two o'clock
In a hollow in the meadows behind the prison whence Jack Sheppard had escaped , -- for , at this time , the whole of the now thickly-peopled district north of Clerkenwell Bridewell was open country , stretching out in fertile fields in the direction of Islington -- and about a quarter of a mile off , stood a solitary hovel , known as Black Mary 's Hole . This spot , which still retains its name , acquired the appellation from an old crone who lived there , and who , in addition to a very equivocal character for honesty , enjoyed the reputation of being a witch . Without inquiring into the correctness of the latter part of the story , it may be sufficient to state , that Black Mary was a person in whom Jack Sheppard thought he could confide , and , as Edgeworth Bess was incapable of much further exertion , he determined to leave her in the old woman 's care till the following night , while he shifted for himself and fulfilled his design -- for , however rash or hazardous a project might be , if once conceived , Jack always executed it , -- of visiting Jonathan Wild at his house in the Old Bailey . It was precisely two o'clock on the morning of Whit-monday , the 25th of May 1724 , when the remarkable escape before detailed was completed : and , though it wanted full two hours to daybreak , the glimmer of a waning moon prevented it from being totally dark . Casting a hasty glance , as he was about to turn an angle of the wall , at the great gates and upper windows of the prison , and perceiving no symptoms of pursuit , Jack proceeded towards the hovel at a very deliberate pace , carefully assisting his female companion over every obstacle in the road , and bearing her in his arms when , as was more than once the case , she sank from fright and exhaustion . In this way he crossed one or two public gardens and a bowling-green , -- the neighbourhood of Clerkenwell then abounded in such places of amusement , -- passed the noted Ducking Pond , where Black Mary had been frequently immersed ; and , striking off to the left across the fields , arrived in a few minutes at his destination . Descending the hollow , or rather excavation , -- for it was an old disused clay-pit , at the bottom of which the cottage was situated , -- he speedily succeeded in arousing the ancient sibyl , and having committed Edgeworth Bess to her care , with a promise of an abundant reward in case she watched diligently over her safety , and attended to her comforts till his return , -- to all which Black Mary readily agreed , -- he departed with a heart lightened of half its load .