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. Selling black pudding a penny a pair. Mary Ann Cotton was a British woman, the frail-looking daughter of a coal miner (Wilson and Frey). Parents Mary Ann Robson Cotton 1832-1873 Spouses John Joseph Fletcher 1862-1894 (m. 1891) . 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. She supposedly did it using arsenic, a terrible poison that causes intense gastric pain and results in a rapid decline of health. She was, as The Northern Echo reports, remembered after her 1954 death as "intelligent, warm and kind-hearted." All three children were buried in the last two weeks of April 1867. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. With this baby still in nappies, Joseph disappeared. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Cotton's undoing came after she tried to have the son of her deceased husband sent to a workhouse. 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. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. She apparently complained to a parish official named Thomas Riley that her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton, was preventing her from marrying Quick Mann. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law was not enforced until 1874. The author of this book believes she killed 17, based on the fact that their are no birth or death records for children she is supposed to have killed. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. 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. When the gallows trapdoor opened, Mary Ann Cotton . 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. . 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. William joined the Durham Light Infantry and ended up in the London Rifles. Connolly, Martin. Yet, the 7-year-old Charles was, to her mind, a serious impediment to her plans. That's likely why she killed her fourth husband. 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. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. When Mary was 8 she and her family moved to the Village of Murton in County Durham. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. In March 1870, Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. What should have been a relatively quick end turned into a bungle. 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 first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. 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. 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. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. 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. Cotton took her daughter, Isabella Jane, who had been living with Margaret, with her. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. 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. 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. 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. Editors' Code of Practice. 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. Write by: . At least 15 of those were family members. Whether or not he suspected his wife of something worse than fraud isn't clear, but we do know that Robinson refused, saving their lives. 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 Ann Cotton also had her own nursery rhyme of the same title, sung after her hanging on March 24, 1873. HP10 9TY. William died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. What clouds hung over the family? It went like this: Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten. The . He didnt. 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. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:31. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. 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. A short time later, she married William Mowbray in an 1852 ceremony. 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. As Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angelreported, Mary Ann blamed lax pharmacists for her young stepson's death. According to Mary Ann Cotton, her father was a coal miner. Belle Gunness was a hard-working Norwegian immigrant to America who took in three foster children (Greig). Some three minutes passed before she finally died. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. Mary Ann Robson was born on 31 October 1832 and baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November..When Mary Ann 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. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. The ships manifest shows they were bound for Pennsylvania a coalmining area where Joseph presumably planned to find work. [citation needed] The jury retired for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. We told the story in Memories 96, with, as ever, a few inaccuracies. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. October, 31, 1832 Mary was baptized November 11, 1832. Perhaps Robinson didnt link Mary Ann with the numerous deaths in the family, but he certainly became suspicious when she became overly insistent that he insure his life. 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. 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. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. Cotton had rather more luck at work, where she came across a patient named George Ward. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. Omissions? Mary is one of the wealthiest criminals and one of the most well-known. It is believed that she ki**ed three of her husbands so that she could collect their life insurance policies and may . Neither came home. 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. Mary Ann got a job at a nearby house at the age of sixteen. Cotton was no exception. 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. c. 1870. 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. 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. A sister named Margaret was born in 1834, but died a few short months later. 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. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. Mary Ann Cotton is famous for being the first female serial killer in Britain. I must tell you: you are the cause of all my trouble." 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. Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. This 19th century English woman is one of the earliest confirmed female serial killers in recorded memory. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Daily Mirror. 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. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. During the Victorian era, arsenic was seemingly everywhere, to the point where it became the murderer's poison du jour. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. Arsenic, however, was more subtle. Mary Ann Robson was born on 31 October 1832 at Low Moorsley,[1] County Durham to Margaret, ne Londsdale and Michael Robson, a colliery sinker; and baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November. By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. Editors' Code of Practice. Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. There, she discovered that no money would be paid out until a death certificate was issued. [1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. He threw her out, retaining custody of their son George. 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. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Famil Although her mother started getting better, she also began to complain of stomach pains. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. 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. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Mary Ann Cotton was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she needed to accompany him. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox, John Quick-Manning. Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. [2] When she left, she started to train as a dressmaker. 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. Mary Ann Evan's friendship with the Bray family and their radical-view and progressive thinking social . 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. Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. 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." Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but. Mary Ann Cotton's trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. 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. Both of Mary Ann Cottons grandsons have their names engraved on Ferryhill War Memorial. 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. Last week, we covered the life and crimes of Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the West Auckland Poisoner. Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the Dark Angel, was a Victorian monster who murdered up to 21 people. Immediate Family Mary Ann Cotton mother James Robinson father Mary Isabella Robinson sister George Ward stepfather William Mowbray stepfather Margaret Jane Mowbray half sister Isabella Mowbray half sister Margaret Jane Mowbray half sister John Robert Mowbray half brother Frederick Cotton stepfather Robert Robson Cotton half brother He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. 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. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. UPTO 50% OFF ON ALL PRODUCTS. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Perhaps this is what caused the young family, in May 1893, to sail from Liverpool on RMS Umbria to New York for a new life. All three children were buried in the last week of April and first week of May 1867. The scene is the hanging gallery. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. 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. Peggy Fossett Net Worth, Around this time she took up with a former lover, Joseph Nattrass, but later became . 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. "Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." When Mary Ann christened the baby with its distinctive surname, it identified the father. She had two children with Robinson but the first one, Margaret Isabella, died within a few months of her birth. Comments have been closed on this article. Sing, sing, what can I sing? James became suspicious of the deaths and took his one surviving child away, moving to a place Mary Ann could never find them. Although her mother began to recover, she also began to complain of stomach pains. Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money from her husband's death. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. Cotton was no exception. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) As per Find A Grave, she thereafter appeared as "Margaret Edwards" on the 1881 census and later married John Joseph Fletcher in 1890. 7-Year-Old Charles was, to her mind, a serious impediment to her plans this site is of... 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