Two hundred and eighty-four years ago, on March 18, 1741, Mary Young, the most notorious pickpocket in history was hanged. Perhaps you think you never heard of her but you have. Also known as Jenny Diver, she was immortalized in the 1728 John Gay play The Beggar's Opera; this in turn was the basis for Pirate Jenny in the 1928 Threepenny Opera by Elisabeth Hauptmann, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.
Diver was born around 1700 in Ireland the illegitimate daughter of an unknown father and the lady's maid Harriet Jones. After her mother deserted her, Diver grew up in various foster homes. She was a skilled seamstress,
and eventually emigrated to London, England, where she became an apprentice of
Anne Murphy, who was the leader of a gang of pickpockets. She soon
became so skilled as a thief that she became the leader of Murphy's gang
and nicknamed Jenny Diver as she was so deft at diving into people's pockets.
Pickpocket's Tale -
painting by Dan Craig
Once she'd made her fortune and could afford the finest clothes, Diver was described as attractive, educated and well dressed, and was
able to mix among wealthy people without attracting suspicion. The best known of her methods was to feign illness, during which she
robbed people and handed over the objects to her accomplices. She would
also use false arms which made it possible for her to rob people with
her arms seemingly visible in her lap. On one occasion she removed a diamond ring from a man’s hand without him knowing until he missed it later.
She
was also adept at playing the so-called “Badger Game.” A wealthy
gentleman would be lured to her lodgings with the promise of sexual
favors. The gang would then relieve the unsuspecting fellow of his
valuables and clothes. One of these escapades is said to have yielded
100 guineas, an amount that would be equivalent of at least $13,000
today (estimates vary widely).
She was arrested twice under false names and was convicted to deportation as a first-time criminal. On January 10, 1741, she was arrested for a third time, but this time
she was correctly identified and could not give a false name and was accused not only of theft but also of having returned after deportation, which was a capital crime, thus, her execution on March 18.
Driver was mentioned in the The Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, a collection of moralizing stories about sin, crime, and
the criminals who committed them in England in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Originally a monthly bulletin of executions, produced by the Keeper of Newgate Prison in London, the Calendar's title was appropriated by other publishers, who put out biographical chapbooks about notorious criminals such as Sawney Bean, Dick Turpin, and Moll Cutpurse.
There's a lot more to know about her on the Strange Company blog and I discovered the writer of that blog used some of the same images I used but has others (link below).
Susan F. Craft wrote a novel, The Chamomile, based on the life of Diver which won the SIBA Okra Pick award (link below).
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Colonial Quills ~ Jenny Diver, The Queen of Pickpockets
Hubpages ~ Jenny Diver: Criminal Life of a Pickpocket
Strange Company ~ Jenny Diver, Queen of the Pickpockets
