Margaret Clark

Margaret Clark (died 1680), also known as Margret Clark, was an English servant arrested and executed for the arson of her employer's house in Southwark, London. Her justifications were published posthumously in pamphlet form. Career Margaret Clark was born in Croydon, Surrey. She found work as a servant in various houses and by January 1680, she was serving the family of Peter Delanoy, a prosperous dyer who lived in Southwark, in London. Arson On 1 February 1680, the Delanoy family were at their country home in Lee. Three fires were started in the Southwark house; they were put out by local people and Clark was arrested on the night after arousing suspicions by acting strangely. At first, she denied the charge but then quickly admitted arson. She claimed that she had been approached by John Satterthwayt in late January and he had asked her to let him into the house in order to set it on fire. Clark alleged that he had promised to pay her £2,000 (equivalent to £ in ). Satterthwayt was arrested the following day on her description. He was a soldier in the Duke of York's guard and initially investigators were suspicious because the duke (later to become James II of England) was Catholic and at the time religious tensions were running high as a result of the Popish Plot. Clark and Satterthwayt were both detained and stood trial at Kingston assizes on 13 March. Clark was found guilty and sentenced to death. Satterthwayt persuaded the jury that he was Protestant and his fellow soldiers said they were drinking with him in various pubs on the night of the arson, so he was acquitted.