Monkeys clearly had a bit of a time of it in the 18th century. Here's a story that comes from near me, in a village called Culverthorpe in Linconshire:

"Culverthorpe Hall, a building in the Italian style, was the seat of the NEWTON family. On January 4th, 1733, the last male heir to that family, John NEWTON, Viscount Coningsby, was stolen from his cradle by a pet monkey (some versions of the story say baboon). Being pursued, the monkey fled to the roof of the hall and dropped the infant over the parapet, killing him. The father, Sir Michael NEWTON, died on April 6th, 1743. The Countess died in 1761."

The villagers of nearby Oasby commemorate this event with Baboon Night in November:

"We appease the memory of the Viscount by marching around our small village with flaming torches and making a huge row while we herd the Baboon (A villager in a costume) towards the pub.

At the pub we are denied admission by the landlord until an effigy of the ape is hurled over the roof, only then can we enter to hear the famous poem written for the occasion by Sleaford resident Jeff Challoner.

...Bring drums, pots and pans, whistles or anything you can find to make a racket and scare the living daylights out of the beast.

The Oasby Morris Baboon Dancers will perform and there will be music and verse in the pub afterwards, along with a collection for Children in Need."

The tradition is only about 12 years old.