It may well be that the name of the excise man was in fact Richard Quick Mann. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. 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 complained that the last surviving Cotton boy, Charles Edward, was in the way and asked Riley if he could be committed to the workhouse. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion, Sunderland, whose wife, Hannah, had recently died. Nonetheless, Mary Ann evaded suspicion (even though she collected more insurance money) and moved on to her next target, the recently widowed James Robinson. William died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. 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. The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. 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. Dark Angel, is based on the extraordinary true story of the Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton, played by Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt. Around this time she took up with a former lover, Joseph Nattrass, but later became . Mary Ann Cotton also had her own nursery rhyme of the same title, sung after her hanging on March 24, 1873. Editors' Code of Practice. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. But in late March 1870 Margaret died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. Where, where? An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. But more than a dozen close friends and . 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. Mary Ann would also eventually give birth to his child. 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 enjoyed crafting, hosting ceramics classes for many years, creating scrapbooks of family memories, and making special cards for every occasion. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell . Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. 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. In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. Some three minutes passed before she finally died. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. Mary Ann Cotton ( ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. 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. Insurance had been taken out on his life and the lives of his sons. Once again, Mary Ann collected insurance money from her husband's death. 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. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. The defense in the case was handled by Mr. Thomas Campbell Foster. 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. 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. She apparently complained to a parish official named Thomas Riley that her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton, was preventing her from marrying Quick Mann. At least 15 of those were family members. One of her youngest relatives who lives today in London is Carla. She is the daughter of John Quick-Manning and Mary Robson . Although her mother began to recover, she also began to complain of stomach pains. Margaret had acted as substitute mother for the remaining children, Frederick Jr. and Charles. As per Female Serial Killers, the two were married in 1865, shortly after he was discharged from the hospital. Sing, sing, oh, what can I sing, Mary Ann Cotton is tied up with string. Connolly, Martin. Depiction of Mary Ann Cotton. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. The trap door wasnt placed high enough to break her neck. c. 1870. contact the editor here. Ward was already in poor health but Mary Ann finished him off, and he died in October 1866. 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. Plus, it really was everywhere, from the green dye in clothes, to wallpaper, to rat poison. However, he died the following year, and Mary Ann reportedly collected money from another insurance policy. [7] The drama was inspired by the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by David Wilson, a criminologist. As per History Collection, her younger sister Margaret died in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years old. Her sister Margaret was born in 1834 but lived only a few months. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. Mother of Margaret Jane Mowbray; Isabella Mowbray; Margaret Jane Mowbray; John Robert Mowbray; Robert Robson Cotton and 3 others; Mary Isabella Robinson; George Robinson and Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Fletcher Kell less However, Mary Ann was widely regarded as the countrys deadlist killer until Harold Shipman, who was thought to have murdered as many as 260 people in the late 20th century. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." By the time they got married in August 1867, three of Robinsons children and his mother had died. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. He went to the police, who arrested Mary Ann and ordered the exhumation of Charles' body. 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. She then found work as a housekeeper for James Robinson, a widower. Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. 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. 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. Mary Ann subsequently worked as a hospital nurse in nearby Sunderland, and in 1865 she married a patient, George Ward. SO how guilty was Mary Ann Cotton? Mary was only ever convicted of one murder, the poisoning with arsenic of her 7-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. 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. She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. 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. Enter a grandparent's name. Born into a mining family in 1832, Mary Ann grew up in a time when life moved quickly and death was all around. 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. She was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873, but it was a bungled execution. 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. They married at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, on 28 August 1865. 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. In 1867, Mary Ann's stepfather George Stott married his widowed neighbour, Hannah Paley. In 1843, her mother married George Stott (18161895), also a miner. Although her mother started getting better, she also began to complain of stomach pains. By the end of the following year Cotton and two more children had died; again Mary Ann reportedly received an insurance payout. 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. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. 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. Mary Ann Cotton, tied up with string. The doctor who attended Charles had kept samples, and they tested positive for arsenic. At that stage, only one of the nine kids she had with Mowbray was alive. 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. She apparently wanted to give Quick-Manning the dubious honor of becoming husband number five. As Nattrass had very few possessions, she was once again in financial difficulty. 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. However, she stayed in Durham and lived in a place called Seaham Harbour. 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. The following year Mary Ann went to visit her ailing mother, who died about a week after her return. 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. Partner of John Quick-Manning Another daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858, and Margaret Jane died in 1860. A more complete version runs: She lies in her bed With eyes wide open. Wife of George Ward; William Mowbray; Frederick Cotton and James Robinson The scene is the hanging gallery. When Cotton gave birth to her and Robinson's child, her infant daughter quickly died of "convulsions." She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. 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? Regardless of her counterarguments, Mary Ann was still to die. Robinson refused to meet with his estranged wife in person, though he sent his brother-in-law. Just one grandparent can lead you to many Mary Ann found employment as a nurse, and it was here that she met her next husband, George Ward. 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. 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. The life insurance policies were clearly a motive. Only two of her children survived her, including this new arrival. [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten 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. However, in 1870 Mary Ann met another widower, Frederick Cotton, who was the brother of a friend. Accessed 14 August 2015. That description fits Mary Ann Cotton very well indeed. He, however, was engaged to another woman and she left Seaham after Nattrasss wedding. Why arsenic, though? 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. 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. Her father Michael, a miner, was ardently religious and a fierce disciplinarian. 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