Milnes & Smith: The Tale of a Hanging

by Jimmy Notts

In 14th July 1826 George Milnes aged 34 and Joshua Smith aged 25 were brought before the judge at Shire Hall, Nottingham, on a charge of “burglarously entering the house of Mr. Wheat of Retford on 31st May” and stealing a silver cup and large quantity of drapery goods to the value of £200. They had been taken into custody near Ordsall with part of the stolen property on their persons and had vigorously resisted arrest. The judge found them guilty and sentenced them to “expiate their crime on the scaffold”. Within less than a fortnight of their crime, on 26th July they were executed and, after hanging for the “usual length of time”, were cut down and taken into County Hall.

Milne, a native of Wiltshire and a deserter from the 4th Dragoon Guards, was buried immediately in St. Mary’s churchyard. Smith, alias Shepherd, was taken to his wife’s house in Wool Alley on Barker Gate. Later the same day, at 8.00 p.m., he was buried in the Old Burial Ground (Middle Bury), Barker Gate.

Though not attended by a clergyman, the pressure to catch a glimpse of the coffin was greater than at the hanging, with crowds on all the surrounding walls and at windows making it difficult for the criminal’s wife and mother to force a passage to the graveside.

Wool Alley ran from Barker Gate to Woolpack Lane and was just below the old Old Cricket Players Public House. It was part of a parcel of land that had been gardens and orchards belonging to a large house, which had stood there since the 17th century. Alongside Wool Alley was an 18th Century 3-storey framesmith’s workshop, the top floor of which had contained an early school.

There seems to have been no surprise that Smith was buried in St. Mary’s burial ground without the benefit of a clergyman being present. Did criminals forfeit the right to a Christian funeral 175 years ago, if not a Christian place for interment?

Punishment followed the crime in a swift and brutal way in those days. The idea of people flocking to see a public execution is distasteful to us now. They were abolished many years ago. However they were of great interest and spectators were trampled to death by crowds on High Pavement at one particularly popular hanging (see William Saville article).

About nottinghamhiddenhistoryteam

Originally formed in 1965 to try to save or at least record before destruction the cave sites continually discovered during the major redevelopment of the City that took place in Nottingham in the 1960′s. Almost every day new sites were unearthed and destroyed before anyone was notified; last thing they wanted was someone telling them to stop what they were doing; TIME is MONEY. The word HIDDEN in the Team’s title is because a lot of what was being invisibly lost in the redevelopment was our early history in the caves, they are under most, if now all, of Nottingham. In the 80’s and 90’s the Team conducted with the help of Dr Robert Morrell and Syd Henley, research and work on Nottingham’s history, folklore and local archaeology. The Team published quarterly magazines on their findings. The Team lapsed for a few years after the death of Paul Nix who was the team leader for thirty plus years. The Team has reformed and is now back working on Nottingham local history. On this blog you will find a series of history, folklore and archaeological related articles and information. Most of the material published will be specifically related to Nottingham/shire local history.

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