Particulars of the Trials and Execution of Russell Brown, John Roberts, Hambry Price, John Brown, and John Baker, Who were Executed in Front of the Old Bailey This Morning

Execution broadside printed with an account of the crimes, trial and execution of the prisoners Russell Brown, John Roberts, Hambray Price, John Brown, and John Baker, who were executed the same morning in front of the Old Bailey. The broadside printed by Thomas Birt includes a generic woodcut engraving of the gallows and the crowd watching the execution. Russell Brown was convicted of robbery, John Roberts convicted of stealing plate, Hambray Price convicted of 'colouring a base and counterfeit half-crown, to resemble the current crown of the realm'. John Brown was convicted of burglary alongside James Bartlett and Samuel Robinson but only Brown was chosen for execution because he was older than the rest. John Baker was convicted of stealing a mare and Charles Smith, alias David Eastwood, was indicted for forgery, and due to be executed on the same day but reprieved at the last minute.

Until 1868 public hangings were a popular form of entertainment for the London crowd. Such occasions provided an opportunity for cheap printers and street vendors to 'turn a penny on the street' by selling accounts of the crimes, trial and 'dying speeches' of executed criminals as souvenirs to the baying spectactors. As soon as the trap fell the street vendors began running amongst the crowd selling the broadsides. Execution broadsides were published by a small number of printers many of whom, such as Thomas Birt, James Catnach and James Pitts were based around the Seven Dials area of London. Spelling and grammar was often poor and the details not always accurate. Although ususally printed between the end of the trial and the date of the execution (usually a gap of a few weeks) they could be quickly changed to accomodate last minute information and 'dying confessions'. The printers often used battered woodcuts, and, for the gallows scene used a stock block with a pierced central section to allow the sex and required number of hanging figures to be changed as required. Female criminals were depicted by using a block for a male figure, cut square at the knee to represent a skirt.