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Penns Lane Sutton Coldfield

BordesleyExile

BordesleyExile

master brummie
The seemingly peacefull Penn Lane scene depicted in Dent's Old & New Birmingham belies the violent death apparently met by Mary Ashford there in 1817. Having attended a party at the Tyburn she left with friend Hannah Cox & a new aquaintance Abraham Thornton. Mary was last seen with Thornton, but her body was subsequently found in a water filled pit. At his trial Thornton said "Not guilty & I am ready to defend same with my body" and throwing down a gauntlet challenged Mary's brother to combat. William Ashford declined and Thornton was released. Trial by combat was shortly made ilegal.
Public outrage against Thornton was such that he emigrated to America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Coldfield
https://www.archive.org/stream/trialofadrahamth015892mbp/trialofadrahamth015892mbp_djvu.txt
 
Hi. My great, great, great grandather & mother lived at Penns farm, Penns Lane on the 1841,1851 census, & my great,gt,gt grandfather was a widower on the 1861 census.
Has anyone gone any later photos of Penns Lane please?
 
BordesleyExile said:
The seemingly peacefull Penn Lane scene depicted in Dent's Old & New Birmingham belies the violent death apparently met by Mary Ashford there in 1817. Having attended a party at the Tyburn she left with friend Hannah Cox & a new aquaintance Abraham Thornton. Mary was last seen with Thornton, but her body was subsequently found in a water filled pit. At his trial Thornton said "Not guilty & I am ready to defend same with my body" and throwing down a gauntlet challenged Mary's brother to combat. William Ashford declined and Thornton was released. Trial by combat was shortly made ilegal.
Public outrage against Thornton was such that he emigrated to America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Coldfield
https://www.archive.org/stream/trialofadrahamth015892mbp/trialofadrahamth015892mbp_djvu.txt
Click to expand...



fascinating shirl...thanks for posting

lyn
 
ginger said:
Hi. My great, great, great grandather & mother lived at Penns farm, Penns Lane on the 1841,1851 census, & my great,gt,gt grandfather was a widower on the 1861 census.
Has anyone gone any later photos of Penns Lane please?
Click to expand...



Penns Lane 1890 Plantsbrook Stream Bridge
 
2nd pic from the same area, Plantsbrook stream, looking in the direction of Wylde Green.
 
Played football for Newman Tonks (Hockley) on R.M.Douglas (cement?) sports field off Penns Lane. Don't know how or why they played there, but my Aunt lived off Pitts Farm so used to nip off there after.
 
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