A Bare Faced Swindler

"On Tuesday, a woman named Bridget Norton, of shabby genteel appearance, appeared before the magistrates under the following circumstances. It appeared thaty on the preceeding day, the prisoner walked into a shoe shop in St James Street and intimated that she wanted some shoes for a friend of hers, who was troubled with swelled legs. Several lots were then shown to her, and she chose four pairs, saying that if they could be sent to Sparling Street, where she lodged, they would be paid for.. The proprieter of the shop accordingly sent the shoes by his daughter, who found the prisoner at the place stated. The prisoner with great politeness, introduced her to the parlour, and taking the shoes, said she would go and fetch the money. The messenger waited upwards of an hour, and her patience being exhausted, she sought the prisoner, when it was ascertained she had decamped with the shoes. Information was immediately given to the police, which led to her detection shortly afterwards. The prisoner had previously been convicted of similar offences."
The Liverpool Mercury Dec 1847.
Did Bridget think she was going to get away with this crime? If she had been convicted of similar offences, she must have been successful in the past. I have searched the criminal registers and newspapers under the names Bridget McDonald and Bridget Norton and found nothing. Bridget came from Athlone and I have found no trace there either. Her parents Hubert and Julia McDonald seem to have disappeared down the same abyss of nonentity. Where did she marry and what became of the child? She was described as a widow with one child, so the child must have been living. Maybe it went to the workhouse. I have no idea whether it was male or female. How long had Bridget been in England?
I made a phone call to Liverpool some years ago in pursuit of some answers and my big thrill was that the person at the other end sounded just like one of the Beatles. Unfortunately, there was little trace of Bridget. At least, I know that she knew how to dress and had manners. As a laundress, one would expect her to be clean so her clothes had probably seen better times.