Thomas Daniels

Thomas Daniels is known for The Affecting Case of the Unfortunate Thomas Daniels, a pamphlet published in London in 1761. In it, he presents his own account after being tried at the Old Bailey in September 1761 for the supposed murder of his wife and then receiving a royal pardon.

The work describes itself as a faithful narrative of his case, prepared for the public from his account. That gives it unusual value as a personal document: part legal defense, part life story, and part appeal to readers who were following sensational criminal cases.

Very little biographical information about Daniels appears to be firmly documented beyond what can be gathered from this publication itself. Even so, his pamphlet survives as an unusual piece of early true-crime writing, preserving one man's attempt to explain himself to the world after a dramatic brush with execution.