Henry Knowland was the son of a father of the same name who was a
butcher. He received tolerably good education at school, and was brought
up by his father to his own business; but he was of a lewd disposition,
continually running after whores, keeping lewd company, gaming and
drinking until he was able neither to stand nor go. He married his first
cousin, who had formerly been the wife of Neeves, the evidence. It seems
this very Knowland had been put into Whitechapel gaol upon her swearing
a robbery against him for taking a gold chain off her neck, but that
affair being accommodated, he a little after married her, which was
perhaps no small cause of his future ruin.
He was always dishonest in his principles, and ready to lay hold of any
money without ever thinking of paying it again. At Smithfield he used to
be very dextrous in cheating country graziers of their cattle. The
method by which he did it was generally thus. Taking advantage of a
countryman whom he saw looked unacquainted with things, he struck a
bargain as soon as possible, and for any price he pleased, for his
goods; then stepping in to drink a mug and receive the money, Knowland
had an accomplice already planted, who coming hastily into the room told
him with a submissive air that a gentleman at such a place desired to
speak with him. Upon this he, arising in a hurry, tells the countryman
he would return immediately and pay him his money, while the attendant
in the meanwhile drove off with the beast; and so the poor man was left
without hopes of seeing either the money or bullock and perhaps ruined
into the bargain for being obliged to pay his master for the beast that
was lost.
Thomas Westwood, the second of these offenders, was a man descended of
very mean parents, who either had it not in their power, or were so
careless as to afford him little or no education. He himself, also, was
a stupid, obstinate fellow, who never took any pains to attain the least
degree of knowledge, but contented himself with living like a beast, in
a continual round of eating and drinking and sleeping. By trade he was a
sawyer, and when he wanted business in his trade, which, as the Ordinary
tells us, he often did bring a poor purblind creature, he either sold
sawdust about town, or else practised as a bailiffs follower, a
profession which led him into yet greater debaucheries and
extravagancies than otherwise possible he might have ever fallen into.
Knowland and he were apprehended on suspicion for being robbers, and
were tried at the Old Bailey on four indictments, all said to have been
committed on the same day, viz., on the 23rd of November, 1729. The
first was for assaulting John Molton in an open field, putting him in
fear, and taking from him four shillings; the second was for assaulting
Mary Butler and taking from her sixpence in money; the third was for
assaulting Nicholas Butler, and taking from him half a guinea and one
shilling; the fourth was for assaulting Anne Nailor, and taking from her
three and sixpence in money.
The prosecutors on all these indictments swore positively to the
prisoners' faces. Mr. Butler was desperately wounded (the Ordinary says
he was mortally wounded) but through God's grace recovered. In their
defence they called a great number of people to prove them in other
places at the time those robberies were committed, which they positively
swore, but the jury giving credit to the prosecutors' evidence, they
were both found guilty. However, they absolutely denied the crimes to
the last suffering at Tyburn with great marks of sorrow and loud
exclamations to God to have mercy on their souls, the 28th of February,
1730. Knowland being twenty-four years of age, and Westwood
twenty-seven, at the time of their deaths.