Cotton had rather more luck at work, where she came across a patient named George Ward. That man was recorded as "John Quick-Manning," though it's possible that he gave Mary Ann a partially false name. Soon, he found out that she owed 60 and had also stolen 50 she was supposed to put in the bank. She lies in her bed, With her eyes wide open Sing, sing, oh, what can I sing, Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string Where, where? She probably would have got away with it for longer had she not been so keen to murder Charles Edward or at least not been so open about her desire to see him die. She had two children with Robinson but the first one, Margaret Isabella, died within a few months of her birth. At least 15 of those were family members. A mortar shell exploded over his head and no trace was ever found of his body. During the Victorian era, arsenic was seemingly everywhere, to the point where it became the murderer's poison du jour. Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and forgotten, Russell's appointment over Aspinwall led to a question in the House of Commons. Only two of her children survived her, including this new arrival. However, he died the following year, and Mary Ann reportedly collected money from another insurance policy. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Her brother Robert was born in 1835. William joined the Durham Light Infantry and ended up in the London Rifles. In September 1870 Mary Ann and Cotton were marriedthough she was still wed to Robinsonand she later gave birth to a son. However, the levels of arsenic discovered in Charles' remains were too high to pin it on the wallpaper. Although her father fell down a THE baby was the daughter born to Mary Ann Cotton, of West Auckland, in Durham jail on January 7, 1873. Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. Like many of the other dead people in Cotton's wake, Ward presented symptoms that were alarmingly similar to arsenic poisoning. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Anns lodger. 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. Another daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858, and Margaret Jane died in 1860. According to Mary Ann Cotton, her father was a coal miner. She was charged with the murder of Charles Edward Cotton, and her trial began in March 1873. She was found guilty and sentenced to die. The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. Riley countered that the boy was a "little healthy fellow," but Charles died on July 12, 1872. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten [3] He told the police, who arrested Mary Ann and procured exhumation of Charles' body. By the end of the following year Cotton and two more children had died; again Mary Ann reportedly received an insurance payout. Mary Ann would go on to kill many of her own children, her husbands, lovers and other family. Mary Ann Cotton, tied up with string. Despite her sole conviction for murder, she is believed to have been a serial killer who killed many others including 11 of her 13 children and three of her four husbands for their insurance policies. None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law was not enforced until 1874. Before their final break, Cotton had attempted to get Robinson to insure both himself and the remaining children. Plus, it really was everywhere, from the green dye in clothes, to wallpaper, to rat poison. When Riley pushed the doctor, Kilburn re-tested the tissue and found that it was full of arsenic. In March 1873 her three-day trial began. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. Sarah Chesham killed four people and was executed in 1851; both used arsenic. In a close-knit community like the Durham coalfield, it would have been impossible for Margaret to escape the notoriety of her birth. Then came the First World War. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. She asked him to take the young boy to a workhouse, but Riley refused unless Mary Ann agreed to enter the workhouse too. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. A Mr Aspinwall was first considered but the Attorney General, Sir John Duke Coleridge, whose decision it was, chose his friend and protg Charles Russell. Richard Quick Mann was a custom and excise man specialising in breweries and has been found in the records and this may indeed be the real name of Mary Ann Cotton's alleged lover. [8], The Mary Ann Cotton case was partly dramatized on an episode of the 2022 BBC Radio podcast series Lucy Worsley's Lady Killers. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. HP10 9TY. A month later, when James' baby John died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. All three children had been subjects of small life insurance policies. The defence at Mary Ann's trial claimed that Charles died from inhaling arsenic used as a dye in the green wallpaper of the Cotton home. When Cotton gave birth to her and Robinson's child, her infant daughter quickly died of "convulsions." 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. Cotton's undoing came after she tried to have the son of her deceased husband sent to a workhouse. YouTube. [2] She sent her remaining child, Isabella, to live with her mother. by | Nov 27, 2020 | shib coin price prediction | 1 bedroom apartment scarborough kijiji | Nov 27, 2020 | shib coin price prediction | 1 bedroom apartment scarborough kijiji [6] The first part of the dramatisation was broadcast on 31 October 2016, the second part was broadcast on 7 November. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell Foster. 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. There is some speculation that she may have been pregnant before their marriage and that is why it was held at the registry office. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. 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. She persuaded him to move his family closer, and in December 1871, Cotton died of gastric fever. Mary Ann Cotton was born in a small village in North England on 31st October 1832, to a miner father who died while Mary was just 8. 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. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." William's life was insured by the British and Prudential Insurance office and Mary Ann collected a payout of 35 on his death, equivalent to about half a year's wages for a manual labourer at the time. That left Cotton and her daughter with an insurance payout of some 35, according to Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angel. Margaret was born in 1873. Sing, sing, oh, what can I sing, Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string. Mary is 25 degrees from Margaret Atwood, 28 degrees from Jim Carrey, 27 degrees from Elsie Knott, 26 degrees from Gordon Lightfoot, 30 degrees from Alton Parker, 27 degrees from Beatrice Tillman, 25 degrees from Jenny Trout, 27 degrees from Justin Trudeau, 28 degrees from Edwin Boyd, 24 degrees from Barbara Hanley, 33 degrees from Fanny Rosenfeld and 27 degrees from Cathryn Hondros on our single family tree. Mother of Margaret Jane Mowbray; Isabella Mowbray; Margaret Jane Mowbray; John Robert Mowbray; Robert Robson Cotton and 3 others; Mary Isabella Robinson; George Robinson and Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Fletcher Kell less Mary Ann would also eventually give birth to his child. That is until she grew overconfident and made a remarkable blunder. "Black puddens" refers to black pudding, a type of sausage made with pig's blood. 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. 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. Leave a message for others who see this profile. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. Lying in bed with her bones all rotten. Yet, he preserved a section of the boy's stomach in a jar. One of her patients at the infirmary was engineer George Ward. Moreover, she was also forcing her stepchildren to pawn household items. Mary (Robson) Cotton is Notable. 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. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. She returned to Sunderland and took up employment at the Sunderland Infirmary, House of Recovery for the Cure of Contagious Fever, Dispensary and Humane Society. I could be remembering it wrong, though. Mary Anns last remaining daughter, Isabella, also succumbed to gastric fever and Mary Ann received 5 10s 6d in insurance money. Margaret, her husband, and their baby daughter Clara moved to the United States in 1893, but she then returned to Durham in 1894 as a young widow. This 19th century English woman is one of the earliest confirmed female serial killers in recorded memory. The mother had to take care of three children, while suffering with the depression owing to her husband's death. 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. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. The doctor who attended Charles had kept samples, and they tested positive for arsenic. Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. 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. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. Later in 1901, Margaret married Robinson Kell, a miner at the Dean and Chapter Colliery in Ferryhill, and had his son. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. William and Mary Ann moved back to North East England where they had, and lost, three more children. Daily Mirror. Mary Ann was charged with the murder of Charles Edward Cotton, and while she was in jail, a daughter was born in January 1873; that infantwho was reportedly her 13th childand another offspring were the only ones to outlive their mother. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. In 1852, 20-year-old Mary Ann married colliery labourer William Mowbray at Newcastle Upon Tyne register office; they soon moved to South West England. As History Collection reports, his wife was paid via yet another life insurance policy and was left with two stepsons. Mary Ann Cotton was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. Mary Ann found employment as a nurse, and it was here that she met her next husband, George Ward. However, in 1870 Mary Ann met another widower, Frederick Cotton, who was the brother of a friend. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. Wife of George Ward; William Mowbray; Frederick Cotton and James Robinson James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, whose wife Hannah had recently died. As per Find A Grave, she thereafter appeared as "Margaret Edwards" on the 1881 census and later married John Joseph Fletcher in 1890. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. He fled and changed his surname: some say he went abroad; others that he returned to his hometown of Darlington where, reconciled with his wife, he ran a small beerhouse. R > Robson | C > Cotton > Mary Ann (Robson) Cotton, Categories: Serial Killers of the 19th Century | This Day In History March 24 | Murderers | Death by Hanging | Serial Killers | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. Newspaper report of Cottons arrest. It is said that the prisoner, who is comparatively a young woman, has had three husbands and 15 children, and that they, as well as two lodgers, died under her roof." Mary Cotton was born in North England during the Victorian Period. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. She was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873, but it was a bungled execution. He didnt. Investigations into her behaviour soon showed a pattern of deaths. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. Frederick followed his predecessors to the grave in December of that year, from gastric fever." WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Rather quickly, she sent the daughter to live with her own mother, Margaret, and set out on her own once again. Although she is often said to be Britains first female serial killer, this is a false claim. According to the RadioTimes, a local Doctor Kilburn conducted a rushed inquest and determined that the boy had died of gastroenteritis. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.. In 1869 Robinson discovered that Mary Ann was stealing from him, and he grew suspicious of her repeated requests that he take out a life insurance policy. She was, as The Northern Echo reports, remembered after her 1954 death as "intelligent, warm and kind-hearted." Soon her twelfth pregnancy was underway. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. [1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. After she was finally apprehended in 1872, some estimated that she may have killed as many as 21 people, according to Britannica. Mary Ann was subject to two court hearings, separated by a period of time set aside for her to give birth to her final child. Robinson, meanwhile, had become suspicious of his wife's insistence that he insure his life; he discovered that she had run up debts of 60 behind his back and had stolen more than 50 that she had been expected to bank. The . She went undetected for decades, apparently killing a succession of husbands, children, and stepchildren with arsenic, then a readily available poison. Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. 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. As The Northern Echo reports, most believe that this child was probably the eighth of her biological children and one of only a few who would survive an encounter with their mother. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. It is quite clear that much of south Durham knew her life story, but it is also clear that she was accepted, and even admired, by that community. William died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. Was still legally married to James Robinson, Mary Ann & Mowbray's children: (3 rumored but unsubstantiated children), Mary Jane (-1860), Margaret Jane (-1865), John Robert (-1864), Isabella (-1867), George Ward (-1866), husband (briefly) - already ill and in the hospital when they met and married, 5 children of James Robinson & his late wife, Hannah, Margaret Lonsdale Robson Stott, mother (-1867), Child of Mary Ann & James Robinson: Margaret Isabella (-1868), 4 Children of Frederick & Unknown Cotton: 2 (before 1869) plus Frederick Jr and Charles Edward Cotton (-1872) - for whose murder she was arrested, tried and hung, Child of Mary Ann & Frederick Cotton: Robert Robson Cotton (-1870), Frederick Cotton, Sr, bigamous (she was the bigamist, not him) husband (-1871), Lady Killers, BBC Radio 4, Episode 7: Mary Ann Cotton (more info on. Sister of Robert Robson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Cotton. Margaret was born in Durham Gaol on 10 January 1873 while her mother, Mary Ann Cotton, was awaiting trial for the murder (by arsenic) of Charles Edward Cotton. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. . Comments have been closed on this article. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. Accessed 14 August 2015. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. Gastric fever also claimed Williams life in 1864 and the lives of two other children soon afterward. In late 1890, 17-year-old Margaret married Joseph Fletcher, a south Durham miner, and in 1892, they had a daughter, Clara, who was born at Windlestone. contact the editor here. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: I wont be troubled long. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. The couple had five children, four of whom died from gastric fever. Mary Ann never confessed to any of the deaths, and the number of her victims is uncertain, though most sources believe she killed upwards of 21 people. Perhaps, to Mary Ann Cotton's mind, if she tried to settle down without killing for insurance money, she would be putting herself in a situation where she lacked control and could easily find herself out on the street, as she likely did after James Robinson forced her out of their home. It is said that she and William Mowbray had 4 children before returning to Murton. On March 24, 1873, Mary Ann was hanged in a bungled execution. George Robinson was the other. 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. Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples, and tests showed they contained arsenic. A nursery rhyme concerning Cotton was composed after her hanging on 24 March 1873. Mary Ann claimed to have used arrowroot to relieve his illness and said Riley had made accusations against her because she had rejected his advances. Mary Ann's first visit after Charles' death was not to the doctor but the insurance office. The mother who murdered her own children was, though, a sensational story, and the media of the day led by The Northern Echos famous editor, WT Stead whipped up feelings against her. There was also a stage show, The Life and Death of Mary Ann Cotton, that premiered in West Hartlepool not too soon after the real Cotton's execution. By now, she had become pregnant with a child by an excise officer named Richard Quick Mann. First, her sister Margaret died in 1834, only a few months after being born. Why arsenic, though? At the age of 16, she moved out to become a nurse at Edward Potter's home in the nearby village of South Hetton. Stuff You Missed in History Class (Podcast). contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. A Mr. Aspinwall was supposed to get the job, but the Attorney General, Sir John Duke Coleridge, chose his friend and protg Charles Russell. HSW Podcast: *Howstuffworks.com. Corrections? 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. That description fits Mary Ann Cotton very well indeed. She soon leftor was thrown outand was for a time homeless. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. BLOOMINGTON Kimberly Ann (Cotton) Smith, 65, of Bloomington went to her heavenly home at 2:53 p.m., on Thursday, January 5, 2023 surrounded by her family. An examination ultimately revealed the presence of arsenic in his stomach. As Discover Magazine reports, the great majority of female serial killer appear to murder for money. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill so she immediately went to her. 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 a dozen children, all of whom had died of stomach fevers. Their next child, George, was one of the rare few of Cotton's children who would survive her. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. Robinson, meanwhile, had become suspicious of his wife's insistence that he insure his life; he discovered that she had run up debts of 60 behind his back and had stolen more than 50 that she was supposed to have put in the bank. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. She then allegedly told a local official that she could not marry Quick-Manning because of her seven-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. As she was sentenced to hang, the second hearing fizzled out. The couple would go on to have at least eight children, though, by the time they had settled into a home in Hendon, England, in 1856, some had already died of what was termed "gastric fever." SO how guilty was Mary Ann Cotton? Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? William and John went off to fight. As per History Collection, her younger sister Margaret died in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years old. But more than a dozen close friends and . Geni requires JavaScript! Mary Ann belonged to Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (St. Stanislaus Church) and was a member of the Rosary Altar Sodality. The place is Durham Gaol. Mary's mother remarried a few years later, but Mary hated her stepfather. He died in October 1866, baffling doctors on his way out. Enter a grandparent's name. She was later found guilty and executed. Although his doctor acknowledged Wards poor health, he was surprised that the man died so suddenly. She only fell two feet, so the executioner had to push down on her shoulders. Their second child George was born on 18 June 1869. Mary Anns trial began two months later, and the defense claimed that the deceased had inhaled arsenic dust from wallpaper dye, a conceivable explanation given that arsenic was then common in many household items. With thanks to Vivienne Smith, Durham; Joyce Malcolm, Newton Aycliffe; Alistair Fraser, the Western Front Association; John Dinning and Geoff Wall, the Ferryhill Heritage Centre; Tom Hutchinson, Bishop Auckland; Vi Steventon of Newton Aycliffe; Ian Smyth Herdman of Hartlepool and everybody else who has been in touch. It had no taste, no odor, no color, nothing that would alert the potential poison victim to its presence in their food or drink until the substance had already begun to take effect. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. Login to find your connection. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill with hepatitis, so she immediately went to her. The Raveness, an English performance poet from Warwickshire, composed a spoken word piece entitled "Of Rope and Arsenic" about Cotton and featured the nursery rhyme on her album. Nattrass soon followed, though not before he put Mary Ann down as a beneficiary in his will. I must tell you: you are the cause of all my trouble." She apparently complained to a parish official named Thomas Riley that her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton, was preventing her from marrying Quick Mann. There, she discovered that no money would be paid out until a death certificate was issued. Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. Product Description. After the death of her first husband and the utter decimation of her young family, Mary Ann Cotton took the life insurance money and found work as a nurse. Mary Ann Cotton, she's tied up with string. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton Colliery. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Ann-Cotton, Hartlepool History Team - Biography of Mary Ann Cotton. At the end of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton did not offer an explanation for any of her murders. Riley grew suspicious and alerted the police. Affair with James Nattress, a married man, while married to Mowbray and possibly again, after Nattress was widowed, while she was "married" to Cotton. A verdict of "natural causes" was found but on reporting in the paper, someone totalled up Mary Ann's moves around the north of England and revealed the death toll. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Explore genealogy for Mary (Cotton) Marshall born 1553 Abbotts Ann, Andover, Hampshire, England died 1625 London, England including ancestors + descendants + 1 photos + 2 genealogist comments + more in the free family tree community. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Nonetheless, Mary Ann evaded suspicion (even though she collected more insurance money) and moved on to her next target, the recently widowed James Robinson. Just one grandparent can lead you to many
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