An Age of Excess
A Georgian bundle of fact, fiction and 'orrible crimes
First presented at the Kelmarsh Festival of History for English Heritage this is a truly eclectic Georgian bundle that includes at least a little of everything if not more (and much inspired by the Newgate Calendar) :
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I also draw on reports recounting the exploits of celebrity smugglers like Captain Moonlight and Dr Syn in their evasions of the Excise - or iconic highwaymen and murderers (not forgetting their gallows confessions) |
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The wilder titbits of the age were the reports sold in flyers and pamphlets: gore drenched lurid crimes and executions; abductions and rewards; charlatans and sure-fire get rich schemes. Advertisements for public entertainments promised the exotic, giantesses, or freaks of nature. (The real story of the Ethiopian Prince - strange and unexpected - is a satisfying one...) |
I have a growing collection of these handbills recreated from articles and advertisements in newspapers of the time - and usually bring notice boards freshly pasted with the juciest news and most appealing offers as well: Truth or fiction? You really couldn’t make it up... |
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Hear the the terrible stories of Anne Bedingfield and Mrs Hayes both burned at the stake for the petty treason of murdering their husbands; of Alexander Scott, tried for a false proclamation of War; or of Hannah Dagoe - who tried to take the hangman with her! |
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Incredible tales of the mystic East and farther exotic lands tell of new discoveries, so called savages and weird creatures - some with fur and beaks or trap-doors in their hides…
Of course, many much older stories of vanity, vulgarity, and acquisition; old men and young brides; greed and social climbing still resonate in an age of self-made men (and women...)
A life long Londoner I have a store of tales - both fact and fiction - to share about my city as it expands into the fields of Marylebone and Bayswater...
