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The murder of
The Murder of Mr. James Perry, 1729
In the year 1729, the peaceful village was shaken by the shocking murder of Mr. James Perry. A respected member of the community, Mr. Perry's untimely death sent ripples of fear throughout the area.
The term “footpad” emerged during the late Middle Ages and was commonly used from the 16th century through the 19th century. This was a period when travel became more frequent but still dangerous due to poor policing and the prevalence of various kinds of street crime.
Social Status and Reputation:
Footpads were considered among the lowest types of criminals in the hierarchy of thieves. They were often seen as desperate and brutal, attacking their victims up close and without the chivalrous veneer sometimes associated with highwaymen.
The burial of James Parry (or Perry) is recorded on p15.
James Perry, of Priors Hall, Widdington, was attacked, robbed
and wounded by a footpad when returning to his home from Bishop's.
Stortford Market on the 17th April, 1729. The following account
of the indecent was published in The Country Journal or the Craftsman
of the 26th April, 1729:
"Last week Mr. Perry, a farmer of Widdington in Essex, was
robbed of twelve Pounds by a single man on Foot, as he was going
from Bishop's Stortford Market. Mr Perry was surprised by him
in a narrow lane, and unhorsed, and his throat cut after his
money was taken away. The Villain made off, thinking probably,
he had left him dead. The other got upon his horse again, and rode
back directly to a Surgeon's House at Stortford, about two miles away.
He lost a great deal of Blood by the way. The wound is so deep, it
is thought he will not recover. He hath a wife and eight children.
He was alive last Saturday. "
An account of the attack on James Perry was also given in
The Weekly Journal: or the British Gazetteer and in Fog's Weekly Journal
both of Saturday 26 th April, 1729. James Perry's death is recorded
in The Weekly Journal: or the British Gazetteer of the 3rd May, 1729,
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