She grew a dislike of children while working as a housemaid, and this didn't stop once she had children of her own. Soon, he found out that she owed 60 and had also stolen 50 she was supposed to put in the bank. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. She sent her remaining child, Isabella, to live with her mother. Mary Ann and her daughter with Mowbray then went to live at the Robinson home. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. 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. Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Cotton's undoing came after she tried to have the son of her deceased husband sent to a workhouse. The defence in the case was handled by Thomas Campbell Foster, who argued during the trial that Charles had died from inhaling arsenic used as a dye in the green wallpaper of the Cotton home. Soon her eleventh pregnancy was underway. However, in 1870 Mary Ann met another widower, Frederick Cotton, who was the brother of a friend. We told the story in Memories 96, with, as ever, a few inaccuracies. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. They married at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, on 28 August 1865. Born into a mining family in 1832, Mary Ann grew up in a time when life moved quickly and death was all around. A nursery rhyme concerning Cotton was composed after her hanging on 24 March 1873. William died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. Moreover, she was also forcing her stepchildren to pawn household items. However, the levels of arsenic discovered in Charles' remains were too high to pin it on the wallpaper. Ward continued to suffer ill health and died on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. The jury retired for 90 minutes before finding Mary Ann guilty. By . 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. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. For weeks they have been As Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angelreported, Mary Ann blamed lax pharmacists for her young stepson's death. One of her patients at the infirmary was an engineer, George Ward. Mary Ann's daughter Isabella, from the marriage to William Mowbray, was brought back to the Robinson household and soon developed bad stomach pains and died; so did another two of Robinson's children. None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law was not enforced until 1874. Mary Ann, pregnant again, was arrested and charged with Charles Cotton's death. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. Her funeral service will be at 10:00 . Depiction of Mary Ann Cotton. Up in the air. 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. She died at age 54 in the spring of 1867, nine days after Mary Ann's arrival. Although her mother began to recover, she also began to complain of stomach pains. 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. 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. If so, login to add it. In 1852, at the age of 20, Mary Ann married colliery labourer William Mowbray in Newcastle Upon Tyne register office; they soon moved to Plymouth, Devon. Mary Ann Cotton, ne Mary Ann Robson, also known as Mary Ann Mowbray, Mary Ann Ward, and Mary Ann Robinson, (born October 31?, 1832, Low Moorsley, Durham county, Englanddied March 24, 1873, Durham county), British nurse and housekeeper who was believed to be Britain's most prolific female serial killer. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox. For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. As the miner's cottage they inhabited was tied to Michael's job, the widow and children would have been evicted. 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. Neither came home. She was charged with his murder, although the trial was delayed until after the delivery in Durham Gaol on 7 January 1873 of her thirteenth and final child, whom she named Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton. The mother had to take care of three children, while suffering with the depression owing to her husband's death. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox, John Quick-Manning. Where, where? According to Psychology Today, female serial murderers often have a drive that's pretty distinct from their male counterparts. 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. By the time Nattrass was dead, Mary Ann had poisoned Robert, her infant son with Cotton, and Frederick Jr., her stepson. The attending doctor later gave evidence that Ward had been very ill, yet he had been surprised that his death was so sudden. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. Low Moorsley (now part of Houghton-le-Spring in the City of Sunderland), Margaret Edith Quick-Manning (Cotton) Kell, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Cotton, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NXHY-K2R, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:264G-ZP5, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFJ3-241, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NXGL-55T, Mary Elizabeth (Ward) Dawson (abt.1829-abt.1904). An English woman convicted of murdering her children. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. 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. I also trust their research diligence and on their old site they used to be able to publish their sources so you could follow-up if so inclined. She was charged with his murder, although the trial was delayed until after the delivery of her last child in Durham Gaol on 10 January 1873, whom she named Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton. Just one grandparent can lead you to many As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. The only birth recorded was that of their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856. Things seemed to grow worse for the family after Mowbray took out life insurance policies on himself and their three remaining children. Perhaps Robinson didnt link Mary Ann with the numerous deaths in the family, but he certainly became suspicious when she became overly insistent that he insure his life. However, the infant mortality was falling as the century progressed, making Cotton's mishaps all the more striking. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. It appears that, sometime around the birth, he fled town, with some reports indicating that he went so far as to leave the country, while others claim that he reconciled with his wife and lived a relatively quiet existence thereafter. After it became clear that young Charles Cotton had died of arsenic poisoning, authorities gave permission for the exhumation of three more of Mary Ann Cotton's alleged victims, the RadioTimes reports. A month later, when James' baby John died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. Despite all the deaths, there was still no evidence against Mary Ann, and she was completely free from suspicion. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. That is until she grew overconfident and made a remarkable blunder. Their child, Mary Isabella, was born that November, but she became ill with stomach pains and died in March 1868. Later in 1901, Margaret married Robinson Kell, a miner at the Dean and Chapter Colliery in Ferryhill, and had his son. 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. In 1871, the new fivesome moved to West Auckland: Mary Ann, Frederick Cotton, his sons Frederick Junior and Charles Edward, and the new baby, Robert Robson. Daughter of Michael Robson and Margaret Lonsdale Arsenic, however, was more subtle. Soon she became pregnant by him with her twelfth child. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. Around this time she took up with a former lover, Joseph Nattrass, but later became . Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. The scene is the hanging gallery. She was coming home to Durham, and to her adoptive parents, pregnant with her third child. The first focused on Charles' death and took place in August of 1872. Cotton asked the man to circulate a petition in yet another attempt to save her, which did happen, yet it had no real effect on her ultimate fate. Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but. Another daughter, also named Margaret Jane, was born in 1861, and a son, John Robert William, was born in 1863, but died the next year from gastric fever. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. This left their widowed mother in a difficult situation. Updates? Then her friend Margaret Cotton introduced her to her brother, Frederick, a pitman and recent widower living in Walbottle, Northumberland, who had lost two of his four children. The life insurance policies were clearly a motive. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. Nonetheless, Mary Ann evaded suspicion (even though she collected more insurance money) and moved on to her next target, the recently widowed James Robinson. Margaret was born in 1873. Baby Margaret spent some time with her biological mother in the jail cell, before she was eventually given to her adoptive parents, William and Sarah Edwards, aged about 10 weeks old. 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." After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Anns lodger. He, however, was engaged to another woman and she left Seaham after Nattrasss wedding. 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. 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 It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. I cannot remember what was assumed, but my impression was that she craved the attention she got from taking care of the sick and then as a widow and the children seemed to be a means to ingratiate herself into a family and to take advantage of the grieving father, eventually marrying him and receiving the insurance from his passing. The executioner reportedly had to push down on her shoulders to speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her. After George Ward's death and the subsequent insurance payment, Britannica reports, Mary Ann Cotton became a housekeeper for widower James Robinson in 1866. As History Collection reports, his wife was paid via yet another life insurance policy and was left with two stepsons. Cotton had been remanded in custody since her arrest in July 1872, first in Bishop Auckland before being taken to Durham county gaol as preparations got underway to exhume bodies of her alleged. William became a foreman at South Hetton Colliery and then a fireman aboard a steam vessel. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. 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. Perhaps most tellingly, her children lived to tell the tale. Born in October 1832 in County Durham, England, Cotton was the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson. Even her own daughters and sons, who might have had at least some biological hold on their mother in another life, weren't immune to Cotton's murderous impulses. 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. 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. Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples, and tests showed they contained arsenic. Mary Ann subsequently worked as a hospital nurse in nearby Sunderland, and in 1865 she married a patient, George Ward. 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. Mary Ann grew up in Durham county, northeastern England. Daily Mirror. "Black puddens" refers to black pudding, a type of sausage made with pig's blood. Though he appears to have worked as a skilled laborer who opened new mining shafts, the Robsons were working class. 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. Their second child George was born on 18 June 1869. Cotton was born on October 31, 1832, in a village near Sunderland. Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money in respect of her husband's death. The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. According to PBS, there's even been a modern two-part television drama, Dark Angel, which premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theater in 2017. Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the Dark Angel, was a Victorian monster who murdered up to 21 people. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. Female Serial Killers in Social Context reports that Mary Ann's first move was to approach Thomas Riley, a grocer who also happened to be the local assistant manager for the poor relief. 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. 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. What clouds hung over the family? Five days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy had died. [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. Plus, it really was everywhere, from the green dye in clothes, to wallpaper, to rat poison. Mary Ann received a life-insurance payment of 5 10s 6d for Isabella. Today we dive into the serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. A nearby exhibition purported to have a model of Cotton at a coal mine in county Durham, and it's very possible that other cheap "penny shows" would have drawn upon her tale to lure in visitors and their money. She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. 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. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. Her father's body was delivered to her mother in a sack bearing the stamp 'Property of the South Hetton Coal Company'. Mary Ann Cotton was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. [2] She was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873, but it was a bungled execution. By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. Here's the messed-up truth about this notorious 19th century murderess. William joined the Durham Light Infantry and ended up in the London Rifles. The couple had five children, four of whom died from gastric fever. Both of Mary Ann Cottons grandsons have their names engraved on Ferryhill War Memorial. Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. She was entertained by many sporting events, polka music hours and cooking . 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. Mary Ann Robson was born on Halloween 1832 in Low Moorsley in County Durham. Up in the air Sellin' black puddens a penny a pair. Mary Ann Cotton had finally been caught. The date is March 24th, 1873. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. Our female killer of interest was born Mary Ann [8], The Mary Ann Cotton case was partly dramatized on an episode of the 2022 BBC Radio podcast series Lucy Worsley's Lady Killers. Mary Ann first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. 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. Her brother Robert was born in 1835. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. A more complete version runs: She lies in her bed With eyes wide open. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. 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. Death of Charles Edward Cotton and inquest, Mary Ann's downfall came when she was asked by a parish official, Thomas Riley, to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. 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. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on Charles' life still awaited collection. 2008 - 2022 INTERESTING.COM, INC. 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. 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. Perhaps at this point, it would be best to draw a discrete veil over the family tree, except to say that Margaret lived into old age with the stigma of being the daughter of one of Britains most notorious killers. An English woman convicted of murdering her children. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, whose wife Hannah had recently died. Some three minutes passed before she finally died. He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. 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. But in late March 1870 Margaret died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. The 1901 census found 28- year-old Margaret and her three children living with her adoptive mother Sarah at the Greyhound Inn, Ferryhill her adoptive father, William, had died aged 54 in 1897, and Sarah was the pub licensee. Soon her twelfth pregnancy was underway. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. 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. Cotton and Mary Ann were bigamously married on 17 September 1870 at St Andrew's, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and their son Robert was born early in 1871. 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. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. 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. Mary's mother remarried a few years later, but Mary hated her stepfather. In 1872 Nattrass died, leaving his meagre belongings to Mary Ann. It is said that she and William Mowbray had 4 children before returning to Murton. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. Cotton was no exception. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. Mary Ann Cotton Shes dead and forgotten, She lies in a grave with her bones all-rotten; Sing, sing, oh, what can we sing, Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string. Mary Ann's daughter Isabella Mowbray was brought back to the Robinson household and soon developed severe stomach pains and died, as did two of Robinson's children, Elizabeth and James. Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. 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. It was performed by a notoriously clumsy hangman, and the trap door was not positioned high enough to break her neck, forcing the executioner to press down on her shoulders. 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. As Ward was still recovering from his illness, he collected relief payments instead of working, while Cotton moved into the role of primary earner for their household. She had meant only to buy harmless arrowroot powder for the ill boy, but a terrible mix-up had occurred, and she was given arsenic instead. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. He was also a widower who had lost two of his four children and lived in Northumberland. Mary Ann belonged to Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (St. Stanislaus Church) and was a member of the Rosary Altar Sodality. 29 July 2015. The census revealed that her boys were working underground William was a collier and John was a pony driver. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. One of her patients at the infirmary was engineer George Ward. ", "ITV drama about Durham serial killer Mary Ann Cotton called 'Dark Angel' starts filming", "Dark Angel: the gruesome true story of Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's first serial killer", "Joanne Froggatt to star in new ITV drama Dark Angel", "BBC Radio 4 - Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley", "All Mine Enemys Whispers The Story of Mary Ann Cotton", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Ann_Cotton&oldid=1133232730, 19th-century executions by England and Wales, People convicted of murder by England and Wales, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking in-text citations from December 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Around 21, including 3 of her husbands and 12 children. Daughter, Clara, 19, was arrested and charged with Charles Cotton #. 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