The rise and fall of Joshua Crompton #18thCentury

In a 1950s housing estate on the outskirts of Guildford, there is a tiny trace of the old woodland, once called Gangley Common, where executions took place.  One of those hangings in 1778 was of a man called Joshua Crompton for the crime of forgery.

At a time when there were a considerable number of counterfeit notes being circulated, there is no doubt that Joshua was being used as an example to others, but he was also a victim of extremely bad luck and treachery after a see-saw life of prosperity and penury.

Joshua Crompton was the last born child of a family of 15 in Bolton, Lancashire.  After being orphaned at the age of 10, he travelled to Manchester where he found work with a gentleman’s family, eventually becoming their coachman.  Also in the household was the master’s wife’s sister, who in Joshua’s own words, “had conceived a partiality and tenderness to me.”  He encouraged this, resulting in their marriage, which brought him a small fortune.  Returning to Bolton, Crompton opened up an ironmonger’s shop but this failed so he moved to Liverpool where he became a Sheriff’s Officer, a respectable position.

 

Red Lion Square, London

But Crompton, unwisely, became infatuated with a young woman and they moved to London together to open up a shop in Red Lion Square.  Having persuaded his mistress to return to Liverpool and giving up the shop, he was sworn in as an officer to his Majesty’s Palace Court, where he dealt with debtors, but ironically by 1775 he had to quit this position because he was in debt himself to the tune of £1500.   He was also concerned about the delicate state of his wife, who was, “lying in.”

Despite his insolvency he managed to purchase the position of Sergeant of mace, when his actions brought him into more trouble.  Meeting with friends in May 1777, he planned visits to the races at Newmarket, Epsom and Guildford Down.  According to Joshua, his successful winnings at Epsom Downs were put in his pocket book and two days later he needed to buy some new boots.  While in Mr Gaskin’s shop, he was tempted to buy a new gown for his wife.  In fact, he decided on four gowns, giving a twenty pound note for the payment of four pounds, thirteen shillings.  Mr Gaskin needed to change the large note at the neighbouring Spread Eagle and after receiving the balance, Crompton returned to London.

On May 20^th Crompton set out for Guildford with his friend Richard Wiltshire but the inclement weather tempted them into a Taproom at Ewell.  There Mr Peckering, the landlord, spoke of the dire experience of his acquaintance Mr Gaskin, in Epsom, who had recently been passed a counterfeit £20 note.  The two men continued to Guildford where they arranged a room at the White Horse before drinking in the Red Lion.  Hearing next morning of the arrival of the Bow Street Runners in the town, Joshua ordered his horse and returned to London where he told his tale to the landlord of the City of Bristol in Wapping.  He managed to board a vessel for Scotland, arriving in Dundee on May 31^st.  But two days later, he was arrested there by the Runners who had travelled non-stop in response to a tip-off.

 

Sir John Fielding

In London, Crompton was examined by Sir John Fielding and confined in the new prison at Clerkenwell, before being moved to Newgate prison.  He had given testimony against three other men who had assisted him, including a leading Tea-dealer near Tower Hill and his friend Richard Wiltshire, who was apprehended.  Prior to his trial in Surrey, where the offence took place, Crompton was moved to the new gaol, Southwark.

At this point, his friend, Francis Crooke suggested the possibility of escape.  Dressed in woman’s clothing he walked boldly out of the gaol and later he crossed the sea to Flushing in Holland.  There he picked up his life and was doing well in the smuggling business, but Crooke suggested he return to England, saying that he had obtained a pardon for Joshua.  In reality, the aptly named Crooke had negotiated a two hundred pound reward from the bank and one hundred from the gaol Keeper.

On July 29^th 1778, Joshua was taken to Guildford for the trial.  Several witnesses gave convincing accounts that he had knowingly presented the note but there was no evidence that he was responsible for the forgery. Crompton was declared guilty and was condemned to death.  Showing penitence and forgiveness, Joshua Crompton was hanged at Gangly Green, Guildford on August 24^th 1778.

#Executed for following Captain Swing

Throughout most of the 19^th century public executions were carried out on the rooftop of Horsemonger Lane Gaol in Southwark, where the crowd could watch from below.  On January 10^th 1831 it was the turn of James Warner from Albury, Surrey to be hanged for arson.  It was believed that he was one of many farm labourers in southern England who had turned to crime to express their anger at low wages and unemployment.

During the Napoleonic Wars there was a great demand for corn and a shortage of labour but after the war ended in 1815, prices slumped and the returning soldiers flooded the job market.  To add to the pressure on rural workers, new mechanised threshing machines took the place of manual threshing with a flail.  Things came to a head after two bad harvests in 1829 and 1830.  Threatening letters were sent to landowners and clergymen by the fictional Captain Swing.  Many respected people, such as William Cobbett felt there was need for electoral reform and better provision for the poor.

But did James Warner act on behalf of his fellow agricultural labourers or was he expressing a personal grievance?  James Franks, the tenant of a corn mill in Albury had employed James Warner, but had sacked him in 1828 after accusing Warner of beating his horse.  At his trial for, “wilfully and maliciously setting fire to a flour mill at Albury,” Richard Tidy, another employee, reported that James Warner had told him Franks would, “get no good by it; he will get served out for.”

On the evening of November 13^th 1830, Mr Franks had been entertaining friends in his house next to Albury Mill.  At 4.30 next morning he was woken by the sound and sight of the mill going up in flames.  Going downstairs to see what was going on, he escaped the shattering of his bedroom window by shots from a gun loaded with horseshoe nails, pieces of flint and small pebbles.  The flames showed the figure of a man in a brown frock coat running away from the fire across the neighbouring land of Mr Smallpiece.  Henry Franks, brother of James, and several other witnesses, were able to describe the man, who was easily identified as James Warner.

It was also revealed at the trial that Warner had been drinking in Guildford on the previous evening and he had complained of greedy employers to witnesses, Richard Moore, a painter, Matthew Mansell, a blacksmith, George Wilkinson, a carpenter and James Challing, a sawyer.  His final statement was that if you held a grudge against someone you should act secretly and alone, and that they would learn something of great importance in the morning.  Warner drank at the Queen’s Head and the White Hart all evening before walking to Albury with barmen Thomas Myon and James Niblett, who contacted the police after the fire.  Searching his house, the authorities found a brown frock coat and a recently fired gun.  A full bench of magistrates at Guildford House of Correction committed Warner for trial at Kingston assizes.

On January 1^st 1831, the jury rapidly convicted of Warner of arson, although the charge of shooting at Franks was dropped.  But when the judge put on his black cap and sentenced him to death, many thought the penalty too harsh.  He was to be an example to others who protested with violence about their poverty.  In the words of the judge, “You meant to urge others to the commission of crimes, which have of late become so lamentably prevalent and which nothing under God’s providence but the strong arm of the law can check and repress.”

On 8th January 1831 the magistrates at Guildford and Clandon sent letters to the Prime Minister stating that there was evidence to implicate other local people in the crime.  It emerged that on 14th November 1830, the day before the fire, the Home Secretary had received a letter, stating that James Franks had become, “odious to the people when he was lately the overseer of the poor.”  A note was later found near the workhouse in Guildford which said, “Warner is murdered.  Franks, Drummond and Smallpiece shall die….. I could clear him at the place, you false-swearing villain. We fired the mill.  Starving and firing go together.”

Although James Warner was the only agricultural protester to be executed in Surrey, 18 others were sentenced to death in other parts of the country between 1830 and 1832.  505 men were transported to Australia and 644 were imprisoned.  In 1832 the Reform Act was passed in Parliament and in 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act established a network of inspected Workhouses.  And yet the case of the Tolpuddle Martyrs was still to shock the country in 1834.

For interesting sources about the Swing disturbances go to this page on the National Archives   http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/politics/g5/