contact the editor here. [citation needed] The jury retired for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. The scene is the hanging gallery. She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. Low Moorsley on the south western outskirts of Hetton-le-Hole was the birthplace on October 31, 1832 of Mary Ann Robson (later Mary Ann Cotton) , one of the most notorious figures in the history of murderous crime. Mary Ann received a life-insurance payment of 5 10s 6d for Isabella. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. 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. Cotton was no exception. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell . By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. As per Find A Grave, she thereafter appeared as "Margaret Edwards" on the 1881 census and later married John Joseph Fletcher in 1890. Gastric fever also claimed Williams life in 1864 and the lives of two other children soon afterward. During this time, her 3-year-old daughter died, leaving her with one child out of the nine she had borne. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. 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. 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. Mary Ann Cotton's trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. c. 1870. Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? 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. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. Around this time she took up with a former lover, Joseph Nattrass, but later became . A month later, when James' baby John died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. 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. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. Cotton had rather more luck at work, where she came across a patient named George Ward. Margaret had acted as substitute mother for the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles, but in late March 1870 she died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. It is unclear how she died. Sing, sing, what can I sing? Though he appears to have worked as a skilled laborer who opened new mining shafts, the Robsons were working class. Mary Ann Cotton's net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider. Mary is one of the wealthiest criminals and one of the most well-known. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. Facts About The Heart Bbc Bitesize, Rather quickly, she sent the daughter to live with her own mother, Margaret, and set out on her own once again. Someone had either inadvertently or, as some suspect, intentionally miscalculated the drop needed to break her neck and bring death instantaneously. Her father, a bound miner, was contracted for one year receiving a deplorable family dwelling and meager wages. 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. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. It is believed that he was killed in a railway accident. To date Mary Ann remains Britain's most prolific female serial killer. [2] Margaret had acted as substitute mother for the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles, but in late March 1870 she died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. 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." The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. 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. 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. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. Arsenic, however, was more subtle. During her 40 year life span she was responsible for the deaths, by poisoning, of 17 people, perhaps even more. mary ann cotton surviving descendants. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. 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. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. She supposedly did it using arsenic, a terrible poison that causes intense gastric pain and results in a rapid decline of health. However, the infant mortality was falling as the century progressed, making Cotton's mishaps all the more striking. One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. She had two children with Robinson but the first one, Margaret Isabella, died within a few months of her birth. Rumour turned to suspicion and forensic inquiry. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine . She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. She lies in bed with her eyes. They married in Monkwearmouth on 28 August 1865. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there was almost an epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed. 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. Memories is aware that there are quite a lot of direct descendants of Mary Ann Cotton living in our area, and weve been asked to let their sleeping dogs lie. Editors' Code of Practice. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Mary Anne and Ginger are the last two surviving members of Gilligan's Island. She bore five children and lost four of them to a mysterious "gastric fever". 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. Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. In 1843, Mary Ann's widowed mother, Margaret (ne Lonsdale) married George Stott, with whom Mary Ann did not get along. Another daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858, and Margaret Jane died in 1860. 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. Preeminent British Criminologist David Wilson has described Mary Ann Cotton as a Black Widow and Britain's First Female Serial Killer with 15 confirmed murder victims, and another six suspected victims in 20 years. Newspaper report of Cottons arrest. Last week, we covered the life and crimes of Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the West Auckland Poisoner. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. As the miner's cottage they inhabited was tied to Michael's job, the widow and children would have been evicted. While some claimed that she was Britains first female serial killer, other women had previously been hanged for poisoning multiple 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. As she was sentenced to hang, the second hearing fizzled out. He decided to throw her out of their home and retained custody of their surviving child, George. 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." The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. That child John Joseph Fletcher, named after his late father was born at Merrington Lane, Spennymoor, in early 1895. That man was recorded as "John Quick-Manning," though it's possible that he gave Mary Ann a partially false name. All three children had been subjects of small life insurance policies. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. This left their widowed mother in a difficult situation. 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. Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she would have to accompany him. It includes lines like "Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string./Where, where?/Up in the air.". Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the Dark Angel, was a serial killer who murdered up to 21 people, including her own children, mainly by poisoning them with arsenic. As she was sentenced to hang, the second hearing fizzled out. Yet, the 7-year-old Charles was, to her mind, a serious impediment to her plans. Neither came home. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. mary ann cotton surviving descendants. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. A mortar shell exploded over his head and no trace was ever found of his body. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). She and her only surviving child, Isabella, had moved back to County Durham. . Perhaps most tellingly, her children lived to tell the tale. A week before her brutally botched execution on March 24, she gave the infant to be adopted by a couple she knew in West Auckland, William and Sarah Edwards. [3] He told the police, who arrested Mary Ann and procured exhumation of Charles' body. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. Sharon Costner Obituary, Editors' Code of Practice. Her father's body was delivered to her mother in a sack bearing the stamp 'Property of the South Hetton Coal Company'. When she left, she started to train as a dressmaker. Depiction of Mary Ann Cotton. 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 . The Messed Up Truth About 19th Century Murderess Mary Ann Cotton. When Mary Ann christened the baby with its distinctive surname, it identified the father. In a close-knit community like the Durham coalfield, it would have been impossible for Margaret to escape the notoriety of her birth. The . It's not entirely clear how the two connected while Cotton was caring for Ward, but there must have been at least some semblance of a spark there. They married at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, on 28 August 1865. When Mary Ann Cotton was christened on 5 May 1802, in Rotherhithe, Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom, her father, Samuel Cotton, was 48 and her mother, Sarah Roby, was 38. . 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. Isabella lasted a few weeks until she died of "gastric fever," and she was soon followed by two more of Robinson's children, who succumbed to "continued fever" and yet another case of "gastric fever," according to death records. 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. Parents Mary Ann Robson Cotton 1832-1873 Spouses John Joseph Fletcher 1862-1894 (m. 1891) 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. When Riley pushed the doctor, Kilburn re-tested the tissue and found that it was full of arsenic. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. According to Psychology Today, female serial murderers often have a drive that's pretty distinct from their male counterparts. According to PBS, there's even been a modern two-part television drama, Dark Angel, which premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theater in 2017. But he brought wealth to the family. Things seemed to grow worse for the family after Mowbray took out life insurance policies on himself and their three remaining children. The word was that she had killed anything up to 21 of her husbands, lovers, children and stepchildren, and even her own mother making her Britains most prolific mass murderer until Harold Shipman. At least 15 of those were family members. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. Her exact death toll remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice . At the time of her trial, The Northern Echo published an article containing a description of Mary Ann as given by her childhood Wesleyan Sunday school superintendent at Murton, describing her as "a most exemplary and regular attender", "a girl of innocent disposition and average intelligence", and "distinguished for her particularly clean and tidy appearance."[2]. One of the more chilling legacies of Cotton's time on Earth is a children's nursery rhyme. Then Nattrass became ill with gastric fever and died just after revising his will in Mary Ann's favour. The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. 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. 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