The murder of John Hayes and the execution of Catherine Hayes
- When
- 1726
- Where
- London; Thames River
- Episodes
- 3
In March 1726, Catherine Hayes and two accomplices murdered her husband John Hayes in London. After his severed head was found by the Thames, Hayes was convicted of petty treason and executed by burning at the stake in May 1726.
Episodes
- Murder of John Hayes
Catherine Hayes and two accomplices killed her husband John Hayes after a drinking contest.
- Discovery of Severed Head
John Hayes's severed head was found by the Thames the day after the murder.
- Execution of Catherine Hayes
Catherine Hayes was burned at the stake for petty treason on 9 May 1726.
Background and detail
The Murder. On 1 March 1726, Hayes, Wood, and Billings lured John Hayes into a drinking contest. Once he was intoxicated, they killed him. Hayes later claimed her husband was abusive and had murdered their newborn children, though she initially denied knowledge of the murder.
People involved
- Catherine Hayes · Perpetrator and victim of execution
- John Hayes · Victim
- Thomas Wood · Accomplice
- Thomas Billings · Accomplice
Sources
- Catherine Hayes (murderer) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-08
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.