In the time when the Old Bailey was the centre of attraction for everyone on both sides of the law, there were tradesmen about who were only too happy to cash in on the sensational and sad lives of villains – especially those whose lives had ended dangling on a rope at Tyburn. One such retailer was Richard Wam of the Bible and Sun at Warwick Lane, Amen Corner, London. Among his sick and bizarre items for sale there was a series of chapbooks with narratives on them, and one of these published in 1730 was this, as advertised:
The case of Mr. Dan. Kimberley, attorney at law, executed at Dublin, May 27, 1730, for assisting Bradock Mead to marry Bridget Rending, an heiress. Contained in his declaration and dying words, delivered to the Rev. Mr. Derry, at the place of execution, and recommended to Dean Percival, John Hacket, Esq’, and two other gentlemen, to see it published. Price: three pence.
Behind that smart piece of advertising there lies not only the complex tale of a learned and educated man who fell into deep trouble, but also a story typical of its age and place – one more abduction in hundreds, a trade (and a crime) totally heartless and unscrupulous – and of course, a capital offence. Kimberley’s last dying speech tract was headed: ‘Daniel Kimberly, Gentleman’. Those words were unusual for a gallows tale, and his date with death was as meticulously recorded as the vents of his own story: