Jack Hall (around 1673/7 – 17 December 1707) was an English thief. He is the subject of a traditional British folksong "Jack Hall" (now better known as " Sam Hall",

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

369).

Life

Born John Hall to Rebecca and Anthony Hall, a cobbler, in Bishop's Head Court, near Gray's Inn Lane, Holborn, London. His date of birth is uncertain: before he was executed on 17 December 1707 he gave his age as 32, which would indicate that he was born in late 1673, or in 1674, but parish records show he was baptised at St Andrew Holborn on 18 January 1677. He became a

chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...

(in some accounts he was sold when young to a chimney sweep for a guinea). In later life he became a notorious thief. In 1707 he was arrested along with Stephen Bunce and Dick Low for a burglary committed at the house of Captain Guyon, near Stepney. All three were convicted and hanged at

Tyburn Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern O ...

on 17 December 1707.

Song

A broadsheet of his Gallows Confessional was put to the melody of "

Captain Kidd William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...

", previously executed for piracy in 1701. Jack Hall's song was made popular in the 1850s with the adaptation " Sam Hall" by English comic minstrel, W. G. Ross. sources:

References

{{reflist

External links

* Jack Hall's entry from DNB from Wikisource
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey London 1674 to 1913
– Archive of case details for Jack Hall Chimney sweeps British thieves 1670s births 1707 deaths People executed by England by hanging Executed people from London Publicly executed people People executed for theft 18th-century executions