Jack Sheppard
An incorrigible prison escape artist whose brief, thrilling life of crime made him a working-class folk hero in 18th-century London.
1702–1724 (age 22)·English criminal·Birthday: March 4
Biography
Jack Sheppard's story is a blaze of notoriety that burned out before he turned 23. A carpenter's apprentice turned petty thief, he was unremarkable except for a preternatural talent for breaking out of confinement. His four spectacular escapes from London's most secure prisons in 1724, including the formidable Newgate, transformed him from a criminal into a public sensation. Each escape, accomplished with makeshift tools and breathtaking audacity, was a thumb in the eye to the authorities and a thrilling drama for the masses. The press and public adored him, seeing in his defiance a rebellion against a harsh, corrupt system. His final capture and execution at Tyburn drew a massive, mournful crowd. Sheppard lived fast, died young, and left behind a legend that was eagerly chronicled by writers like Daniel Defoe, cementing his place as the original jailbreak king.
#1 When Jack Was Born
The biggest hits of 1702
Jack's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1702Born
1707Started school
1715Became a teenager
1718Could drive
1720Could vote
1723Turned 21
1724Died at 22
Key Achievements
- Escaped from incarceration four times in one year, including from Newgate Prison and the notorious "New Prison" in Clerkenwell.
- His final escape from the condemned cell at Newgate was achieved by picking multiple locks and climbing through a chimney.
- Became such a popular legend that his life was rapidly published in pamphlets, influencing early crime reporting and literature.
- His exploits directly led to the dismissal of the Newgate prison governor for negligence.
Did You Know?
He was only 5 feet 4 inches tall and of slight build, which aided his escapes through small openings.
The famous highwayman Blueskin Blake was his partner in crime and once saved him by cutting his throat to prevent him from informing.
His corpse was retrieved after hanging by body snatchers for anatomical study, but a riotous crowd reclaimed it for a proper burial.
He is a key character in John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" and William Harrison Ainsworth's novel "Jack Sheppard."
“The lock is only as strong as the man who made it, and I was a carpenter.”
