Thomas Colley (died 24 August 1751) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

, executed for the murder of accused

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

Ruth Osborne Ruth Osborne (also Benson) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Terri Dwyer. She first appeared in January 1996 as the cousin of Natasha Andersen (Shenah Ronay), and departed in 2001. She made g ...

Tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked to ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. Colley was one of the leaders of a mob which gathered at Tring in April 1751 and seized an elderly couple, John and Ruth Osborne, from the local

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

, accusing them of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. The mob subjected the pair to a dunking at a nearby pond in Wilstone. Ruth was beaten and dragged through the water repeatedly, until Colley drowned her by turning her face-down with a stick. John survived and testified at Colley's trial. Colley was convicted of murder and hanged in chains at Gubblecote Cross.

References

Secondary sources

* * * * * Year of birth missing 1751 deaths 1751 crimes People executed for murder English people convicted of murder Witchcraft in England Executed English people People executed by the Kingdom of Great Britain People executed by England and Wales by hanging Vigilantes Witch hunters {{UK-crime-bio-stub

See also

References

Secondary sources