Elizabeth Canning
English maidservant who claimed to have been kidnapped · Lived 1734 to 1773 · aged 39
She ultimately became central to one of the most famous English criminal mysteries of the 18th century.
Elizabeth Canning is read about 44 times a day, in 8 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 17 August 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
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Media & music
Photos 9
"A Plan of the house of Susanna Wells at Enfield Wash" from The London Magazine, 1754
Henry Fielding investigated Canning's claims
A 19th-century portrait of Mary Squires, as printed in The Newgate Calendar
Sir Crisp Gascoyne was convinced that a miscarriage of justice had occurred.
George II issued a stay of execution on Squires's sentence, and later a pardon.
A contemporary sketch of the loft in which it was supposed Canning was held
The Trial of Elizabeth CanningAbout this person
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1734 to 1773 · aged 39