Londoners on Trial - exhibition
Crime, Courts and the Public 1244–1924
A Curator's Introduction
Long read
Curating ‘Londoners on Trial’
Find out more
Howard Doble, one of the curators of 'Londoners on Trial', explores the themes of the exhibition and how decisions were made about the inclusion of the content.
Visit us
Events
Discover and book events related to law and order, and crime, in London.
Tour
Curator-led exhibition tours - September
Londoners on Trial
Every month our curators will guide you through the exhibition exploring the lives of Londoners on Trial.Tour
Curator-led exhibition tours - October
Londoners on Trial
Every month our curators will guide you through the exhibition exploring the lives of Londoners on Trial.Tour
Curator-led exhibition tours - November
Londoners on Trial
Every month our curators will guide you through the exhibition exploring the lives of Londoners on Trial.Tour
Curator-led exhibition tours - December
Londoners on Trial
Every month our curators will guide you through the exhibition exploring the lives of Londoners on Trial.
What's On
Walking Tour: Law and Order in London
Tour
This walking tour recounts London’s long and dark history of law and order from Roman London to the 21st century. It is led by City of London Guide Lecturer Jonathan Wober of London On The Ground, and starts outside St Paul’s tube station (Exit 2, just before Caffè Nero).
What's On
London's Mythical Monsters and Human Villains
Talk
Explore London’s long history of monsters in this illustrated talk, featuring ghosts, giants, witches, sewer beasts and human villains. Pete Smith, Cambridge graduate, former lecturer and London guide, leads the journey. Founder of London City Walks and author of A to Z London Hidden Walks, he brings the city’s darker stories to life.
What's On
Archives on Show: Criminal Records
Document Viewing
In December we will highlight collections relating to London's courts, such as the records of the Middlesex Sessions, the Old Bailey, and the records of magistrates' courts. You can also explore records relating to prisons and punishments and discover additional stories that we didn't have space for in our current exhibition 'Londoners On Trial: Crime, Courts and the Public 1244-1924'.
What's On
The Questioning of Eleanor Rykener
Talk
The Questioning of Eleanor Rykener (1395) is the oldest known document in our collection that speaks directly to LGBTQ+ history. From it, we learn that Rykener had lived as both Eleanor and John. Eleanor was an embroideress and sex worker with high profile clients. Come along to hear the story of this fascinating document.
What's On
The Evolution of The Justice System: Londoners as Lawyers, Judges (and Jury)
Talk
Who gets to pass judgement on others? This is a fundamental question for the rule of law. And how did the roles of lawyers, judges and juries evolve? We will trace highlights the evolution of legal system and trials in England, from the Magna Carta through to the present day.
What's On
Tracing Elizabeth: Crime, Gender, and Justice in 19th-Century England
Talk
Using microhistory, this talk traces the life of Elizabeth Curdew, a 19th century repeat offender, and her encounters with crime and punishment. It examines the social and legal forces that shaped her choices. Participants piece together her story, consider possible outcomes, and reflect on how Victorian society treated women within the criminal justice system.
What's On
Gaol Birds: London Women on Trial from 1800-1923
Evening Event
Discover London’s forgotten female criminals in a dramatic talk with re‑enactment and storytelling. London has a long, dark legacy of trial, punishment and execution. The stories (and grisly ends) of Jack Sheppard, Captain Kidd and many other male criminals of London lore are well known and documented. But what about the women? Join us for an evening exploring the forgotten female felons of London's past from the 19th to early 20th century.
What's On
Treason, Hersey, Witchcraft - New Crimes under the Tudors
Lunchtime Talk
Hear how religion changes in Tudor times created new crimes and reshaped daily life, with effects that still echo in modern society. The reign of the Tudors, from Henry VI to Elizabeth I, lasted over 100 years and was a time of shifting religious and political loyalties. As society in England swung from Catholic to Protestant and back again, definitions of crime changed as well.
What's On
Witchcraft, Necromancy, Politics - Eleanor Cobham's 1441 Trial
Evening Talk
Eleanor Cobham faced trial in 1441 for plotting against Henry VI with occult methods. Explore the crime, the people and the places. The trial of Eleanor Cobham and her co-conspirators for occult crimes is a window onto several aspects of late medieval culture.
What's On
Crime in Victorian London - The Realities of Charles Dickens
Saturday Talk
Discover what author Charles Dickens got right about Victorian crime, poverty and the workhouse, and how dangerous London really was. Patrick Voss explores the real conditions behind the fiction, including the workhouse system, urban poverty, and the pressures of life in the largest city in the world. This talk will reveal how dangerous it was in Victorian London and why Dickens wrote so urgently about it.Practical information
Find out how to get here and our opening times and facilities.
Visit us
Visit us
Visit us
Stories
Discover blogs on subjects relating to crime and the courts which will be added to throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Article
Murder Most Medieval
The London Eyre of 1244
Find out about a large medieval roll that records a process in which the King’s justices, known as the eyre judges, visited London to oversee the administration of the law. Content warning - contains some detail on medieval murders!
Long read
David Bowie and Eighteenth-Century London
Find out more
Some research by Archives Officer Charlotte Hopkins-McPherson investigates the link between David Bowie and the London of the eighteenth century. Find out more about this intriguing connection.
Long read
Reforming the Recalcitrant Apprentice
Find out more
Find out about apprenticeships in the City of London in this article by Rachel Barrett.
Long read
The Art of Cookery with Hannah Glasse
Find out more
Discover more about Hannah Glasse (1708–1770) who was one of the most influential English cookbook writers of the eighteenth century and how she came to spend some time in the Fleet Prison.
Long read
Jenny Diver
The life and crimes of an eighteenth-century pickpocket
Find out more about Jenny Diver, a pickpocket in eighteenth-century London.
Book Group
'Shrines of Gaiety' by Kate Atkinson
Find out more
Find out about The London Archives' book group in September 2025 where we discussed 'Shrines of Gaiety' by Kate Atkinson.
Article
Moll Cutpurse - celebrity villain
London pickpocket and fence
Mary Frith (1584-1659), also known as Moll Cutpurse, is an early example of a celebrity villain. Intriguingly, it wasn’t her crimes alone that scandalised London, but her form of dress and habits – namely, that she dressed as a man. Find out more in this article.
Article
James McNeill Whistler and London
Find out more
The artist James McNeill Whistler lived in London from 1859 and produced impressions of life on and by the Thames. Find out more in this blog post by Charlotte Hopkins-McPherson, Archives Officer.
Long read
The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
Londoners on Trial
To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, we remember the events leading to the conviction of Oscar Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895 which feature in the ‘Londoners on Trial’ exhibition at The London Archives until 25 February 2027.
Long read
Minnie Pheby: a Victorian Lady Burglar
Learn more
Learn more about the life and crimes of Minnie Pheby, who burgled dozens of houses across West London between 1896 and 1900
Long read
The Clerkenwell Explosion of 1867
Find out more
What was intended as a daring prison break became one of Victorian London’s deadliest political explosions. Find out more in this article by Rachel Barrett about the Clerkenwell Explosion of 1867.
Research
You might also like
Discover more about our collections relating to the history of crime in London.
