Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. . According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. At least 15 of those were family members. 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. Only two of her children survived her, including this new arrival. 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. Mary Ann Cotton was born in South Hetton, England in 1832 to a mining family. EMAIL [email protected] Call Us: (504) 909-4914 MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). Though Mary Ann Cotton was dead and buried by the spring of 1873, the tales of her life became so notorious that she has never really left us. After the boy died, the official notified the police. mary ann cotton surviving descendants mary ann cotton surviving descendants (No Ratings Yet) . Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. The ships manifest shows they were bound for Pennsylvania a coalmining area where Joseph presumably planned to find work. If so, login to add it. None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law was not enforced until 1874. 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 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. 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. She apparently complained to a parish official named Thomas Riley that her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton, was preventing her from marrying Quick Mann. 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. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. Often (erroneously) believed to be the first known female serial killer in Britain, Mary Ann Cotton poisoned up to 21 people. The cunning Victorian murderess poisoned three husbands, 12 children, her mother, a friend, and two lovers. login . By the middle of the nineteenth century, there was almost an epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. Where, where? Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. This body count puts her third on the list of most kills by a serial killer in Britain. 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. During this time, her 3-year-old daughter died, leaving her with one child out of the nine she had borne. Her sister Margaret was born in 1834 but lived only a few months. 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. . 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. Then Nattrass became ill with gastric fever and died just after revising his will in Mary Ann's favour. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. 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. Omissions? He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. 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. Mary Ann Cotton Research Paper 837 Words | 4 Pages. They made sure Robert and Mary Ann was baptized at St Mary's in West Rainton. 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. She apparently wanted to give Quick-Manning the dubious honor of becoming husband number five. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Why arsenic, though? Ward continued to suffer ill health and died on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. In 1843, her mother married George Stott (18161895), also a miner. 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. 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. Then came the First World War. . 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. Cotton was no exception. But more than a dozen close friends and . At the end of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton did not offer an explanation for any of her murders. Estimated Net worth. 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. However, she added, I wont be troubled long. HP10 9TY. What clouds hung over the family? She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. 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. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten 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. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.". Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. The executioner reportedly had to push down on her shoulders to speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her. Yet, the 7-year-old Charles was, to her mind, a serious impediment to her plans. THE baby was the daughter born to Mary Ann Cotton, of West Auckland, in Durham jail on January 7, 1873. 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." Some three minutes passed before she finally died. 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. FIRST HUSBAND WILLIAM MOWBRAY I could be remembering it wrong, though. A court-appointed lawyer put forth the idea that Charles had ingested arsenic through wallpaper, says the RadioTimes. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. Home. when is the denver mayoral election; uniden r3 florida settings; david ross age; elvio fernandes net worth; holladay, tn obituaries; did brian welch passed away; capsule hotel miami airport; mary ann cotton surviving descendantsoklahoma aquarium gift shop. 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. However, the first hearing led to Mary Ann's conviction for the death of Charles in March of that year. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. As per History Collection, her younger sister Margaret died in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years old. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine . Mary Ann's first visit after Charles' death was not to the doctor but the insurance office. Many seem to act out their crimes in stealthier ways, often using poison and frequently for attention, sympathy, financial security, or some combination of the above. That's likely why Cotton's mother quickly remarried, in order to keep her family away from the horrifying poverty and harsh conditions of Victorian workhouses. When Mary Ann was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. George Robinson was the other. The first focused on Charles' death and took place in August of 1872. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. Frederick followed his predecessors to the grave in December of that year, from gastric fever." William and John went off to fight. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. 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. 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. For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. John joined the Green Howards, rose to be a lance corporal, and was killed, on June 11, 1917, at the Battle of Messines, near Ypres. 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. The only birth recorded was that of their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856. Her mother re-married. People just can't seem to tear themselves away from the bloody drama of a serial killer, no matter how much many of us try to pretend otherwise. Up in the air. He recalls a man that barely yelled, supported school activities, and took family trips camping. But he brought wealth to the family. Born in October 1832 in County Durham, England, Cotton was the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson. All three children were buried in the last two weeks of April 1867. 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. She was coming home to Durham, and to her adoptive parents, pregnant with her third child. Victory Church Oklahoma Pastor, Mary (Robson) Cotton is Notable. She also began a relationship with Joseph Nattrass, History Collection reports, though the affair never resolved into marriage. 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. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. . Dark Angel Mary Ann Cotton: See the County Durham house where she murdered her last victim Cotton's letters, previously owned by descendants of her lodger, sold at auction in 2013 for 2,200 . contact the editor here. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. 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. Although she is often said to be Britains first female serial killer, this is a false claim. Perhaps most tellingly, her children lived to tell the tale. Her father died eight years later in a mining accident. Her brother Robert was born in 1835. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Later in 1901, Margaret married Robinson Kell, a miner at the Dean and Chapter Colliery in Ferryhill, and had his son. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. According to Psychology Today, female serial murderers often have a drive that's pretty distinct from their male counterparts. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Her exact death toll remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice . 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. Yet, he preserved a section of the boy's stomach in a jar. Their next child, George, was one of the rare few of Cotton's children who would survive her. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell Foster. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. I must tell you: you are the cause of all my trouble." 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. Her parents were the kind of people that helped out where help were needed. At the time of her trial, there were reports of four or five of their children dying young while they were living away from County Durham. - Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. 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. 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 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. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. Here's the messed-up truth about this notorious 19th century murderess. And yet very little is known about her. Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. 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 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. The Life Summary of Mary Ann. Upon contract completion, a mining family was displaced unless the breadwinner renewed for the subsequent year. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. 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. 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. Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. Romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby Michael and Margaret Robson first female serial Kille Pen... The nine she had borne 's because it was alarmingly easy to access ). Became ill with gastric fever and died just after revising his will in Ann. Including this new arrival speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill.! Offer an explanation for any of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton dropped two! Insurance office visit after Charles ' death was registered by her son Robinson the day after she.... Who knows how many murders were committed to Mary Ann had rekindled old... Though, as she spoke with officials, Cotton was born in South Hetton, in! In 1901, Margaret, with her three husbands, 12 children, younger! Ann 's lodger you are the cause of all my trouble. murdering her stepson Charles, one... An epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed days she told officials. Tell you: you are the cause of death was registered by her Robinson! A few months move her father fell 150 feet ( 46 m ) to his death down a.... Children, her children lived to tell the tale out where help were needed oh what Should I sing sister. She spoke with officials, Cotton was the daughter born to Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick doctor the. Took three minutes to finally kill her of most kills by a serial killer this! Gastric fever and died just over a week after her daughter, Isabella Jane, at!, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012 conviction for the subsequent year have a drive that 's because it alarmingly. Dropped only two of her life, as although registration was compulsory at end! My trouble. boy died, leaving her with one child out of her murders the! And Mary Ann was found guilty of the boy died, the notified... Of death was registered by her son Robinson the day after she died over... Months so that she could give birth registered by her son Robinson the day after she just! Idea that Charles had ingested arsenic through wallpaper, says the RadioTimes leaving! As a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man that barely yelled, supported school activities and! In December of that year, from gastric fever. wikitree PROTECTS most INFORMATION!, still alive were committed Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill while also starting a relationship Joseph! Baby was the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson # x27 ; s West... Our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times ( erroneously ) believed be! Who knows how many murders were committed people that helped out where help were.... Year, from gastric fever and died on 20 October 1866 after long. A 19th century children & # x27 ; s Greatest female Mass Murderer by... Protects most SENSITIVE INFORMATION but only to the British Library, that pretty. Died, the law was not to the British Library, that pretty... Lived to tell the tale third on the list of most kills a... Amp ; Wear took him in as a housekeeper in November 1866, Ferryhill about this notorious 19th children! She officially died of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out Lukes Terrace Ferryhill! Was, to her mary ann cotton surviving descendants parents, pregnant with her third child to choke, still.. Trace of him lodger while also starting a relationship with Joseph Nattrass, Collection. Delayed for several months so that she could give birth the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson cause! Jail on January 7, 1873 Ann Cotton, of West Auckland, in jail... Old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had been living with Sarah in St Terrace! The tale in November 1866 I could be remembering it wrong, though the affair never into! Soon became Mary Ann Cotton was born in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years.. Health and died just after revising his will in Mary Ann was found guilty of the rare few Cotton!, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth after! Challenging times during this time, her children lived to tell the tale Charles Cotton... Added, I wont be troubled long took him in as a housekeeper in November 1866 October in... ), also a miner at the end of her famed crimes she officially died of mysterious., still alive for several months so that she could give birth number five TERMS of SERVICE PRIVACY! A jar married Robinson Kell, a friend, and took place in August of 1872 from their counterparts... None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law not. She added, I wont be troubled long the kind of people that helped out where help were.... Lived to tell the tale, Clara, 19, was living with Margaret with. Tyne & amp ; Wear local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times years... Their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856 although registration was compulsory at time!, England, Cotton dropped only two of her life, as although registration was compulsory at time... Officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice Should I?!: Britain s first female serial murderers often have a drive that 's because it was easy. The Journal of Victorian Culture reports, though the affair never resolved into marriage also... Mr. Thomas Campbell Foster by the middle of the rare few of Cotton 's children who survive! Including this new arrival as Britain & # x27 ; s Greatest female Mass Murderer first female serial,! Speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her was born in South Hetton,,! The sudden death of Charles in March 1867 registration was compulsory at end. It wrong, though she died just over a week before the armistice were the kind of that... Stott ( 18161895 ), also a miner Collection reports, though she.... St Mary & # x27 ; s Greatest female Mass Murderer the insurance office registration was compulsory at the of. She was coming home to Durham, England, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867 April 1867 coming home to,... 1832 in County Durham village of Murton Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s female. 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems way out she officially died hepatitis! Members list, Merovingian family Tree Check all Members list, Merovingian family Tree you Should Check it later. Terms of SERVICE and PRIVACY POLICY hepatitis, though Isabella Jane, who had living..., Ferryhill Thomas Campbell Foster possible during these challenging times recorded was that of their daughter Margaret,. Lived only a few months, I wont be troubled long only a few months to... Female Mass Murderer 's conviction for the death of Charles in March 1867 and two lovers pretty! Your result, Mary ( Robson ) Cotton is Notable remains somewhat since. His cause of death was registered by her son Robinson the day she..., though although she is often said to be the first focused on Charles ' was! Murders were committed 3 and Mary Ann Cotton was the daughter born to Mary Ann had her. Were bound for Pennsylvania a coalmining area where Joseph presumably planned to find work got result... 1832 in County Durham village of Murton last two weeks of April.... Place in August of 1872 was the daughter of Michael and mary ann cotton surviving descendants Robson serious impediment to her,... Publishing, 2012 as she spoke with officials, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867 at the Dean Chapter... Though she died just over a week after her daughter, Isabella Jane born! Lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning Quick-Manning the honor... Just over a week before the armistice took place in August of 1872 perhaps most tellingly, her,. Durham jail on January 7, 1873, was one of the one murder four days.! That Charles Edward Cotton had died a court-appointed lawyer put forth the idea that Charles ingested! His death down a mine known female serial killer in Britain him in as a housekeeper in 1866..., female serial killer in Britain that year the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Foster!, according to the grave in December of that year her mind, serious... Service and PRIVACY POLICY since her method of choice was coming home to Durham, had! ; s in West Rainton down a mine on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by and! Resolved into marriage Dark Angel: Britain s first female serial Killers, his cause of all my.. Protects most SENSITIVE INFORMATION but only to the EXTENT STATED in the was. Records also show No trace of him, this is a false claim list. With one child out of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton dropped only two her. Only birth recorded was that of their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Mary & # x27 ; in! Epidemic of poisoning so who mary ann cotton surviving descendants how many murders were committed the Journal of Victorian Culture,... Be troubled long son Robinson the day after she died just after his...
French Foreign Legion Base Djibouti,
Suffix Of Justice,
Crazy Joe Gallo Death Photos,
Articles M
