Genealogy Chat

does anyone have any info on what happened as i can find no record of death or transportation
Norfolk Chronicle Norfolk, England
11 Aug 1821

CAMBRIDGE, Aug 9
Saml. Peck, and Robert Ashford for burglaries, Stephen Rippou for sheep-stealing, Peter Youngs for a highway robbery, and Richard Lofts for stealing a banknote, were capitally convicted and received sentence of death.

Death Sentences - 1821 02
Richard Lofts Summer 1821 Cambridgeshire, England

Would an executed felon have a Christian burial in a churchyard?

The record books on ancestry often show when a sentence has been changed. Have you tried the local records office?

The actual record just shows there were all convicted of stealing from a dwelling house and sentence was death

No further details given

I've just googled and it seems that executed prisoners were buried within the Prison. I can't do a link as it seems to be an insecure site.
But if Jim wants to look it is capitalpunishmentuk/org

There is also this:

www.prisonhistory.org/prison/cambridge-county-gaol-and-house-of-correction/

A little contradictory - but for what's it's worth -

"From 1752 the bodies of executed murderers were not returned to their relatives for burial. Murder was considered to be a specially heinous crime and the government did not want the bodies of murderers to have a full funeral, be buried in consecrated ground or to "lay in state". Nor I suspect did they really want families to know what had really happened to their loved ones once executions became private.

On balance it was probably the sensible decision not to release the bodies. Many families would have felt a great sense of shame about one their number being executed for committing murder, many would have also been too poor to afford a funeral and perhaps a few would have sought to profit from the situation by selling the body or involving the press in some way. Also, particularly where a full autopsy had been carried out (in 20th century London executions) the body would hardly have been a pretty sight.

Up to 1832, except in a case of murderer where the court had ordered dissection or gibbeting (see above), it was usual for the criminal's body to be claimed by friends or relatives for burial. This burial could take place in consecrated ground. In earlier times (pre 1752) it was not unusual for murderers to be buried under the gallows on which they had suffered.

Dissection was removed from the statute book on the 1st of August 1832, by the Anatomy Act. The same act directed that the bodies of all executed criminals belonged to the Crown and were now to be buried in the prison grounds in unmarked graves, often several to a grave to save space."
https://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/hanging1.html

Beside the word "Death" in the original record, there's the letter R.

I wonder if that means "reprieved". If it meant RIP, I would have thought that would be written in full.

All 8 death sentences in the 10-page document have R beside them.

Richard Lofts
in the England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892
Name: Richard Lofts
Date of Trial: Summer 1821
Trial Year: 1821
Location of Trial: Cambridgeshire, England
Sentence: Death

Yes, I think R means Reprieved.

Here's Richard's fellow-criminal Samuel Peck:

Samuel Peck
in the UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849
Name: Samuel Peck
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1801
Date Received: 22 Sep 1821
Ship: Leviathan
Place Moored: Portsmouth
Date Convicted: 6 Aug 1821
Place Convicted: Cambridge


Robert Ashford and Edward Moore are on the same record.
All sentenced to "Life".

All were sentenced to death (R) at the same time as Richard, per the court record.

Posting just in case this is the same Richard:

Richard Lofts
in the UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951
Name: Richard Lofts
Marital Status: Single
Criminal Admission Age: 50
Record Type: Register
Birth Date: abt 1800
Criminal Charge: Breaking [ windows ]
Sentence: 14 Days
Criminal Admission Date: 11 Apr 1850
Jail: Oxford Gaol
Source Description: Oxford Gaol, Oxfordshire: Register of Prisoners

Abode: Wood Ditton, Cambridgeshire.

Height 5' 6.25 "
Sallow complexion, brown hair, grey eyes.
Single.

If you think this man is your relation - when was he born, and where?

a suggested hint from fmp

1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, London & Middlesex, Englan
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Richard Lofts Head
Widower Male 50 1801 Tobacconist Sawston, Cambridgeshire, England
R Lofts Son
Unmarried Male 23 1828 Engraver silver plate Stepney, Middlesex, England

1861
5, Jamaica Terrace, Limehouse, Stepney, London & Middlesex, England
View original record
Transcript of Richard's record
First name(s) Richard
Last name Lofts
Relationship Lodger
Marital status Widower
Sex Male
Age 59
Birth year 1802
Birth town Sawston
Birth town as transcribed SAWSTON
Birth county Cambridgeshire
Birth county as transcribed CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Birth place other England

Richard
Last name Lofts
Gender Male
Birth day -
Birth month -
Birth year -
Age -
Death quarter 2
Death year 1865
District Stepney

son
Richard
Last name Lofts
Gender Male
Birth year -
Birth place -
Baptism year 1828
Baptism date 03 Feb 1828
Place Stepney
County London
Country England
Father's first name(s) Richard
Father's last name Lofts
Mother's first name(s) Emily

Richard
Last name Lofts
Birth year 1801
Birth date 27 Jan 1801
Baptism year 1801
Baptism date 05 Apr 1801
Abode -
Place Sawston
Father's first name(s) John
Father occupation -
Mother's first name(s) Mary

Name: Richard Lofts
Age: 64
Birth Date: abt 1801
Burial Date: 1865
Burial Place: London, England
Reference Number: CTHC/01/112,113

I guess this is the site you found Richard Loft's name on:-

https://oldbritishnews.com/death-sentences-1820/death-sentences-1821-02/

There is an online form that you can fill in and they will let you know if they find any other details about him.

Kath. x

Samuel
Last name Peck
Birth year -
Arrival year 1822
Ship name Phoenix
Where convicted Cambridge
When convicted 1821
Sentence 7 years
State New South Wales
Country Australia
Record set New South Wales And Tasmania: Settlers And Convicts 1787-1859

Samuel
Last name Peck
Supplied full name Peck, Samuel
Sex Male
Year 1822
Departure date 5 Jan 1822
Departure port Portsmouth
Arrival date 20 May 1822
Voyage number 21
Ship name Phoenix (1)

Robert
Last name Ashford
Supplied full name Ashford, Robert
Sex Male
Year 1822
Departure date 5 Jan 1822
Departure port Portsmouth
Arrival date 20 May 1822
Voyage number 21
Ship name Phoenix (1)

Edward
Last name Moore
Supplied full name Moore, Edward
Sex Male
Year 1822
Departure date 5 Jan 1822
Departure port Portsmouth
Arrival date 20 May 1822
Voyage number 21
Ship name Phoenix (1)

there are no records for richard lofts being transported

Thank you all for your help - it has opened a few lines of enquiry and will let you all know if successful
regards Jim