Execution of Courvoisier, Who was Executed on Monday July the 6th, 1840, for the Wilful Murder of Lord William Russell, on Wednesday, May 6th, at his Residence, 14, Norfolk-Street, Park-lane, London

Execution broadside printed with an account of the trial and execution of the manservant Courvoisier, who was convicted of the wilful murder of his master Lord William Russell at his Residence, 14, Norfolk-Street, Park-lane. Printed by John Bonner the broadside includes a generic woodcut illustration of the Newgate gallows and the crowd of spectactors. The public execution took place on Monday July 6th 1840. François Benjamin Courvoisier was the Swiss valet of Lord Russell. The broadsheet reports how the prisoner slowly became remorseful and repented of his crime. His execution was witnessed, amongst others by Charles Dickens was was horrified by the effect of the public spectacle on the crowd. Amongst the crowd gathered outside Newgate for the execution he noted there was ‘nothing but ribaldry, debauchery, levity, drunkenness and flaunting vice in fifty other shapes’.

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.