Deborah Churchill (c. 1677–1708) was a British

pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for Misdirection (magic ...

and

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

executed for being an accomplice to murder in 1708.

Life

Deborah Churchill was born in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

to a respectable family in about 1677. Her first marriage was with John Churchill, an Army

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

who died of alcoholism. She had two children by him.

Criminal Career

Churchill later cohabited with a Richard Hunt in London, became a prostitute and picked the pockets of her clients. Hunt extracted money from wealthy clients by blackmailing them and whenever Churchill was arrested, he ensured her release by bribing officials. One account stated that she had been to the Clerkenwell Bridewell 28 times and was once sentenced to

New Prison The New Prison was a prison located in the Clerkenwell area of central London between c.1617 and 1877. The New Prison was used to house prisoners committed for examination before the police magistrates, for trial at the sessions, for want of bai ...

for the theft of 104

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

. On another occasion, she was liable for a large debt and to escape it duped a soldier into marrying her and on their wedding night escaped; her husband thus became responsible for her debt and she could not be prosecuted.

Murder of Martin Were

In 1708, she was moving through

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

closely followed by Hunt and his two friends, William Lewis and John Boy. She tried to pick the pocket of a merchant, Martin Were, but he pushed her to the ground instead. Immediately the three men reached the spot and on Churchill's insistence stabbed Were. The three men fled to Holland and only Churchill was apprehended.

Trial and Execution

On 26 February 1708, she was ordered to be executed for being an accessory. However, to escape the sentence, Churchill falsely informed the court that she was pregnant. This delayed her execution by seven months. When the court learned of her lie, it ordered for the sentence to be carried out immediately and she was executed in Tyburn on 17 December 1708 before a large audience whom she asked to pray for her. An entry on her appears in ''

The Newgate Calendar ''The Newgate Calendar'', subtitled ''The Malefactors' Bloody Register'', was a popular collection of moralising stories about sin, crime, and criminals who commit them in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally a monthly bulletin of ...

''.

Life

Criminal Career

Murder of Martin Were

Trial and Execution

References

Further reading