The Times newspaper recorded the story of 21-year old Elizabeth March, who appeared in court in Northampton having been indicted for having maliciously and feloniously set fire to the dwelling house of her husband John March, with intent to injure him. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner had been living separately from her husband, who lived in Peterborough, for the past two or three years. A short time before the transaction in question took place she was heard to say, speaking of her husband, that she 'would not mind toasting the d....d old slip-shod to death'. The proven facts were that, on Sunday 11 November, she had thrust a lighted candle under the roof thatch of her husband's house and run away. A woman who lived opposite had seen the action and called out to the accused's husband. He 'jumped out of bed and pulled the still lighted candle and some burning straw out of the thatch, which he immediately extinguished by stamping his foot upon them'. The jury returned a verdict of guilty and the accused was sentenced to death. The Times commented that 'the prisoner, who was rather a good-looking woman, behaved with great levity in the dock'. (Huntingdon, Bedford and Peterborough Gazette)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014