Charles Hitchen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1675 |
| Died | 1727 |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | cabinet maker, joiner , city marshal, extortionist, fence, thief-taker |
| Known for | He was one of the first thief-takers in London and chief rival of Jonathan Wild. |
Charles Hitchen, also mentioned as Charles Hitchin[1][2][3] in other sources, (c. 1675 – 1727) was an English thief-taker and under-marshal of the City of London in the early 18th century, also, famously tried for homosexual acts and sodomy offences. Alongside his former assistant and then a major rival Jonathan Wild, against whom he later published a pamphlet (The Regulator) and contributed to his sentencing to death, Hitchen blackmailed and bribed people and establishments irrespective of their reputation, suspicious or respectable. Despite the disgrace of the people he earned through his abusive exercising of his power, he remained in power and continued fighting against violent crime, especially after the ending of the war of the Spanish Succession and until 1727.
Widely known for his homosexual activities and considerably nicknamed as Madam or Your Ladyship,[citation needed] Hitchen publicly condemned this crime and even raided so called Molly houses being a member of Societies for the Reformation of Manners. However, largely due to his inaccuracy[clarification needed] and growing contempt of people he himself appeared the subject of the Justice and was fined, pilloried and imprisoned, dying very soon after leaving Newgate.