Here's the messed-up truth about this notorious 19th century murderess. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.. The attending doctor later gave evidence that Ward had been very ill, yet he had been surprised that the man's death was so sudden. 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. An army of readers many anonymous, others marshalled by Tim Brown of Ferryhill Local History Society and some relatives have helped put us right. 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. The "great moral drama," as it was described, likely used the bloody true crime tropes so beloved by Victorians to impart a decidedly un-subtle lesson about how to live one's life the right way. The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. 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. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton Colliery. Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic. That left behind Mary, her stepson Charles Cotton, and Mary Ann's 13 child still growing in her womb. 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. 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. Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. 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. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. Where, where? She enjoyed crafting, hosting ceramics classes for many years, creating scrapbooks of family memories, and making special cards for every occasion. 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. The couple met when Robinson hired Mary Ann as his housekeeper in November 1866. Five days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy had died. Russell's appointment over Aspinwall led to a question in the House of Commons. Although she is often said to be Britains first female serial killer, this is a false claim. On March 24, 1873, Mary Ann was hanged in a bungled execution. Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. That man was recorded as "John Quick-Manning," though it's possible that he gave Mary Ann a partially false name. Mary Ann Cotton, also known by the surnames Mowbray, Robinson and Ward, was a nurse and housekeeper suspected of poisoning as many as 21 people in 19th-century Britain. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. As the miner's cottage they inhabited was tied to Michael's job, the widow and children would have been evicted. She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. Why arsenic, though? [8], The Mary Ann Cotton case was partly dramatized on an episode of the 2022 BBC Radio podcast series Lucy Worsley's Lady Killers. But more than a dozen close friends and . She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. 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 insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. 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. HP10 9TY. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. Dark Angel, is based on the extraordinary true story of the Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton, played by Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. What clouds hung over the family? That is until she grew overconfident and made a remarkable blunder. Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. An English woman convicted of murdering her children. 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 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. There are further versions, slightly more crude, still passed on in school playgrounds in the region, such as: She lies in her coffin with her finger up her bottom. - Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. The Robson family moved to the village of Murton in Durham when Mary Ann was eight, but tragedy struck in February 1842. Both of Mary Ann Cottons grandsons have their names engraved on Ferryhill War Memorial. They married in Monkwearmouth on 28 August 1865. 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. Margaret had acted as substitute mother for the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. She asked him to take the young boy to a workhouse, but Riley refused unless Mary Ann agreed to enter the workhouse too. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. One month later, when James' baby died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. Mary Ann received a life-insurance payment of 5 10s 6d for Isabella. The mother had to take care of three children, while suffering with the depression owing to her husband's death. 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." He didnt. Please report any comments that break our rules. 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. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Today we dive into the serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on 24 March 1873 by William Calcraft; she died, not from her neck breaking, but by strangulation caused by the rope being rigged too short, possibly deliberately.[4]. At 16, Mary Ann left home to become a nurse at the nearby village of South Hetton, in the home of Edward Potter, a manager at Murton colliery. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Comments have been closed on this article. But in late March 1870 Margaret died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. By now, she had become pregnant with a child by an excise officer named Richard Quick Mann. Although her mother began to recover, she also began to complain of stomach pains. Mary was only ever convicted of one murder, the poisoning with arsenic of her 7-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Mary Ann nursed the baby in her cell one visitor told The Northern Echo how he had encountered Mrs Cotton sitting on a stool close by a good fire, giving the breast to her baby until all avenues of appeal were exhausted. Mary Ann was desperate and living on the streets. Mary Ann would also eventually give birth to his child. William became a foreman at South Hetton Colliery and then a fireman aboard a steam vessel. SO how guilty was Mary Ann Cotton? 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. Her father Michael, a miner, was ardently religious and a fierce disciplinarian. She allegedly poisoned up to 21 people before being executed in 1873. He continued to suffer ill health; he died in October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. With this baby still in nappies, Joseph disappeared. Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. The life insurance policies were clearly a motive. She only fell two feet, so the executioner had to push down on her shoulders. According to Psychology Today, female serial murderers often have a drive that's pretty distinct from their male counterparts. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. Few people who lived with Mary Ann Cotton were shown mercy, not least the children who were so unfortunate as to enter her orbit. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. A Gannett Company. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. The doctor who attended Charles had kept samples, and they tested positive for arsenic. For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. But faced with abject poverty and an ailing husband, we see how ruthlessly determined . Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. Nonetheless, Mary Ann evaded suspicion (even though she collected more insurance money) and moved on to her next target, the recently widowed James Robinson. It is believed that she ki**ed three of her husbands so that she could collect their life insurance policies and may . Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. Regardless of her counterarguments, Mary Ann was still to die. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. 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 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. According to The Northern Echo, Mary Ann soon took up with a manager of the West Auckland Brewery, a man by the name of John Quick-Manning. Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples, and tests showed they contained arsenic. Soon enough, he and two of the children also died of "gastric fever." An examination of the body revealed arsenic in his stomach, and further exhumations on the bodies of two other Cotton children and Nattrass found traces of the poison. Sing, sing, oh, what can I sing, Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string. She had two children with Robinson but the first one, Margaret Isabella, died within a few months of her birth. She soon leftor was thrown outand was for a time homeless. After her marriage to Robinson crumbled, Cotton was introduced to Frederick Cotton by his sister, Margaret. Soon after she entered the home, Robinson's infant son died of yes, you guessed it "gastric fever.". Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill so she immediately went to her. Where, where? After the death of Mowbray, Mary Ann moved once again. 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. It is said that the prisoner, who is comparatively a young woman, has. The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. The so-called fever mimicked the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, a fact which would later prove interesting to investigators. 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 Britains most prolific female serial killer. Leave a message for others who see this profile. Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she would have to accompany him. 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. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. At the beginning of it all, the girl who would become Mary Ann Cotton seemed, frankly, pretty unremarkable. He went to the police, who arrested Mary Ann and ordered the exhumation of Charles' body. According to some sources, she left home at age 16 to work as a nurse but returned three years later and became a dressmaker. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, whose wife Hannah had recently died. login . Omissions? The census revealed that her boys were working underground William was a collier and John was a pony driver. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. Daily Mirror. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell . 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. 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. Gastric fever also claimed Williams life in 1864 and the lives of two other children soon afterward. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. 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. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. During the Victorian era, arsenic was seemingly everywhere, to the point where it became the murderer's poison du jour. Insurance had been taken out on his life and the lives of his sons. 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. 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