Charles Hitchen (c. 1675 – 1727) was a "thief-taker" (private policeman) in 18th-century London who was also, famously, tried for homosexual acts.He came from a poor family and was apprenticed as a cabinet maker before he married Elizabeth, daughter of one John Wells, in 1703. Hitchen set up trade as a joiner for a time and the couple lived on the north side of St. Paul's Churchyard in the City of London. In 1711, Elizabeth Hitchen's father died and she inherited property, which she sold.