Login to find your connection. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Sarah Chesham killed four people and was executed in 1851; both used arsenic. He went to the police, who arrested Mary Ann and ordered the exhumation of Charles' body. All three children had been subjects of small life insurance policies. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. Ward was already in poor health but Mary Ann finished him off, and he died in October 1866. In 1843, her mother married George Stott (18161895), also a miner. Their child, Mary Isabella, was born that November, but she became ill with stomach pains and died in March 1868. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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 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. 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. 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. However, she stayed in Durham and lived in a place called Seaham Harbour. She named her Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton, partially to target her latest lover as the father of the child. William joined the Durham Light Infantry and ended up in the London Rifles. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. She then found work as a housekeeper for James Robinson, a widower. A Gannett Company. The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. 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. 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. His name is carved with countless thousands of others on the Menin Gate at Ypres. Mary was born in 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. Mary Ann Cotton's trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. William and John went off to fight. He threw her out. 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. 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. Mary Anns last remaining daughter, Isabella, also succumbed to gastric fever and Mary Ann received 5 10s 6d in insurance money. They married at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, on 28 August 1865. Missedinhistory.com. (The lack of documentationsuch as birth and death certificatesleaves many details of Mary Anns life open to dispute.) 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. 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. 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. As Nattrass had very few possessions, she was once again in financial difficulty. Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money from her husband's death. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. He was also a widower who had lost two of his four children and lived in Northumberland. Insurance had been effected on his life and those of his sons. According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. During this time, her 3-year-old daughter, the second Margaret Jane, died of typhus fever, leaving her with one child of up to nine she had borne. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill with hepatitis, so she immediately went to her. 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. . 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. It may well be that the name of the excise man was in fact Richard Quick Mann. 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. Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. He was John Quick- Manning, who was probably the excise officer at West Auckland Brewery and who was definitely married to someone else. Mary Ann would also eventually give birth to his child. She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. Another daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858, and Margaret Jane died in 1860. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. The Messed Up Truth About 19th Century Murderess Mary Ann Cotton. However, the judge allowed the prosecutor to use evidence from the deaths of Nattrass and two of the Cotton children and ultimately, the overwhelming evidence sealed Mary Anns fate. "Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. Mary was only ever convicted of one murder, the poisoning with arsenic of her 7-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. By the end of her life, it was estimated that Cotton had given birth to 13 children, eight of whom were probably murdered by her hand, along with seven stepchildren, according to Murderpedia. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. On March 24, 1873, Mary Ann was hanged in a bungled execution. 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. 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. The first focused on Charles' death and took place in August of 1872. Mary Ann and her daughter with Mowbray then went to live at the Robinson home. After moving frequently, the family settled in Hendon, Durham county, in about 1856. 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. 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. Rumour turned to suspicion and forensic inquiry. Ward continued to suffer ill health and died on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. ", "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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. SO how guilty was Mary Ann Cotton? Cotton collected another insurance payout and moved on. However, he died the following year, and Mary Ann reportedly collected money from another insurance policy. The following year Mary Ann went to visit her ailing mother, who died about a week after her return. She soon leftor was thrown outand was for a time homeless. This 19th century English woman is one of the earliest confirmed female serial killers in recorded memory. She enjoyed crafting, hosting ceramics classes for many years, creating scrapbooks of family memories, and making special cards for every occasion. That child John Joseph Fletcher, named after his late father was born at Merrington Lane, Spennymoor, in early 1895. Neither came home. First, her sister Margaret died in 1834, only a few months after being born. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.". As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox. Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples, and tests showed they contained arsenic. Moreover, she was also forcing her stepchildren to pawn household items. As with all nursery rhymes passed on primarily by word of mouth, there are variations. They married in September 1870, and Frederick died in December 1871 from the ever-present "gastric fever." The couple had five children, four of whom died from gastric fever. 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. He threw her out, retaining custody of their son George. He, however, was engaged to another woman and she left Seaham after Nattrasss wedding. 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. I must tell you: you are the cause of all my trouble." During the Victorian era, arsenic was seemingly everywhere, to the point where it became the murderer's poison du jour. Soon her twelfth pregnancy was underway. However, the BBC points out that you're not alone. 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. 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. 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. [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can In 1843, Mary Ann's widowed mother, Margaret (ne Lonsdale) married George Stott, with whom Mary Ann did not get along. Only two of her children survived her, including this new arrival. "Mary Ann Cotton." Why arsenic, though? According to the RadioTimes, a local Doctor Kilburn conducted a rushed inquest and determined that the boy had died of gastroenteritis. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. An English woman convicted of murdering her children. The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. Up in the air Sellin black puddens a penny a pair. 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. English serial killer Mary Ann Cotton, born October 31, 1832, and was hanged to death on March 24, 1873, for murdering her stepson Charles Edward Cotton by poisoning him. By the time Nattrass was dead, Mary Ann had poisoned Robert, her infant son with Cotton, and Frederick Jr., her stepson. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. This left their widowed mother in a difficult situation. 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 Discover Magazine reports, the great majority of female serial killer appear to murder for money. 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]. Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic. The place is Durham Gaol. Although she began a relationship with a man named Joseph Nattrass, she moved once again, this time to Sunderland, after another one of her children died from gastric fever. By now, she had become pregnant with a child by an excise officer named Richard Quick Mann. One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. Mary's mother remarried a few years later, but Mary hated her stepfather. Plus, it really was everywhere, from the green dye in clothes, to wallpaper, to rat poison. He threw her out. 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 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." While some claimed that she was Britains first female serial killer, other women had previously been hanged for poisoning multiple people. She is the daughter of John Quick-Manning and Mary Robson . She did not die on the gallows from breaking of her neck but died by strangulation because the rope was set too short, possibly deliberately. Mary Ann Cotton did not confess to a single murder, and while the number of victims is unknown, most sources believed she killed up to 21 people. When Mary Ann christened the baby with its distinctive surname, it identified the father. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. 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. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. At some point William took out a life insurance policy that covered both him and their three surviving children; the others had died from gastric fever, a common ailment that had symptoms similar to arsenic poisoning. However, in April 1867 the girl and two of Robinsons children died. By . However, the first hearing led to Mary Ann's conviction for the death of Charles in March of that year. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. Soon she became pregnant by him with her twelfth child. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. Cotton's undoing came after she tried to have the son of her deceased husband sent to a workhouse. 29 July 2015. 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. The move must have been Mary Ann's idea . But more than a dozen close friends and . One of her patients at the infirmary was engineer George Ward. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. She was, as The Northern Echo reports, remembered after her 1954 death as "intelligent, warm and kind-hearted." The mother had to take care of three children, while suffering with the depression owing to her husband's death. She got away with it so long because arsenic was extremely hard to detect as symptoms were often confused with those associated with gastric ailments. For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. 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. Where, where? Margaret was born in 1873. There, she discovered that no money would be paid out until a death certificate was issued. Her sister Margaret was born in 1834 but lived only a few months. A brief investigation into the trial and execution of Mary Ann Cotton. Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but. Her father, a miner, was killed in an accident when she was just nine. 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. Popular cultural sources have called him John Quick-Manning, though there appears to be no trace of a John Quick-Manning in the records of the West Auckland Brewery or the National Archives. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. HP10 9TY. 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. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. One of her patients at the infirmary was an engineer, George Ward. However, in 1870 Mary Ann met another widower, Frederick Cotton, who was the brother of a friend. After the death of Mowbray, Mary Ann moved once again. Mary Ann Cotton also had her own nursery rhyme of the same title, sung after her hanging on March 24, 1873. As per History Collection, her younger sister Margaret died in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years old. The attending doctor later gave evidence that Ward had been very ill, yet he had been surprised that his death was so sudden. Soon after the move, Mary Ann's father fell 150 feet (46m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton colliery in February 1842. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. 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. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. A short time later, she married William Mowbray in an 1852 ceremony. Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money in respect of her husband's death. In a close-knit community like the Durham coalfield, it would have been impossible for Margaret to escape the notoriety of her birth. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox, John Quick-Manning. Depiction of Mary Ann Cotton. 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. Her father's body was delivered to her mother in a sack bearing the stamp 'Property of the South Hetton Coal Company'. 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. In September 1870 Mary Ann and Cotton were marriedthough she was still wed to Robinsonand she later gave birth to a son. This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 20:32. Mary Ann Cotton, she's tied up with string. Sing, sing, what can I sing? 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. Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on Charles' life still awaited collection. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion, Sunderland, whose wife, Hannah, had recently died. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. William became a foreman at South Hetton Colliery and then a fireman aboard a steam vessel. In 1852 she married William Mowbray, and over the next decade or so, the couple had eight or nine children. Then came the First World War. He died in October 1866, baffling doctors on his way out. 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]. 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." I could be remembering it wrong, though. [citation needed] The jury retired for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. Mary Ann received the insurance money, and she then left her daughter in the care of her mother. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. So, by the summer of 1865, Mary Ann, widow Mowbray, had buried her husband William and at least eight, if not nine, of her own children. 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). Partner of John Quick-Manning In March 1870, Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. Though he appears to have worked as a skilled laborer who opened new mining shafts, the Robsons were working class. Affair with James Nattress, a married man, while married to Mowbray and possibly again, after Nattress was widowed, while she was "married" to Cotton. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. When Mary Ann was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. Cotton's trial began on 5 March 1873. 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 received a life-insurance payment of 5 10s 6d for Isabella. 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. 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. Mary Ann Cotton was an English serial killer convicted of poisoning her stepson Charles Edward Cotton in 1872. 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 [3] He told the police, who arrested Mary Ann and procured exhumation of Charles' body. Mary Ann had cashed in William's life insurance, equivalent to about 1,700 in today's money. 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. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. 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. Their second child George was born on 18 June 1869. Mary Ann was desperate and living on the streets. Mary (Robson) Cotton is Notable. The date is March 24th, 1873. 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. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. Soon her eleventh pregnancy was underway. 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. 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. Regardless of her counterarguments, Mary Ann was still to die. Their next child, George, was one of the rare few of Cotton's children who would survive her. The doctor who attended Charles had kept samples, and they tested positive for arsenic. 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. According to PBS, there's even been a modern two-part television drama, Dark Angel, which premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theater in 2017. By the end of the following year Cotton and two more children had died; again Mary Ann reportedly received an insurance payout. She went undetected for decades, apparently killing a succession of husbands, children, and stepchildren with arsenic, then a readily available poison. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. The Cotton case was the first of several famous poisoning cases he would be involved in during his career, including those of Adelaide Bartlett and Florence Maybrick. For weeks they have been Up in the air Sellin' black puddens a penny a pair. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. What clouds hung over the family? Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on 24 March 1873 by William Calcraft. Riley grew suspicious and alerted the police. Cotton was no exception. That is until she grew overconfident and made a remarkable blunder. Though many killers are male, it turns out that women have turned to serial murder as well. Frederick followed his predecessors to the grave in December of that year, from gastric fever." A more complete version runs: She lies in her bed With eyes wide open. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. The executioner reportedly had to push down on her shoulders to speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her. 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. 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. contact the editor here. She was employed in various jobs, including Sunday school. YouTube. 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. After she was finally apprehended in 1872, some estimated that she may have killed as many as 21 people, according to Britannica. Stuff You Missed in History Class (Podcast). 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. [10], Death of Charles Edward Cotton and inquest, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mary Ann Cotton | Biography, Murders, Trial, & Execution", "Dark Angel: How were Mary Ann Cotton's terrible crimes uncovered? However, the levels of arsenic discovered in Charles' remains were too high to pin it on the wallpaper. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. Geni requires JavaScript! 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. 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 Ann backed off but not before ominously predicting that Charles would "go like all the rest of the Cotton family." Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she would have to accompany him. 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. 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. At the age of 16, she moved out to become a nurse at Edward Potter's home in the nearby village of South Hetton. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. 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. Wife of George Ward; William Mowbray; Frederick Cotton and James Robinson Her brother Robert was born in 1835. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. 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. 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. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. The cause of death recorded on his death certificate is that of English cholera and typhoid. 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. 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. Mary Ann Cotton's trial began on 5 March 1873. 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. She grew a dislike of children while working as a housemaid, and this didn't stop once she had children of her own. 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. That left behind Mary, her stepson Charles Cotton, and Mary Ann's 13 child still growing in her womb. 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. Comments have been closed on this article. Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and forgotten, 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. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. An examination ultimately revealed the presence of arsenic in his stomach. 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. Mary Ann Robson was born on Halloween 1832 in Low Moorsley in County Durham. Gastric fever also claimed Williams life in 1864 and the lives of two other children soon afterward. 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. Frederick 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. Things seemed to grow worse for the family after Mowbray took out life insurance policies on himself and their three remaining children. 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. Thank you for visiting mary ann cotton family tree page. One of the more chilling legacies of Cotton's time on Earth is a children's nursery rhyme. Daughter of Michael Robson and Margaret Lonsdale William died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. Betty Eccles was suspected of multiple murders and was hanged in 1843. 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. But faced with abject poverty and an ailing husband, we see how ruthlessly determined . Sister of Robert Robson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ann_Cotton. She was found guilty and sentenced to die. 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." This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's 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. Though she's been gone for nearly a century and a half, Cotton remains one of the most shocking female killers in modern history. She allegedly poisoned up to 21 people before being executed in 1873. Mary Ann Robson Cotton (1832-1873) - Find A Grave Mary Cotton was born in North England during the Victorian Period. She sent her remaining child, Isabella, to live with her mother. Please report any comments that break our rules. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. There appears to be no trace of John Quick-Manning in the records of The West Auckland Brewery or The National Archives at Kew. By the time they got married in August 1867, three of Robinsons children and his mother had died. 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. We meet Mary Ann as a loving wife and mother, newly returned to her native North East of England. Alternate titles: Mary Ann Mowbray, Mary Ann Robinson, Mary Ann Robson, Mary Ann Ward. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. A nursery rhyme concerning Cotton was composed after her hanging on 24 March 1873. During this time, her 3-year-old daughter died, leaving her with one child out of the nine she had borne. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? Newspaper report of Cottons arrest. Although she is often said to be Britains first female serial killer, this is a false claim. Authorities also exhumed the bodies of Nattrass and two other Cotton children, and all were determined to have been poisoned with arsenic. The . Before their final break, Cotton had attempted to get Robinson to insure both himself and the remaining children. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. She was later found guilty and executed. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. The body of the stepson was examined and found to contain arsenic. 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. However, the couple did not divorce. 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. She was charged with the murder of Charles Edward Cotton, and her trial began in March 1873. Updates? Cotton died in December of that year, from "gastric fever." 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. 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. The delay was caused by a problem in the selection of the public prosecutor. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please However, the infant mortality was falling as the century progressed, making Cotton's mishaps all the more striking. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. Mary Ann first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. [8], The Mary Ann Cotton case was partly dramatized on an episode of the 2022 BBC Radio podcast series Lucy Worsley's Lady Killers. Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. As History Collection reports, his wife was paid via yet another life insurance policy and was left with two stepsons. Born in October 1832 in County Durham, England, Cotton was the daughter of Michael and Margaret Robson. 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. Editors' Code of Practice. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell . 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. [6] The first part of the dramatisation was broadcast on 31 October 2016, the second part was broadcast on 7 November. 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. Baby Margaret seems to have been their only child and, according to the 1881 census when they were living in Leasingthorne, she was using the Edwards surname. She also began a relationship with Joseph Nattrass, History Collection reports, though the affair never resolved into marriage. The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. She was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873, but it was a bungled execution. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. 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. 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. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. As the miner's cottage they inhabited was tied to Michael's job, the widow and children would have been evicted. [1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. She supposedly did it using arsenic, a terrible poison that causes intense gastric pain and results in a rapid decline of health. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Anns lodger. It is said that she and William Mowbray had 4 children before returning to Murton. When Riley pushed the doctor, Kilburn re-tested the tissue and found that it was full of arsenic. In September 1870 Mary Ann and Cotton were marriedthough she was still wed to Robinsonand she later gave birth to a son. They married in Monkwearmouth on 28 August 1865. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. She came back home three years later, taking up work as a dressmaker. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. Here's the messed-up truth about this notorious 19th century murderess. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there was almost an epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed. The scene is the hanging gallery. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. According to the Journal of Social History, working class mothers were especially likely to see their own children sicken and die, even if they weren't intentionally causing the illnesses. She sent her surviving child, Isabella, to live with her mother. 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. The delay was caused by a problem in the selection of prosecution counsel. The life insurance policies were clearly a motive. Yet, she wasn't alone. That left Cotton and her daughter with an insurance payout of some 35, according to Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angel. William and Mary Ann moved back to North East England where they had, and lost, three more children. Her father died eight years later in a mining accident. In 1872 Nattrass died, leaving his meagre belongings to Mary Ann. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. At the end of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton did not offer an explanation for any of her murders. 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. The Robson family moved to the village of Murton in Durham when Mary Ann was eight, but tragedy struck in February 1842. Enter a grandparent's name. Nattrass soon followed, though not before he put Mary Ann down as a beneficiary in his will. According to some sources, she left home at age 16 to work as a nurse but returned three years later and became a dressmaker. The only birth recorded was that of their daughter Margaret Jane, born at St Germans in 1856. Five days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy had died. 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. She was entertained by many sporting events, polka music hours and cooking . Then he found that Mary Ann had been forcing his older children to pawn household valuables. Although her mother started getting better, she also began to complain of stomach pains. 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? login . He decided to throw her out of their home and retained custody of their surviving child, George. Mary Ann, pregnant again, was arrested and charged with Charles Cotton's death. By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Accessed 14 August 2015. Mary Ann subsequently worked as a hospital nurse in nearby Sunderland, and in 1865 she married a patient, George Ward. 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. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. Up in the air. Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she needed to accompany him. As per Female Serial Killers, the two were married in 1865, shortly after he was discharged from the hospital. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. Daily Mirror. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. He is buried in Cambrai cemetery. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. Mary Ann belonged to Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (St. Stanislaus Church) and was a member of the Rosary Altar Sodality. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. The sheer number of children who met their deaths after coming into contact with the murderess exceeded even the juvenile mortality rate of a dangerous time before pediatricians and obstetricians were available to most people in Britain. It is believed that he was killed in a railway accident. 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. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. STREET LIFE: Watt Street, Dean Bank, Ferryhill, on an Edwardian postcard which dates from the time that Mary Ann Cottons daughter was living in the street. Reportedly just weeks after her arrival in 1866, one of his five children succumbed to gastric fever. But when their son, William, was born a few months after their arrival, his place of birth was listed as Imperial County in California a desert through which canals were being dug to create farmland. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill so she immediately went to her. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.. Nonetheless, Mary Ann evaded suspicion (even though she collected more insurance money) and moved on to her next target, the recently widowed James Robinson. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. In 1867, Mary Ann's stepfather George Stott married his widowed neighbour, Hannah Paley. Mary Ann found employment as a nurse, and it was here that she met her next husband, George Ward. There is some speculation that she may have been pregnant before their marriage and that is why it was held at the registry office. Margaret had acted as substitute mother for the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles. At the beginning of it all, the girl who would become Mary Ann Cotton seemed, frankly, pretty unremarkable. She lies in bed with her eyes. , got your result about mary ann cotton family tree please comment if we missed anything here, please let us know. Some three minutes passed before she finally died. Someone had either inadvertently or, as some suspect, intentionally miscalculated the drop needed to break her neck and bring death instantaneously. That description fits Mary Ann Cotton very well indeed. 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. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Mary Ann Cotton had finally been caught. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. Although his doctor acknowledged Wards poor health, he was surprised that the man died so suddenly. Cotton had rather more luck at work, where she came across a patient named George Ward. And her killing spree started right here in. Mary Ann Cotton was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Death surrounded her from an early age. The census revealed that her boys were working underground William was a collier and John was a pony driver. From above, out of sight of the gallows, members of the Press are gathered. What should have been a relatively quick end turned into a bungle. Her father Michael, a miner, was ardently religious and a fierce disciplinarian. Soon after, Mary Ann learnt that her former lover, Joseph Nattrass, was living in the nearby village of West Auckland, and no longer married. She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). 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. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to 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. One month later, when James' baby died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. Mary Cotton was born in North England during the Victorian Period. It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. Mary Ann Cotton. Richard Quick Mann was a custom and excise man specialising in breweries and has been found in the records and this may be the real name of Mary Ann Cotton's lover. It includes lines like "Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string./Where, where?/Up in the air.". All three children were buried in the last week of April and first week of May 1867. Soon enough, he and two of the children also died of "gastric fever." 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. - Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. She was a Victorian wife and mother of 13 children who worked as a Sunday-school teacher and a nurse. She only fell two feet, so the executioner had to push down on her shoulders. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. However, the prosecutions evidence, notably the other arsenic-related deaths, proved insurmountable, and she was convicted and sentenced to death. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. Despite all the deaths, there was still no evidence against Mary Ann, and she was completely free from suspicion. Mary Ann was desperate and living on the streets until 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. 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. That year both Cottons sister and his youngest child died. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. The so-called fever mimicked the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, a fact which would later prove interesting to investigators. Depiction of Mary Ann Cotton. c. 1870. 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. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. When Cotton gave birth to her and Robinson's child, her infant daughter quickly died of "convulsions." Last week, we covered the life and crimes of Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the West Auckland Poisoner. According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. 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. Her family describe her as being immensely private, intelligent, warm and kind-hearted, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. HSW Podcast: *Howstuffworks.com. She then allegedly told a local official that she could not marry Quick-Manning because of her seven-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Russell's appointment over Aspinwall led to a question in the House of Commons. 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 Cotton, tied up with string. Born into a mining family in 1832, Mary Ann grew up in a time when life moved quickly and death was all around. Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, whose wife Hannah had recently died. 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. 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. But in late March 1870 Margaret died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton Colliery. She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. She apparently wanted to give Quick-Manning the dubious honor of becoming husband number five. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. A court-appointed lawyer put forth the idea that Charles had ingested arsenic through wallpaper, says the RadioTimes. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Ann-Cotton, Hartlepool History Team - Biography of Mary Ann Cotton. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. 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. 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