[1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. [citation needed] The jury retired for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. She was a Victorian wife and mother of 13 children who worked as a Sunday-school teacher and a nurse. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. Investigations into her behaviour soon showed a pattern of deaths. Her sister Margaret was born in 1834 but lived only a few months. Mary Ann and her daughter with Mowbray then went to live at the Robinson home. Here's the messed-up truth about this notorious 19th century murderess. Mary Ann Cotton killed anywhere between 14 and 25 people with arsenic. Mary Ann Cotton. The family moved often so no long-term friends kept track of the family and Mary Ann had another three children in rapid succession. Mary Ann Robson Cotton, was a serial killer convicted of murdering her mother, 11 of her 13 children, her stepson and 3 of her 4 husbands by arsenic poisoning. The only birth recorded was that of their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856. George Robinson was the other. Mary Ann Cotton was charged with the murder of Charles Edward Cotton, and as she awaited trial in Durham Prison, she gave birth to her 13th and last child, Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton, in January 1873. . Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. login . Mary Ann Cotton's trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. On this date in 1873, prolific poisoner Mary Ann Cotton whom some have tabbed Britain's first serial killer for an arsenic murder spree claiming 21 or so souls hanged at Durham County Gaol. . Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but this was definitely her eighth child she had several miscarriages and there may have been other children. Our female killer of interest was born Mary Ann The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. English serial killer Mary Ann Cotton, born October 31, 1832, and was hanged to death on March 24, 1873, for murdering her stepson Charles Edward Cotton by poisoning him. She died at age 54 in the spring of 1867, nine days after Mary Ann's arrival. When Mary Ann was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton. He was seriously injured in 1918 on the Somme, but refused to be sent home, probably because he believed he would recover and rejoin the frontline. Then Nattrass became ill with gastric fever and died just after revising his will in Mary Ann's favour. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there was almost an epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. She was convicted of just the one murder, of her young stepson, but the evidence against her was vague and circumstantial, and it is extremely doubtful that it would stand up in a modern court of law. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and forgotten, "Mary Ann Cotton." Mary Ann Cotton's net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. She asked Riley if he could commit Cotton to a workhouse and when that suggestion was rebuffed, she said this to Riley: I wont be troubled long. According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. She complained that the last surviving Cotton boy, Charles Edward, was in the way and asked Riley if he could be committed to the workhouse. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. After her sentencing, Mary Ann Cotton attempted to save herself through various means, from hoping for a pardon to appear to arguing that everyone else in her life had failed her. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. They included Joseph Nattrass, the lover who had added Mary Ann to his will, along with her son Robert and stepson Frederick Cotton, Jr. Nattrass' remains showed that he, too, had been poisoned. They married in Monkwearmouth on 28 August 1865. She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. Although she began a relationship with a man named Joseph Nattrass, she moved once again, this time to Sunderland, after another one of her children died from gastric fever. She bore five children and lost four of them to a mysterious "gastric fever". Mary Ann Cotton ( ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. Mary Ann first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. The sheer number of children who met their deaths after coming into contact with the murderess exceeded even the juvenile mortality rate of a dangerous time before pediatricians and obstetricians were available to most people in Britain. An examination ultimately revealed the presence of arsenic in his stomach. Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. Within a few days, Charles Edward had died, and when Riley found out, he urged the doctor to avoid writing the death certificate until the cause of death was fully investigated. At least 15 of those were family members. Family Time Line. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. The doctor testified that there was no other powder on the same shelf in the chemist's shop as the arsenic, only liquid; the chemist himself claimed that there were other powders. However, she added, I wont be troubled long. A sister named Margaret was born in 1834, but died a few short months later. After moving frequently, the family settled in Hendon, Durham county, in about 1856. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Originally, it was believed she had become impregnated by a John Quick-Manning, but there are no records to suggest such a person even existed. During this time, her 3-year-old daughter died, leaving her with one child out of the nine she had borne. 5 May 1802- Rotherhithe, Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom. This left their widowed mother in a difficult situation. Later in 1901, Margaret married Robinson Kell, a miner at the Dean and Chapter Colliery in Ferryhill, and had his son. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Shortly after her demise, according to The Invention of Murder, Cotton's exploits were used by the Victorians in all manner or moralistic and lurid attractions. Cotton was no exception. Upon contract completion, a mining family was displaced unless the breadwinner renewed for the subsequent year. The lives of William and of their children were insured by the British and Prudential Insurance office and Mary Ann collected a payout of 35 on William's death (equivalent to 3,560 in 2021, about half a year's wages for a manual labourer at the time) and 2 5s for John Robert William. Mary Cotton was born in North England during the Victorian Period. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. Though many of the people around her hadn't caught on to Mary Ann Cotton's murderous ways by the time her second husband had died, it's now rather obvious to people who have her whole story that she was using arsenic. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. Parents Mary Ann Robson Cotton 1832-1873 Spouses John Joseph Fletcher 1862-1894 (m. 1891) One of the more chilling legacies of Cotton's time on Earth is a children's nursery rhyme. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. Then the local newspapers latched on to the story and discovered Mary Ann had moved around northern England and lost three husbands, a lover, a friend, her mother, and 11 children, all of whom had died of stomach fevers. HP10 9TY. By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. As Discover Magazine reports, the great majority of female serial killer appear to murder for money. Neither came home. The Messed Up Truth About 19th Century Murderess Mary Ann Cotton. Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. THE baby was the daughter born to Mary Ann Cotton, of West Auckland, in Durham jail on January 7, 1873. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. Immediate Family Mary Ann Cotton mother James Robinson father Mary Isabella Robinson sister George Ward stepfather William Mowbray stepfather Margaret Jane Mowbray half sister Isabella Mowbray half sister Margaret Jane Mowbray half sister John Robert Mowbray half brother Frederick Cotton stepfather Robert Robson Cotton half brother Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money in respect of her husband's death. Sql Count Where Value Equals, Shortly after her demise, according to The Invention of Murder, Cotton's exploits were used by the Victorians in all manner or moralistic and lurid attractions. The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. It is believed that he was killed in a railway accident. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. STREET LIFE: Watt Street, Dean Bank, Ferryhill, on an Edwardian postcard which dates from the time that Mary Ann Cottons daughter was living in the street. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell Foster. When she was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton, where she went to a new school and found it difficult to make friends. Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. They made sure Robert and Mary Ann was baptized at St Mary's in West Rainton. She and her only surviving child, Isabella, had moved back to County Durham. He is buried in Cambrai cemetery. Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on 24 March 1873 by William Calcraft; she ultimately died not from her neck breaking but by strangulation caused by the rope being cut too short. The episode was based on the novel 'Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer' by crime novelist David Wilson. 25 Feb/23. In March 1873 her three-day trial began. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Born in October 1832 in County Durham, England, Cotton was the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson. Britain's first serial killer ended her 20-year poisoning spree in 1873, thrashing around at the end of a hangman's rope in Durham Jail. Campbell Foster argued that it was possible that the chemist had mistakenly used arsenic powder instead of bismuth powder (used to treat diarrhoea), when preparing a bottle for Cotton, because he had been distracted by talking to other people. William and Mary Ann moved back to North East England, where William worked as a fireman aboard a steam vessel sailing out of Sunderland, then as a colliery foreman. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. Mary Ann Cotton ( ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. IN October 1894, Margaret, by now a 21-year-old widow, sailed from Boston, Massachusetts, on RMS Cephalonia, with her two toddlers, Clara and William, back to Liverpool. Write by: . The author of this book believes she killed 17, based on the fact that their are no birth or death records for children she is supposed to have killed. Yet, he preserved a section of the boy's stomach in a jar. Soon after, Mary Ann learnt that her former lover, Joseph Nattrass, was living 48 kilometres (30mi) away in the County Durham village of West Auckland, and was no longer married. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. Mary Ann Robson was born on 31 October 1832 at Low Moorsley (now part of Houghton-le-Spring in the City of Sunderland) and baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November. Her exact death toll remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice . The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. Mary Ann was destitute and barely surviving on the streets, but she was bailed out by her friend, Margaret, who introduced the black widow to her brother, Frederick Cotton. Riley countered that the boy was a "little healthy fellow," but Charles died on July 12, 1872. That is not to say she was entirely innocent, although it does seem very unlikely that she murdered her own mother, who died of hepatitis. Reading only that she had murdered her entire family, people neglected the fact that Mary Ann was only on trial for the murder of Charlie Cotton . During this time, her 3-year-old daughter, the second Margaret Jane, died of typhus fever, leaving her with one child of up to nine she had borne. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. She lies in bed with her eyes. Margaret died at her home - 66, Church Lane, Ferryhill and left an Estate valued at 740, divided between her daughter CLARA and only surviving son - ROBINSON KELL. October, 31, 1832 Mary (Robson) Cotton is Notable. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox. Mary Ann Cotton was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. All three children were buried in the last two weeks of April 1867. She served there for three years. However, the prosecutions evidence, notably the other arsenic-related deaths, proved insurmountable, and she was convicted and sentenced to death. Her family describe her as being immensely private, intelligent, warm and kind-hearted, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Lying in bed with her bones all rotten. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill with hepatitis, so she immediately went to her. Though Britain passed the Arsenic Act of 1851 in an attempt to control the distribution of this deadly substance, it's clear that it wasn't all that difficult for Cotton to keep acquiring arsenic in her drive to kill the people around her. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. Why arsenic, though? Life appeared to be taking an upturn when she married colliery . One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. Yet, the 7-year-old Charles was, to her mind, a serious impediment to her plans. But he brought wealth to the family. An army of readers many anonymous, others marshalled by Tim Brown of Ferryhill Local History Society and some relatives have helped put us right. Her mother remarried in 1843 but Mary despised her new stepfather and at 16 she moved out of the family home to become a nurse. Some substances, like cyanide and strychnine, were also readily available but produced obvious results. They had a son named Robert in early 1871, but Mary Ann discovered that her former lover, Nattrass, lived just 30 miles away in the village of West Auckland and was no longer married. Selling black pudding a penny a pair. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please advertising by a sponsored licensee in illinois must, brantley county board of education meeting, clovis community hospital medical records. The Times correspondent reported on 20 March: "After conviction the wretched woman exhibited strong emotion but this gave place in a few hours to her habitual cold, reserved demeanour and while she harbours a strong conviction that the royal clemency will be extended towards her, she staunchly asserts her innocence of the crime that she has been convicted of." Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. 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