John Dennis was praying for mercy as the Judge put his black cap on.

The Ballad of Death By Hanging (Ely, 1816)

John Dennis of Littleport, aged 42,
For Felonious Riot and Burgling
Fifty Pound Notes from an Ely house,
I sentence you - death by hanging.

William Beamis of Littleport, aged the same,
For Felonoius Riot and Robbing
A One Pound Note from a Littleport man,
I sentence you - death by hanging.

Isaac Harley of Littleport, 33,
For Housebreaking, Riot and Stealing
The plate, linen, china of John Vachel, clerk,
I sentence you - death by hanging."

The 11th hour comes, lads, we won't see a 12th,
Only parson and hangman and darkness,
We're names on a church wall, a cautionary tale
Of the rigged scales of British Justice.

James Newell, James Rutter, John Jefferson
For Riot and Felony in Ely,
John Easey, John Walker, Mark Benton,
I sentence you… transportation.

Thomas South of Littleport, aged 22,
For Riot and Breaking and Burgling
A Littleport drapers and grocery shop,
I sentence you - death by hanging.

George Crow of Littleport, aged 23,
For Riot in Ely and Burgling
Of Cutlacks and Waddlelow's of Littleport,
I sentence you - death by hanging.

The 11th hour comes, lads, we won't see a 12th,
Only parson and hangman and darkness,
We're names on a church wall, a cautionary tale
Of the skewed scales of British Justice.

The Jury has no doubt, it wants us put
In our place of execution,
A moment to pray, then to suffer the price
Of our faux French revolution.

On the brink of eternity, five men stand,
Witnesses keenly attending,
"We acknowledge our crimes and the justice received"
Then a jolt - and five bodies swinging.

"May the awful fate of these unhappy men
Produce the intended effect
Deterring all others from similar crimes
…With an iron heel on your necks."

The 11th hour comes, lads, we won't see a 12th,
Only parson and hangman and darkness,
We're names on a church wall, a cautionary tale,
Of the stacked scales of British Justice

The 11th hour comes, lads, we won't see a 12th,
Only parson and hangman and darkness,
We're names on a church wall, a cautionary tale,
Of the corrupt scales of British Justice.

May their awful fate be a warning to others.
 
5 men - a publican, a cobbler and three illiterate labourers - John Dennis, William Beamis, Thomas South, George Crow and Isaac Harley, were hanged for "diverse robberies during the riots in Ely and Littleport.
Nineteen others were sentenced to death but were reprieved. Richard Rutter the rioter at Ely who said that "I might as well be hanged as starved" was transported for life instead. Joseph Easey, John Jefferson, Aaron Chevell, James Newell and Richard Jessop were transported for 14 years.
John Easey, Mark Benton and John Walker were transported for 7 years
Ten others, including Sarah Hobbs, the only convicted woman, were given 12 months in Ely gaol.
Sarah and I married on her release from Ely gaol a year later. We went into service with a retired but energetic admiral named Croft and his wife who'd taken over a stately home in Somerset from a decaying baronet and wanted the place made ship shape. "Move out all these damned mirrors the baronet posed in while admiring his entry in The Peerage," he laughed. We got Jack a job there too. It suited us better than slaving for some Hooray Henry who'd never fought for the land he 'owned'.
In 1817, Sarah bore me a son. Before the riots, I'd have named him Arthur after my old hero the 'Iron' Duke of Wellington. But when I found out the 'Iron' referred to the iron shutters he erected on his London mansion windows against the rioting poor, I changed my mind. We called our boy 'William' after a philosopher who dreamed of a fairer world and tried to make it come true.
And was hanged for it.