1754. MARRIAGES, DEATHS, &c.

236

Trial of ELIZABETH CANNING.

dard, Efq; made Capt. of a company in the Hon. Col. Cornwallis's regiment of foot at Minorca.

B-KR-TS.

Scar borough, mafter mariner.-Thomas edddingfield and Thomas Phillips, of FriBay-street, haberdashers and partners. A Reginald Worth, late of Exon, apothesary. Herman Meyer, of Mincing-lane, merchant. [The reft in our next.]

A methodical Abstract of the Trial of ELIZA-
BETH CANNING, Spinfier, at the last
Seffions at the Old Bailey, for wilful and
corrupt Perjury, on the Trial of MARY B
SQUIRES, the Gypfey, in fwearing that
foe was robbed by the faid MARY SQUIRES
of a Pair of Stays, value 10s. in the Houfe
of SUSANNAH WELLS at Enfield-Wam,
Jan. 2, 1753*.

TH

HAT our readers may have all the material facts relating to this trial diftinctly before them, we shall firft ftate the facts contefted, or of which the witneffes on the two fides gave a contradictory or inconfiftent account; and then the facts proved by the prifoner for confirming the truth of her story.

As to the contefted facts, they were, 3. The alibi of Squires, or her being in another place at the time the robbery was fworn to have been committed by her.

2. The falfe or inconfiftent account Can-
ning had given of the room in which the
was kept prifoner, and of the bed-gown,
the faid, he had found there.
3. That
Canning was not confined in that room
the faid he was; and, 4. The condition
fhe was in at her return.

And as to the facts proved by the prifoner, they were, 1. Her dining at her uncle's, Jan. 1, 1753. 2. Her mother's concern for her abfence. 3. Her having been feen upon the read, both as he was carried to Enfield and as the returned. 4. The confeffion of Squires and Wells while in prifon; and, 5. Her own character.

at.

May

31ft to Abbotsbury; where they ftaid until Jan. 9. that on that day they went to Portefham, from thence to Ridgeway, and on the 11th to Dorchefter; from whence they fet out and walked almost all night, and got to another village, and the next day they lay at Morton in a barn, and on the day after at Coome ; after which he could not recollect where he lay till he came to Basingstoke; then they travelled to Baghot where they lay, and after that to Brentford, from thence to the Seven-fifters near Tottenham, and from thence to mother Wells's at Enfield-Wash; but being cross examined, he gave a very lame account how he went from Newington to South Parrot, and named as many counties he went through as towns, without being able to name a fign or inn he lay However, to confirm his evidence as to his journey from South-Parrot, there were four perfons from Litton depofed they faw the old woman, her fon and daughter there, at the time he had menCtioned; and 11 from Abbotsbury, to that of their being there from Jan. 1, 1753, to the 9th of the fame; and 4 to feeing them at Porterfham on the 9th and 10th ; 1 at Fordrington on the 11th; 1 at Chattle on the 12th; 3 at Martin on the 13th ;. 5 at Coome on the 14th; 1 at Bafingitoke on the 18th; 2 at Brentford on the 20th, 21st, and 22d; 2 that they were near the Seven-fifters by Tottenham on Jan. 23, 1753. And as a further confirmation, several of those who went down to Enfield to affift in apprehending them, declared, that at that very time the gypfey, her fon and daughter, infifted upon their being at Abbotsbury the beginning of Janu

D

ary.

E As to this fact, on the fide of the pri foner, Canning, the following witnesses depofed as follows:

Mrs. Howard. That the first time the could recollect her having feen the gypsey, her fon and 2 daughters, was, the believed, on Jan. 21, 1753, when the faw them ftanding at Wells's door.

W. Headland. That on Jan. 9, 1753,

The witneffes were examined apart, and the gypfey, her fon and daughter, Fhe faw the gypfey telling a young man

placed at the bar, that the witnesses might fee them.

his fortune under Lomas Dean's brickwall at the Bell at Enfield, and that he faw her again on the 12th at Wells's houfe, when her 2 daughters were with her, I of whom was buckling up her pumps. which he had on. But he appeared very ignorant as to reckoning of time, not being able to tell which month Christmas was in, but only that it was in winter.

As to the firft contefted fact, one witnefs fwore, fhe believed the gypfey, her fon and daughter, lay at her house at South-Parrot in Dorfet.hire on Dec. 29, 1752; and another swore, that the gypfey and her fon were at her houfe at Vine- G yard's-gap on Saturday before new Chuftmas, 1752. Then George Squires, the gypfey's fon, being called, depofed, that he, his mother, and fifter Lucy, were at South Parrot, Dec. 29, 1752; that they went to Litton the next day, and on the See our Magazine for last year, p. 126, 142. † New Christmas-day 1752, was on a Monday

S. Story. That he had seen the gypsey feveral times in White- Webb's lane, and that the last time he faw her was Dec. 23, 1752, when the was fitting within the

door

Elizabeth Canning

Mary Squires the Gypsy.

Printed for R. Baldwin in Pater Noster Ron! 1754 ·

For the

1754: Trial of ELIZABETH CANNING

door of Wells's houfe; which day he particularly remembered, because he was that night taken ill, and was not out of his house for 2 months after.

W. Smith. That on Dec. 14, 1752, and for 2 nights after, the gypfey lay in his cow houfe at Enfield, and that the had been about the country near him for A fome time.

Lomworth Dane.

That he was fure The faw the gypfey pafs by him as he was filling a barrow from a heap of gravel at his own door at Enfield, laft Old Chriftmas-day was twelvemonth.

S. Arnot, who lives in White-Webb's lane, Enfield-Chace. That on Monday, Dec. 9 or 10, 1752, the gypfey afked him B after a little horfe he had loft, and told, him her name was Squires; and that he faw her the Sunday following.

His wife. That the faw the gypsey for the first time about a week before New Christmas, that afterwards fhe faw her in farmer Smith's cow-houfe, when she asked her about a little horfe.

In short, there were no lefs than 20 more witneffes examined to this fact on the part of the prifoner, most of whom fwore to their having feen the gypsey at or near Enfeld, about the end of the year 1752, or in Jan. 1753, and before the 23d. of that month; but feveral of them contradicted themfelves or one another, and

none of them feemed to have been long or much acquainted with the gypsey.

As to the fecond contefted fact, the firft witnefs examined on the part of the crown was, Mr. alderman Chitty, who from his minutes gave an account of Canning's examination before him, when he iffued his warrant for apprehending Wells,

&c.

In this account there is no mention made of Canning's having then given any defcription of the room the was confined in, or of any bed-gown that was in it; but that there was in it, about a quartern loaf of bread, in 4, 5, or 6 pieces, and 3 quarts or a little more of water; and that there were in the room an old ftool or two, an old table, and an old picture over the chimney, and 2 windows in the room, 1 faftened up with boards, and the other part Do. and glass. That at the latter The made a hole by removing a pane of glafs, and forcing a part open, and got out upon a fhed of boards or penthouse, and fo flid down and jumped upon the fide of a bank on the back-fide of the houfe, and fo got into the road.

The next was Gawen Nafh, butler to the Goldfmith's company, who fwore, that he was with Canning before alderman Chitty, that the being there asked what fort of room it was that he was

confined in, the answered, that it little fquare darkish room, that there we boards nailed up at the window, and that thro' the cracks the could fee the Hertford ftage coach which used to carry her miftrefs; that there was an old broken ftool or chair in the room, an iron grate in the chimney, and a few old pictures hung over the chimney; and that the lay upon the boards. That he went down with Canning and the rest, Feb. 1, to fee the warrant executed, and arrived there a little before her. That he then faid to his companions, that the room in which they fuppofed she had been confined did not at all anfwer her defcription; for it was a long light room with near half a load of hay in it, and a parcel of hay made up in the form of a bed, alfo a neft of drawers, a tub with fome pollard in it, and 3 old dusty faddles; that there was a chimney, over which stood an old dusty cafement; but no grate, nor the appearance of any grate in the chimney. That he obferved the window out of which the faid the had made her escape, and that there was a watering-pond within 9 or 10 feet of it. That the other window never had been boarded up, was large enough for him to get out at, and fo low that he fhook hands with his wife out of it; that the cafement opened and fhut extremely eafly, and trees growing fo near it that D they were almoft within his reach. That

C

Adamfon rode back to meet Canning, and returned waving his hat, and faying, We are all right, for Bet fays there is a little hay in the room.

John Hague and Edward Alridge, who went likewife to Enfield at the fame time, gave much the fame account; and EMr. White, the marshal's man, who went down to apprehend Wells, &c. fwore, that he faw 12 or 15 truffes of hay in the room, which he thought had been there a long time, that he saw a cheft of drawers, a barrel of a gun, and an old mufket in the room, and that when he looked into it, he was fufpicious and thought Canning was mistaken, because it did not agree with the defcription she had given. That he looked out at the north window, and obferved the ground was clay, and there lay a heap of human dung, as high as a quart pot under it, which did not appear to have been trod upon; fo that upon the whole it did not appear to him, that any body had got Gout at that window, neither could he obferve any penthouse or shed.

F

As to the old bed-gown which Canning had on when the returned to her mother, Mr. deputy Molineaux fwore, that he happened to be with the late lord mayer

after