Charles Buckingham:
The Great Escaper
We all know of
Spitalfields’ Jack Sheppard,
But what of
Cheltenham’s Charles Buckingham?
Footpad on the
Gloucester-Painswick turnpike,
Awaiting trial in
Gloucester gaol after his capture in Bristol
(He had Bristol connections
– when he was in the North Gloucester Militia,
He helped the
romantically named Monsieur Dare,
A French prisoner of
war, escape from Stapleton Prison;
Charles was
court-martialled, but managed to escape and desert.),
He escaped from his
cell just before the Christmas of 1808
(By nail, spoon and a
ladder of blankets, sheets and mops,
He later said under
oath; no inside help, Charles emphasised),
Keeping his freedom
until the summer of 1809
(Despite a twenty
guinea (oh, slavery!) reward),
When he was
incarcerated in New Prison, Clerkenwell,
Almost emulating
Jack’s feat there of almost a century before,
With adept fingers,
file, nail, and crowbar,
But caught, right at
the end with a score of other prisoners;
He was returned to
Gloucester, mightily relieved
When his Jack Ketch
black cap verdict was commuted;
And so he was bound
for the prison hulks in the Thames,
Like Magwitch and
Compeyson in Great Expectations,
He and others,
chained, leg-ironed and handcuffed,
Rigorously guarded,
until a change of horses on the Uxbridge turnpike
Enabled him and two
others to escape – both eventually hanged;
But, Mr Buckingham,
still not then thirty, tall and avian-like,
With a beak-like
prominent nose,
Remained free as a
bird:
Where did he fly to?
With many thanks to
Jill Evans for permission to use her research at https://gloscrimehistory.wordpress.com/author/jillrevans/
Totally recommend
that you visit Jill’s fascinating blog
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