City of Lincoln Waites

The Murder at Sibsey in Lincolnshire

1859

On 18 March 1859, Henry Carey (aged 24) and William Pickett (aged 20) were drinking with William Stevenson in the Ship Inn at Sibsey Northlands (Near Boston, Lincolnshire). When William Stevenson left the Inn to walk home, Carey and Pickett followed him. They Killed him and robbed him. The song says that they hit him so hard that his skull caved in.

Carey and Pickett were both arrested the following day. Their trial, at Lincoln Castle, lasted just over a day and they were soon found guilty and sentenced to death. On 5 August 1859, Carey and Pickett were hung by the executioner William Marwood. These were the last two public hangings in Lincoln Castle.

Lincoln's Waits did not continue past 1857, however, I include this song for the purposes of providing examples of the content of Lincolnshire's Broadside ballads.

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In Sibsey village in Lincolnshire,
Another dreadful deed's been done,
On a cottager age sixty-four,
His name was William Stevenson.
He left his home on Monday Morning,
And to Boston Market made his way,
But in the evening returning home,
He at the "Ship" some time did stay.
Chorus
Then for his money they him followed,
Very soon they did him catch,
And then they robbed and murdered him,
And left his body in a ditch.
At the public-house he called for ale,
His lowly spirits for to cheer,
He little thought that night to die,
And being to his home so near;
But he was followed from that house,
By some ruffians you shall hear,
Who robbed and murdered the poor old man,
In Sibsey village in Lincolnshire.
Then in a ditch on the Thursday morning,
He was by a neighbour found,
With his skull all smashed to pieces,
He did lay upon the ground;
Oh then what news was for his son,
To hear his father was no more,
To think by ruffians he was murdered,
At the age of sixty-four.
Soon as his son was told about it,
He and two neighbours went straight away,
And in a ditch he found his father,
Murdered in a brutal way;
With his head all smashed to pieces,
And his pockets riffled out,
There was the marks about the road,
Where the ruffians had drag'd him about.
His son found out were he had been staying
To that public-house he goes,
There Pickett and Carey sat a drinking,
And he saw blood upon their clothes;
This then gave him strong suspicion,
And to the police he went with speed,
He gave information and they were taken,
And charged with the dreadful deed.
When to the station they were taken,
And they were charged of taking life,
When searching Carey they found upon him,
Mr. Stevenson's pocket-knife:
The site of this it made them shudder,
And when before the jury they did stand,
The verdict of "Guilty" was returned against them,
For the wilful murder of Stevenson.
So all young men pray take warning,
High and low of every degree,
Give up drinking and night-walking,
Stay at home and shun bad company.
Drink has brought many a man to ruin,
Some it has sent across the sea,
Some it has caused to die in jail,
And some upon the gallows tree.

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Cobb Hall, Lincoln Castle, Where Carey and Pickett were hanged.

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