Particulars and Execution of Jas. Coleman & Jas. Wheeler, Who were Executed at the Old Bailey This Morning

Execution broadside printed with an account of the crime, trial and execution of James Coleman (aged 33) and James Wheeler (aged 21) who were executed at Newgate outside the Old Bailey on 21st January 1829. Printed by Thomas Birt the broadside includes a generic woodcut engraving of the Newgate gallows with the crowd of spectactors and notes that Coleman was convicted of being in the possession of two moulds for the purpose of making counterfeit shillings whilst James Wheeler was convicted, along with Daniel Quay, of highway robbery. Quay, however was spared the death sentence due to good character references.

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 usually printed between the end of the trial and the date of the execution (usually a gap of a few weeks) they could often be quickly changed to accomodate last minute information such as reprieves 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.