On Tuesday 9th February 1768, Samuel James Lewis, proprietor of the well-known inn and coaching house the Battle of Minden at Hilsea, was robbed and murdered on the road between Hilsea and Portsmouth, near Halfway Houses (the area later known as Landport). His assailants were Sergeant James Williams and Sergeant Grant of the Royal Marines, and a Grenadier named Bryer. One of them shot Lewis in the heart, and they stole three silver watches he was carrying. Lewis’ body was not discovered until the next day. Lewis left a wife and three small children. His widow continued to run the Battle of Minden after his death.
On Thursday 28th July 1768, James Williams was convicted of the crime at Winchester Assizes, on the evidence of one of the watches and the testimony of his accomplice and fellow Marine, Sergeant Grant. He was sentenced to hang in chains on Southsea Common. He protested his innocence to the last, and all the Marines in the district were drawn up “without arms” to watch his execution (pour encourager les autres). His body was then gibbeted, but some time later it was removed in secret by his comrades, likely for burial. Fifty years later, during fortification work around Portsmouth, bones that were widely believed to be those of Williams were discovered in a shallow grave.
As the three robbers took the silver watches but left behind five guineas, it seems likely that Lewis was deliberately targeted for the watches he was carrying. Grant’s description of his role (“he was a Reserve-fire to dispatch Lewis, in Case theirs proved ineffectual” suggests premeditation), implies that Lewis knew at least one of them, and they killed him so he couldn’t identify them.
Question
In 1772 Sergeant Williams is still hanging in chains. This might contradict the story of his body being secretly buried by his comrades - would his comrades wait four years?
Tangent
I did wonder for a while if the lost Felton obelisk, which was traditionally believed to stand over the remains of John Felton’s gibbet, was actually marking the remains of Sergeant Williams’ gibbet. John Pory, just a week after Felton was hanged, writes that Felton “was hanged up in chaines two mile on this side Portsmouth, and so was seen on Monday morning by one that came from Portsmouth, some butts length from the road”, and the description of Williams’ place of execution (“hung and gibbetted at the bathing machines”) perfectly fits the location of the obelisk.
But… probably not. This 1765 engraving “A south-east view of Portsmouth”, made less than forty years after Felton’s execution, marks Felton’s gibbet in the traditional location, and crucially it was engraved three years before Williams’ execution.
And then in 1782, ‘A report from the Court Books for the Manors of Portsea and Copnor alleges that “Felton’s Gibbet having been washed away or carried away, Ye Lords of Portsea and certain persons of the Borough met to replace it at the boundary”‘.
I can’t see fifteen years (ten, if Williams is still hanging in chains in 1772) being enough time for the two gibbets to become confused.
Primary sources
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Extract of a letter from Portsmouth, Feb, 10.
“On Tuesday night about nine o’clock as one Samuel Lewis, who keeps a public-house, the sign of the Battle of Minden, three miles from this garrison, was going home, he was attacked between the Halfway-house from hence and the mile-stone, by a person or persons unknown; what pass’d between them is not known, but the poor man was shot in the belly: The ball, it seems, passed thro’ his heart, and lodged in his backbone. He had three silver watches and five guineas about him; one of the watches was his own, and the other two, we hear, he had left him by other people to be cleaned. The person who shot him robbed him of the watches; but we suppose on hearing some distant noise, they made off without taking the money. Early the next morning a waggon going by the spot, the driver knew the murdered man, on which he put him up in his waggon, and carried him home to his wife, who is left with three small children. What to think of so uncommon an attack, and so near the garrison, we know not. The escape of a highwayman from this place, as it is an island, must be very precarious if he should happen to be pursued, as there is but one way out by land: But we expect to hear more of this barbarous murder and robbery.”
— Chester Courant, Tuesday 23 February 1768 source
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COUNTRY NEWS.
Portsmouth, Feb. 24. Two soldiers have been taken up on suspicion of killing the man at the sign of the Battle of Minden near this place; they are charged on the oath of a man who says he overheard them talking over the affair in a room up stairs, at the house where they were quartered, he being at that time below, and waited their coming down to take notice of them.
— Salisbury and Winchester Journal, Monday 29 February 1768 source
If I’m reading it correctly, that last clause means “he waited until they came down so he could observe them” - presumably so he could identify them.
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COUNTRY NEWS.
Extract of a Letter from Portsmouth, March 11.
“At length we have got some Light into an Affair relative to the Murder of Lewis: The Serjeant of Marines that pawned the Watch, and said he had it from a Serjeant that was gone on a Furlow, (as mentioned in a former Paper) is still in Custody. The latter, who was in London hearing that there was Search made after him, left London, and pursued his Way for Havant, about nine Miles from this Garrison, where his Wife and Friends live. On the Road he met the London Waggon, and enquired of the Waggoner, who knew him, the Road to Havant. As soon as the Waggoner came in here, he informed the Justice of the Enquiry the Serjeant had made of him, and that he believed he was gone to Havant; on which the Justice sent a Constable and a Party to apprehend him, but before they came he had delivered himself up to a Grenadier, who was there on Leave; and they brought him in here at Two o’Clock on Sunday Morning. He denies the Fact, but says, if he is sent to Winchester, several more shall go with him. His Name is Williams.”
— Derby Mercury, Friday 25 March 1768 source
Todo
“as mentioned in a former Paper” - I’ve got at least one more report to track down.
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COUNTRY NEWS.
Portsmouth, March 15. A Soldier that is in Hold at Gosport, has sworn, that Serjeant Williams, himself, and one Bryer, a Grenadier, way-laid poor Lewis; and that the Serjeant and Grenadier fired at him, and killed him; that he was a Reserve-fire to dispatch Lewis, in Case theirs proved ineffectual. The Serjeant and Grenadier have been confronted with this Fellow; they protest their Innocence, and he still persists in his Evidence; however, they, together with the Serjeant that pawned the Watch, are committed to Winchester-Gaol, in order to take their Trials at the next Assizes.
— Derby Mercury, Friday 25 March 1768 source
Todo
“they, together with the Serjeant that pawned the Watch” - so there are up to four trials to find records for. Probably three, given the next quote.
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COUNTRY NEWS.
Portsmouth, March 17. Serjeant Grant has been admitted to bail, to appear against Williams and Bryer at the next Assizes.
— Salisbury and Winchester Journal, Monday 21 March 1768 source
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On Thursday last the Assizes ended at the Castle of Winchester, for the County of Southampton, when the following Prisoners received Sentence of Death, viz. James Williams, for killing and robbing Samuel Lewis on the Highway, to be hanged in Chains at Portsea; James Farrel, alias Forrell, and Elias Budden, for Burglaries; David Hickey, for robbing James Knight, at Portsmouth; William Reed, William Kitts, and John Davis, for Sheepstealing.
— Oxford Journal, Saturday 30 July 1768 source
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Portsmouth, July 28. This Day Serjeant Williams was executed on the South Sea Common for the Murder of Lewis. He pleaded his Innocence to the last. He is to be hang in Chains on the same Gibbet he suffered on. He received the Sacrament before he left the Gaol, but would not suffer the Clergyman to go in the Cart with him, or assist him in Prayer. He prayed himself about half an Hour before he was run up by a Tackle fix’d for the Purpose. The whole Body of Marines were drawn up close to the Gibbet without Arms for Example.
— Coventry Standard, Monday 08 August 1768 source
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They write from Portsmouth, that on Thursday last James Williams, late a serjeant of marines, was executed at Southsea-common, for the murder of Mr. Lewis, and afterwards hung in chains on the same gibbet.
— Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, Sunday 04 September 1768 source
Well that’s annoying. Williams either died at Portsmouth the same day he was convicted at Winchester, or he died nearly a month later. (It’s probably the first one, and I’ve calculated the wrong date for the Winchester Assizes).
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The stockading of the glacis of Southsea is undergoing a repair, and on Wednesday last a human scull and some other bones were dug up near the bathing machines: they lay scarcely two inches below the surface, and are supposed to be the bones of one Williams, a sergeant of the marines, who was convicted on the evidence of an accomplice, and also a sergeant of the marines, named Grant, about the year 1758, of the murder of a man of property near the Battle of Minden public-house, at Hilsea. Williams was tried at Winchester, and it being clearly proved that he, in company with Grant, shot the man dead off his horse and plundered him, and his watch having been traced to Williams, opened the whole affair, and he was accordingly sentenced to be hung and gibbetted at the bathing machines, Southsea Common, which was accordingly executed; but some time after the body was taken down in the night from the gibbet, supposed by the Marines, who much respected him before his crime, and privately buried him in some adjacent spot, which render it more than probable that those bones were Williams’s.
— Hampshire Chronicle, Monday 09 December 1816 source
“sentenced to be hung and gibbetted at the bathing machines” is a hell of a phrase. Pure blood and candyfloss.
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June [1816]. Board of Ordnance grant permission for the erection of bathing-rooms on Portsmouth beach.
Saturday, November 9 [1816]. The bathing-rooms at Southsea levelled to the ground by violence of the sea.
The stockading of the Glacis of Southsea being under repair a human skull and other bones dug up near the bathing machines. They lay scarcely two inches below the surface and supposed to be the bones of one Williams, a serjeant of marines, who was executed in the year 1768, for the murder of a man of some consideration and property, near the public-house called the Battle of Minden, near Hilsea. Williams was tried at Winchester, and convicted upon the evidence of an accomplice, Serjeant Grant, also of the marines. Williams, it appeared shot the man off his horse and plundered him of his watch which led to the discovery of his crime. He was sentenced to be gibbeted which accordingly took place near the bathing machines but a short time afterwards the body was clandestinely taken down from the gibbet, and, it was conjectured, buried by the marines of the division, with whom Williams was a favourite before he committed the crime for which he suffered.
— Slight, Henry and Julian (1828) Chronicles of Portsmouth. Lupton Relfe, 13, Cornhill, London source
This last is a primary source for the discovery of the bones, not the original murder. But if it’s correct, and Lewis really was “a man of some consideration and property”, maybe we can find out a bit more about him. It would be nice to find out what his wife’s name was, for a start.
Secondary sources
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“BATTLE OF MINDEN.”
A well-known inn and coaching house at Hilsea which has long since disappeared. It used to boast a signboard painted by Sir Robert Kerporter. About the middle of the 18th Century it gained unenviable notoriety, its proprietor, Samuel James Lewis, being robbed and murdered by a sergeant of the Royal Marines, named Williams, who was tried at Winchester, convicted, and hanged on Southsea Common in 1768. His gibbeted body was taken down and buried secretly by his comrades, the mystery of its disappearance being solved 20 years later, when the remains were found during some excavations on the fortifications.
— Hampshire Telegraph, Friday 13 February 1925 source
Note
The above text also appears verbatim in Portsmouth in the Past (1926), William G Gates.
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in 1794 Robert Ker Porter painted Christ allaying the Storm for the Roman Catholic chapel at Portsea, Portsmouth
Robert Ker Porter wasn’t really active as a painter until 1790. It’s quite possible he painted the signboard in 1794, but that’s not the only visit he made to Portsmouth - there’s at least one surviving sketchbook from another year which shows Hampshire scenes.
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July 28, 1768. Sergeant Williams hung on Southsea Common for the murder of Samuel Lewis, landlord of the Battle of Minden at Hilsea.
— Slight, Henry and Julian (1828) Chronicles of Portsmouth. Lupton Relfe, 13, Cornhill, London source
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Sergeant Williams, Royal Marines, hanged on Southsea Common, for the murder of Samuel James Lewis, landlord of the Battle of Minden public house at Hilsea.
— Annals of Portsmouth, William H. Saunders, 1880 source