James Dalton (died 11 May 1730) was "captain" of a street robbery gang in 18th-century

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

Biography

His father, also James Dalton, was Irish and fought as a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the

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Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. He was convicted of street robbery on 3 March 1720 and was sentenced to

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

. On being found in London in 1721, reputedly informed upon by the self-appointed Thief-taker General,

Jonathan Wild Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was an English thief-taker and a major figure in London's criminal underworld, notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled th ...

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the elder Dalton was hanged. His mother remarried a butcher, but both were convicted and sentenced to transportation. By then, the younger Dalton had already begun his criminal career. James Dalton got into the company of thieves as a youngster, pickpocket, picking pockets, breaking shops, and

robbing Robbing is a term used in beekeeping. Bees from one beehive will try to rob honey from another hive. Occurrence Robbing behavior is especially strong when there is little nectar in the field. Strong colonies with the largest stores are the most ap ...

people on the street, in the Smithfield and

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

area. It is reported that he went on two trips to

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, to practice his calling there. He was convicted and transported, but persuaded the crew to

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

near

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; ; ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin , mean ...

. He was pressed into service on HMS ''Hampshire'', and was a spectator of the

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

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in 1727. He then returned to London, although this account may be somewhat fanciful. He gave

King's evidence A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized ...

in the trials of various of his underlings in May 1728, and received a Royal

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

for his part in the offences. A "Genuine Narrative" of his exploits was published shortly afterwards. He was arrested in December 1729. In January 1730, he was convicted for assaulting Dr Mead near Leather Lane in

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, for which he was fined and imprisoned for three years. While he was in prison, he was recognised by John Waller, who claimed that Dalton had robbed him at gunpoint in a field near

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

. Dalton was tried for

highway robbery A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

on 8 April 1730. The complainant was said to be an

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...

man, or "knight of the post," and made similar complaints against a number of other men. Indeed, Waller was convicted of

perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...

, and he was beaten to death by Edward Dalton, James' brother, and accomplices on 13 June 1732 while he was in the

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. ...

at Seven Dials. James Dalton admitted having committed other offences, but he denied this one. He also called

witness In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...

es to testify that he was not guilty. Nevertheless, he was convicted, and sentenced to death. He was hanged at

Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...

on 11 May 1730.

In works

His main claim to fame is a fleeting reference in plate 3 of

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

's ''

A Harlot's Progress ''A Harlot's Progress'' (also known as ''The Harlot's Progress'') is a series of six paintings (1731, now destroyed) and engravings (1732) by the English artist William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, M. (Moll or Mary) Hac ...

'', painted in 1731, in which his wigbox is being stored above the bed of the female protagonist, Moll Hackabout.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, James Year of birth missing 1730 deaths Crime in London British people executed for robbery Gang members English people convicted of assault People executed by the Kingdom of Great Britain People executed at Tyburn People executed by England and Wales by hanging Place of birth unknown