being the FIRST SESSION in the Mayoralty of The Right Hon. ROBERT PECKHAM , Esq; LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON.

TAKEN IN SHORT HAND BY E. HODGSON, And Published by Authority.

NUMBER I. PART III.

LONDON:

Printed for E. HODGSON (the Proprietor) And Sold by J. WALMSLAY, No. 35, Chancery Lane, and S. BLADON, No. 13, Pater-noster Row.

MDCCLXXXIII.

[ PRICE SIX-PENCE.]

THE WHOLE PROCEEDINGS UPON THE

KING's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Gaol Delivery for the CITY of LONDON, &c.