Jane Collins
Proceedings of the Old Bailey
murder, 17th December 1766
(M.) Jane Collins, wife of John Collins, otherwise Jane Collins, widow, was indicted for the wilful murder of Mary Hobbs, an infant 10 years of age, Dec. 7. She stood charged for the said murder on the corner's inquest. *
John Cobb. I live next door but one to the prisoner, in Old George-street, Spitalfields; she keeps looms in the weaving way for the master weavers, and employs poor people. I am a hair-merchant.
Q. Who lived in the house between you and the prisoner?
Cobb. One Mr. Stevens; a little before Michaelmas, about four months before, I was just come off a journey; my warehouse lies backwards, I was pretty busy, my window looks into the prisoner's garden; I heard a melancholy cry of a child; I looked out at the window, and saw a fellow in a red coat upon a large mulberry-tree in the prisoner's garden, and the deceased girl, about ten years old, standing upon two arms that branch out of the tree, crying; the deceased was in size according to her age, a little girl. I saw the man fastening a cord; I was surprized, seeing the fellow above her. I said, good God! what are you going to murder her; he said no, and came out of the tree; the prisoner was at the foot of the tree, and they all three went into the house; I went into her house, and said, Mrs. Collins, what in the name of God have you been at; I desire you will let me know what the child has done; she said, she is a naughty wicked hussey, she had robbed me; I said, what has she robbed you of; she said, of a handkerchief and a knife; that she went into Whitechapel, and sold them for twopence, and they had brought the girl and things back again; I said, there are other ways of punishing a child than to go to hang her.
Q. What time was this?
Cobb. I believe about three or four in the afternoon; about six or seven weeks ago, my man was opening the shop-window; I came down stairs, and into the street, and saw the child standing at my door, this was a little after six o'clock; she had a bit of bread in her hand.
Q. What was her name?
Cobb. Her name was Mary Hobbs ; she had a small wound on each side her temple, the skin was broke, and she had received some hurt in her head above. Several people came and enquired what was the matter; seeing many people together at my door, I sent some of the women with the girl to the church-wardens.
Q. Did you ever see the prisoner do any thing to the girl?
Cobb. No, I never did.
Cross examination.
Q. Did not the prisoner tell you she did this, in order to affright the child rather than to beat her.
Cobb. No, I do not remember she said any such thing.
Phebe Stevens. I live next door to the prisoner; my husband is a silk weaver; the child was small of her age, about ten years of age.
Q. How long had she lived with the prisoner?
P. Stevens. I believe from the beginning of last summer; I have frequently heard cruel blows struck as if it was with sticks.
Q. Do you know who gave them, and upon whom?
P. Stevens. I judge by the prisoner, and upon the child. On last Saturday was a fortnight, between eleven and twelve, my husband called me out into the wash-house, there is a thin partition; I could look through a wicket into her wash-house; the child was under the pump, over a tub of water; (the pump serves us both, it is between us) she struck the child several blows, with either a mop stick or a broom-stick, three or four blows; I saw her do it, seeming to me upon her shoulders; she took the child into the yard, then I could not see, only hear it; we heard blows; my husband and I drummed against the partition as loud as we could; some man said, leave off beating the girl; it is late, correct her to-morrow; you will kill the girl; she kept beating the girl. The prisoner said, d - n her, a b - h, I design it. To the best of my knowledge, I never saw the child but once after.
Q. Did not you and your husband call to her?
P. Stevens. No, we did not, because we would not get abused: the child was never free from bruises.
Q. How was she when you saw her after that?
P. Stevens. Her eyes were black.
Q. Did she go about her business after that?
P. Stevens. I believe she did.
Elizabeth Hull. I live in Mrs. Stevens's house, I am her daughter-in-law; five weeks ago this day, I was in our wash-house, about nine in the mornning, and the child was in the prisoner's wash-house, squeezing a mop out of a tub; Mrs. Collins came out, and asked her, why she had not made a fire; the child said, she had been blowing it, and could not make it light; Mrs. Collins bid her come in, and took the mop out of the child's hand, and laid hold of the child with the other hand, and struck it two blows cross its back with the mop-handle; that is all I saw; I have heard the child cry many times.
See original Cross examination.
Q. Whether she said she had been blowing, or had lighted the fire?
E. Hall. She said she had been blowing it.
John Abbot. I live opposite the prisoner; about this day three weeks the child came to my house to light a candle; she saw some bread on my table, she asked for a bit; I said, your mistress is better able to give you bread than I am; she said, I am almost famished; she looked as if she wanted. Yesterday fortnight Mrs. Collins came home seemingly in liquor; about nine at night she came to the door and said, hussey, hussey, light your mistress, you brazen b - h, why don't you light your mistress; I did not see the child; I turned in; then she said, that is a brave girl to light her mistress; let your mistress in, to let your neighbours see you are alive: the Saturday following I was putting out my goods (I keep a little broker's shop) this was about eight o'clock in the morning; I heard the child crying in the passage; I knew her voice, hearing her often before, and from that time I never saw her since.
Q. Did you hear any blows then?
Abbot. No, I did not.
Cross examination.
Q Did you ever see the child with black eyes?
Abbot. No.
Deborah Cornhill. I live opposite the prisoner; I have heard Mrs. Collins beat her very cruelly, and have heard the girl cry out, dear Mrs. Collins do not beat me; this I heard frequently; yesterday fortnight, Mrs. Collins call'd her, Moll, Moll, you b - h, light me, let my neighbours see I have not murdered you yet. A fortnight to-morrow I opened my shop about nine in the morning, I heard Mrs. Collins beating the child; the child cried out, dear mistress, pray mistress, don't beat me. The last time I saw the child was last Wednesday fortnight: Mrs. Collins bought some fish at the door, the child came to the door with a dish to put them in.
M. Anderson. I live in Wingfield-street; last Saturday se'nnight I was coming along, about 5 minutes after 9 o'clock, I heard the child cry, dear mistress, pray mistress, don't beat me no more, for if you do you'll kill me; I poak'd my head in at the prisoner's door; I said, mistress, that is none of your child, if it was you could not use it so; I saw the child lie on the ground towards the back door, she was beating it with a stick, the stick about as long as from my fingers ends to my elbow; I saw her strike her three or four blows; she said to me, d - n you, you b - h, if I have a mind to kill her it is nothing to you.
Q. Where abouts did she strike her?
M. Anderson. To the best of my knowledge it was over her shoulders. Mrs. Collins child came and pushed the door in my face, and I pushed it open again, then Mrs. Collins came herself and shut it; I said to her, you are a very barbarous woman, you deserve hanging.
Q. Did she make any answer to you?
M. Anderson. She said, d - n you, you b - h, what is that to you.
Elizabeth Dowley. I lodged in Collin's house, I came there five or six months ago; my business is out of the house; I have heard the child cry out every night almost; I gave the child a mess of peas pottage, 3 weeks ago last Sunday; the mistress went and beat the girl, and then came up and mobbed me for giving her the pottage; she said, I don't give you thanks for giving my apprentice peas pottage; I did not see her beat her, but I heard the child cry out; I have seen the poor child eat cabbage leaves and candles.
Elizabeth Cotton. I am one of the searchers belonging to Christ Church, Spitalfields. On Tuesday was se'nnight the 9th of December, Mrs. Collins came to my house, and I was not at home; she left word for me to come and search the child; I went between six and seven o'clock; when I came there, Mrs. Collins was not at home; I could not see the corpse, so I went on the Wednesday, a little after nine in the morning; Mrs. Collins was coming out of the room where the child lay; she said, pray walk this way; the room was very dark, I said, push the shutter open; her son opened it a little; he held the lid of the coffin a little way off the face; I took off the face cloth, I saw no marks on the face; I called for more light, then they opened the shutter a little more; then I stripped the shroud off to the hip bone; it looked very mottled, as is usual in convulsions; upon the two legs were scratches, three upon each leg, about an inch long; I asked Mrs. Collins what it was, she said she supposed she had scratched her legs on her sitting by the fire; I saw nothing more that night. On the lie of the coffin was Mary Hobbs, aged ten years. Mrs. Collins, her son, and I, went into the back room, and brought me a half guinea, and wanted 6 d. out of it to pay for the ground 10 s. she said she would have it buried on the Wednesday night if she could, if not, Thursday night would do. About three hours after that I was sent again, and told the child was murdered; my partner and I went together; the child was taken out of the coffin, and laid on a bed quite naked; Mr. Cobb was there; on the left cheek and eye-brow were black and blue, and the right arm was all raw, as if a blister I'll been upon it; from the elbow to the wrist, it was very black; the carcase was in a very poor condition to be sure. I examined it all ever.
Q. Whether you observed any marks on the shoulder?
E. Cotton. On the left side the shoulder were two strokes, as if it had been struck with something; it seemed red on the left shoulder like a pair of horns; the bowels over the belly was very green, as is common with convulsions; the back seemed mottled as if the blood had settled, but not like any marks of violence.
Cross examination.
Q Did she appear to be in any particular haste to have the body buried?
E. Cotton. No, she did not.
Q. Is not it common to have the check black and blue in convulsions.
E. Cotton. No.
Mr. Edington. I am a surgeon; I was called in to examine the body on the Thursday, about nine in the morning; I found on each arm a little erasement on the skin on the left arm, which I imagine of no consequence; the right arm from the elbow to the fingers was in a state of mortification; there were marks of violence upon the elbow, which seemed to be bruises, which I imagine was the occasion of the mortification.
Q. Was there one or two bruises?
Edington. Only one bruise; the skin was broke, there was no swelling.
Q. Did you not open the part?
Edington. No, I did not; as it was mortified, I apprehend it would have made no discovery; from the appearance, it is my opinion that bruise was the occasion of the mortification.
Q. How long might that have been before it produced a mortification?
Edington. That is impossible to tell; the shortest time is in 48 hours; that depends upon the habit of the body of the party.
Q. Will the mortification be longer in coming on a strong healthy person, than a poor weak person?
Edington. I imagine it would; the skin was off on the upper part of the nose, which was the cause of the blackness of the left eye; there was a little scratch upon the left side, and black and blue spots on the legs, which had the appearance as if they had been blows given by a stick, or something of that kind. I opened the body, and found the internal parts in a fair natural state; the stomach and bowels seemed particularly empty, more so than I had observed any before. I am of opinion, that the mortification was the immediate cause of her death; it seemed to me she might have recovered of the injuries she received, if the mortification had not taken place. I could perceive no bruises to occasion a mortification, except that on her elbow, and that might be by a fall or a blow; I am of opinion it was occasioned by some injury it had received, for where they come by blows or falls, there is an inflammation attends it. Mortifications generally come on by blisters; it had the same appearance as a blister.
Cross examination.
Q. Supposing from a bad habit of body, if there is any sore, their handling it, will not the repetition create an inflammation?
Edington. It may bring on a slight inflammation.
Alice Stemson. I lodged in Mrs. Collin's house, I came there the last time, on the Thursday before the child died; when I came in on the Thursday night, the child was very much altered; I went out on the Friday to my work, and came home about seven o'clock; Mrs. Collins called me down; the child was washing in the kitchen; she said she had a heavy hand with the child, it had fouled itself; I said to the child, are you in your right senses, how came you to do so; it made no answer. I saw the right-hand had a swelling; I asked it how it came by that; she made no answer. Mrs. Collins said she fell betwixt the two beds over the hair-broom; she said to the child, did you or did you not: the child said, yes. On the Saturday night when I came home, Mrs. Collins came up betwixt six and seven o'clock, and asked a man there to fetch a pennyworth of syrup of saffron; I added, and treacle-water; she said, no: I went for the syrup and brought it to Mrs. Collins; she said it was for the child; the child had been in bed all day; I said I should like to see the child before I went to bed; she said it was in a breathing sweat, and did not care to have it disturbed, so I did not see it, and never heard no more about it till I heard it was dead, which was on the Wednesday; I heard it at Rag fair, before I came home.
Q. Did you ever ask how the child did before the time you heard she was dead?
A. Stinson. No, I did not.
On her cross examination she said the child was a weak sickly child, that the child had owned to her she had stole a ribbon; that the prisoner used to strike her with a small cane only; and that she never saw her use the child with any violence; and that by the words between the two beds, she meant the two bedsteads.
Joseph Shepherd. I am son to the prisoner; I lodge in Seething-lane, and am a carpenter; I went to my mother's house on Sunday the 7th, a little after twelve o'clock; my mother told me the girl was dead, and desired me to get a coffin; I looked at the child, and saw a mark on the face; my mother told me that was done by a fall she had had over a broom, betwixt the two bedsteads. On the Monday at noon I went to Mr. Creswell's, an undertaker, and saw his wife, and bespoke a coffin, and ordered the child's name, Mary Hobbs, to be upon it, which was done accordingly. I never saw my mother use the child ill; I lived in the house within a fortnight of the child's death; I was a witness the child had always a belly full; there was always a supper provided against I came home, and the child used to eat her supper at the same time; the child was guilty of pilfering; I was there when the searcher was there, and opened the window according to her desire; there was no design to conceal the child from inspection, or to bury it privately.
John Howes. I worked in the prisoner's house four weeks, about twelve weeks ago; then the child was charged with taking a knife, a handkerchief, a quarter of an ounce of tea, and a pennyworth of sugar; the prisoner asked her what she had done with the sugar and tea; the child said she had eat them both; she desired to know what she had done with the handkerchief and knife; she said she had hid them in the dirt in the yard; they were looked for, but none could be found; still the mistress wanted to know where they were; she carried her from place to place, but they could not be found; the next day the mistress still wanted to know where they were; she would not tell; then I was to go up into the mulberry-tree; she said, do not hurt the child, only fright her, to tell where the things were; then Mr. Cobb called out at his window, and said, what are you going to murder the child; the child was set up between the branches of the tree, but I was not up in it, I was upon the ground.
Robert Burroughs. I worked in the prisoner's house; the deceased girl used to wind quills for me; I never saw her use the child ill, only by beating her when in a fault with a rattan.
Q. Did you lie in the house?
Burroughs. I did.
Q. When did you hear of her death?
Burroughs. I never knew of it till the mob was about the door on the Wednesday.
Q. Did you hear of the girl's being ill?
Burroughs. Mrs Collins came to me on the Thursday morning, and desired me to go for a pennyworth of oil of Gilead to bathe the child's arm, it was swelled; I observed it was swelled, so she could not turn the wheel; the prisoner said the girl had tumbled over the broom between the beds; and asked the girl if it was not so, and the girl said, yes, it was; I went and brought the oil in a tea-cup, but did not see the girl.
Q. When did you see the girl last?
Burroughs. I saw her on the Friday at her work, and I never saw her on the Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, till I heard she was dead, by the mob, on the Wednesday morning.
Q Did you see the prisoner on the Wednesday morning, before the mob came to the door?
Burroughs. I did not; I was in the kitchen, but I said nothing to her, or she to me, about the child.
Q. Did you hear any outcry by the child on the Saturday?
Burroughs. No, I did not.
William Addis. I live about a stone's cast from the prisoner, and work in her garret; I heard the prisoner ask the deceased whether she ever struck her, as I was coming down stairs, and they were following me, and the deceased said, no
Q. Did she mean whether she had struck her up stairs, or that day, or when?
Addis. I do not know.
Q. Was the child crying?
Addis. No.
John Shepherd. I went to my mother's (the prisoner) last Sunday was se'nnight, about 3 o'clock; my mother told me the child was dead; when I came to look upon the child, I saw a swelling on its face; my mother told me the child had tumbled over a broom between the two bedsteads. I know she always had her belly full of victuals; I never saw her use any cruelty towards the child.
Q. to Edington. From what you have heard concerning the child tumbling over the broom, do you think that might occasion that hurt on the elbow to cause the mortification?
Edington. That might occasion it.
Prisoner's defence.
I am innocent of all that has been said against me; I have had several children of my own, I never used this child worse than my own.
She called William Bennet, Mr. Greenaway, John Ricks, John Saunders, and Samuel Newton, who gave her a good character; and Mrs. Creswell deposed.
Acquitted.
The Jane Collins trial transcript comes from the Old Bailey Online, by permission of Dr Tim Hitchcock.
Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org), December 1766, trial of Jane Collins (t17661217-5).