The true and remarkable lives and adventures of David Clarey, under sentence of death in Newgate, for setting fire to his house. And Catherine Heyland, condemned to be burnt at a stake, for coining
[London?: 1788?]
Murderers were not the only criminals to be executed for wrongdoing; this unique pamphlet records the trials in June 1788 of David Clarey, who burned his house for insurance purposes, and Catherine Heyland, guilty of counterfeiting coins. Heyland’s execution by burning at the stake is particularly gruesome, as we see from the crude woodcut on the title page. Although such pamphlets were produced primarily for entertainment, the verses at the end point toward another role: “And O, ye sinners, warning take / By me, and wicked ways forsake.”
CCD.7.50.3
