Two Old Bailey cases concerning the stealing of food from shops during the Spa Fields Riots in London in late 1816, and their outcomes.
Observer obituary of Jane Lewson, who may have been the model for Miss Havisham
1816 Observer obituary of Jane Lewson, the 116-year-old eccentric who may have been the model for Dickens’ Miss Havisham
1817: John Hatchard, slavery and libel
The Observer reported on the trial of bookseller John Hatchard for an alleged libel on 7 aides-de-camp in Antigua for inhumanity against a slave
The actress and the portraitist: Miss Walstein and Moses Houghton
A 1815 portrait of the acclaimed actress Miss Walstein – did the artist realise that his subject had been born a man?
1833: The extraordinary life and shocking death of the actor Eliza Edwards aka Miss Lavinia Walstein
After a mostly illustrious career in Ireland and England appearing as Lavinia Walstein, actress Eliza Edwards’ star waned.
Elopement in Georgian England: Catherine Grierson and Thomas Thomasson (1781)
1781: A young lady elopes from her boarding school. The tale of Catherine Grierson and Thomas Thomasson. The case ends up in court.
Henry Fielding’s attempted abduction of Sarah Andrew
In 1725, 17-year-old Henry Fielding tried to abduct his distant cousin Sarah Andrew. He later based his Tom Jones character Sophia Western on her.
How girls were meant to behave: Georgian conduct books
How the works of Hester Chapone, Hannah More, Mary Wollstonecraft, Erasmus Darwin reflected and influences the upbringing of girls in 18th century Britain
Elopement board game (1820)
An 1820 board game themed with elopement – flight, pursuit, and marriage at Gretna Green.
Elopement in the works of Jane Austen
Elopements occur frequently in Jane Austen’s works and perfectly reflect the anxieties about marriage at the time
Thomas Cochrane and Kitty Barnes
1812: The elopement of naval hero, politician, inventor and radical Thomas Cochrane with Katherine (Kitty) Barnes to Scotland.
Sark Toll Bar – first stop over the border and nearer than Gretna Green!
Read about Sark Toll Bar, which was preferred by couples who feared a parent was about to catch up with them. It was half a mile closer than Gretna Green!
Elopement in Vauxhall Gardens popular song
The Honeymoon: An elopement song performed by Mary Ann Wrighten (1751-1796) at Vauxhall Gardens.
John Fane and Sarah Anne Child
1782: John Fane and Sarah Anne Child married at Gretna Green. Her fabulously wealthy banker father cut her off without a penny.
Eliza Stables and Anthony Deane
1819: Eliza Stables and Anthony Deane ran off to Gretna Green but the marriage was opposed by his mother.
The Bristol elopement: Clementina Clerke and Richard Vining Perry
In 1791 14-year-old heiress Clementina Clerke was abducted by Richard Vining Perry, in a case that was dubbed the Bristol elopement.
1809: The doomed love of John Giles for Augusta Nicholson
A love match ended in premature death.
The Shrigley Abduction: Edward Gibbon Wakefield
1826: Edward Gibbon Wakefield abducted and married Ellen Turner, only child and heiress of the wealthy manufacturer William Turner.
