Note 6 — SARAH MALCOLM. EXECUTED FOR MURDER.
Reading edition
It has been a very ancient practice, on the night preceding the execution of condemned criminals, for the bellman of the parish of St. Sepulchre to go under Newgate, and, ringing his bell, to repeat the following verses, as a piece of friendly advice, to the unhappy wretches under sentence of death:—
All you that in the condemn’d hole do lie, Prepare you, for to-morrow you shall die. Watch all, and pray, the hour is drawing near, That you before the Almighty must appear; Examine well yourselves, in time repent, That you may not t’ eternal flames be sent, And when St. Sepulchre’s bell to-morrow tolls, The Lord above have mercy on your souls! Past twelve o’clock!
The following extract from Stow’s Survey of London, page 125 of the quarto edition, printed in 1618, will prove that the above verses ought to be repeated by a clergyman, instead of a bellman:—“Robert Doue, citizen and merchant taylor, of London, gave to the parish church of St. Sepulchres the somme of 50l. That after the several sessions of London, when the prisoners remain in the gaole, as condemned men to death, expecting execution on the morrow following; the clarke (that is, the parson) of the church shoold come in the night time, and likewise early in the morning, to the window of the prison where they lye, and there ringing certain toles with a hand-bell, appointed for the purpose, he doth afterwards (in most Christian manner) put them in mind of their present condition, and ensuing execution, desiring them to be prepared therefore as they ought to be. When they are in the cart and brought before the wall of the church, there he standeth ready with the same bell, and after certain toles rehearseth an appointed praier, desiring all the people there present to pray for them. The beadle also of Merchant Taylors’ Hall hath an honest stipend allowed to see that this is duely done.”