Murderous Monday - Men Who Kill - John Owen/Jones/Jennings - The Denham Massacre

At eight o'clock on the morning of August 8th 1870, at Aylesbury Gaol, John Owen met his marker at the end of William Calcraft's rope for the horrific murder of Emanuel Marshall, his wife, sister, mother and three of Marshall's children.

John Owen had been born in Byfield, Northamptonshire on 3rd June 1832 to John Owen, a tailor, and his wife Elizabeth Bush.  He first appears on the 1841 Census aged nine years old, living with his parents, elder sister Caroline, and brother George and younger sister Elizabeth.  In 1851, eighteen year old John is an apprentice Blacksmith working for and living with Thomas Mason in Byfield, Northamptonshire.

Emanuel Marshall had been born in 1836 in Hillingdon, Middlesex, to William Marshall, a gardener, and his wife Mary.  Shortly after Emanuel's birth his family moved to the village of Denham in Buckinghamshire. 

The six year old  Emanuel can be found on the 1841 Census living with his parents and elder siblings in Cheapside Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire.  In 1851 Emanuel is working as a shop boy.  William Marshall passed away sometime between 1851 and 1860. 

In 1860 in Suffolk Emanuel married Charlotte Sparke.

On the 1861 Census the newly wed couple can be found living with Emanuel's widowed mother Mary at her home in Cheapside Lane.  Emanuel is now working as an engine fitter.  Emanuel and Charlotte had four children together, Mary Charlotte born in 1861, Thirza Agnes born in 1864, Maude Gertrude born in 1866 and Francis William born in 1868.

In 1870 Emanuel was the blacksmith for the village and a well liked and respected man.  Emanuel's sister Mary Ann had returned to the family home and was due to marry George Amor on 24th May.  everything seemed well, until a shocking discover on 22nd May 1870 at the Marshall family home.  Police Constable Charles Taverner was called to the scene and reported:

"I went to the house and found the doors open.  I found two bodies - the wife and the sister - lying just inside the door and the sister's feet towards her head.  A petticoat covered them.  About two feet from them was a sledgehammer... this was covered in blood.  Then I went into the wash house and found the bodies of the three children.   I found an axe... also covered with blood.  There were extensive wounds on all the heads of the bodies... I found the body of Emanuel, the father, in the forge, lying flat on his face, with his hands stretched out.'

Little Francis William had survived the massacre as he had been staying with relatives to make room for his aunt Mary Ann's return for her wedding.

A thorough search of the property was executed and a rather odd discovery made, a set of blood splattered clothes not belonging to anyone in the family were found.  A pair of boots, trousers, a coat, a cord jacket and vest, a slop (a loose fitting smock or tunic), a deer stalker's hat and a red and white checked neckerchief.  Police Constable Taverner had seen a man wearing clothes exactly like this the previous morning whilst on duty.  The stranger had made an odd remark about seeing a man threatening to throw his wife into the canal before asking for directions to the Marshall's home.

It was also found that the drawers of the bureau had been opened and Emanuel's silver pocket watch was missing.

St Mary The Virgin, Denham Village
where the Marshalls were laid to rest
  © Copyright Jack Hill and licensed for
reuse under this
Creative Commons Licence

Superintendent Thomas Dunham arrived from Slough later that evening and took charge of the investigation.

A few witnesses remarked on seeing a man in the area wearing clothes they believed to be Emanuel's.  One witness, Emma Simpson, initially mistook the man for Emanuel when she came across him on the road coming from the Marshall home.  However the police had very little else to go on and finding the murderer seemed impossible. 

A lucky break came in the shape of Charles Coombes, a bricklayer from Uxbridge, who had become increasingly suspicious of his new acquaintance and his behaviour, so much so that reported his suspicions to his employer.

Charles had shared a lodging house with his new acquaintance he knew as Jack, and had been offered a silver pocket watch by him.  Charles declined the offer and Jack pawned it.  According the Charles on the day of the murders Jack had left the lodgings house and returned much later, 'attired quite differently,' along with a silver pocket watch.  Jack explained away his change of clothing by saying that he had been to visit his brother who had given him his clothes and the watch.

Jack, or John Owen was eventually arrested at the Oxford Arms, Silver Street, Reading.  Superintendent Dunham recalled, 'I went into the kitchen, which was behind the house, and there were about a dozen men and women there.  Coombes at once pointed out Owen.'  Upon being recognised John Owen said, 'I never murdered man, woman, or child.'  Superintendent Dunham then said, 'You are charged with murdering seven people, among them Emanuel Marshall.'  John Owen replied, 'I have not murdered anyone but I know who did.'  It was pointed out to John that he was wearing the murdered Emanuel's boots and some of his clothes.  All John said was, 'That may well be.'

 

 

Silver Street, Reading, Berkshire c1891

John Owen was searched and pawn tickets where found on his for a silver watch like the one missing from the Marshall's home and the deceased Emanuel's waistcoat.  Both pawnbrokers used identified John Owen as the man they had dealt with.  John was taken to Reading Police Station before being taken to Slough by train.  A thousand people lined John's route to Reading Station, where they hissed at him.

On Wednesday 24th May 1870, John was brought before magistrates at Slough Police Station where it was found he had a long history of criminal activity, mainly theft in and around London.  Emanuel Marshall's sister in law, Mary Sparke identified the clothes and boots that had been found on John Owen at the time of his arrest as those her brother in law had owned.

John was committed to trail on 21st July 1870 at Aylesbury before Judge Baron Channell.  John pleaded not guilty.  Several witnesses testified to having seen John in the area at the time of the murders and to the fact he was wearing Emanuel's clothes and boots.  Witnesses where also able to testify that goods stolen from the Marshall home where pawned in Reading and Uxbridge.

It surfaced that John had been previously employed by Emanuel, but bore him a grudge as he felt he had been underpaid for his work. 

The defence tried to argue that there was no real evidence linking John to the murders and just because a person was wearing the clothes of a dead man, it did not mean he had murdered him.  The jury was unconvinced and found John Owen guilty.

Aylesbury Gaol

There are rumours that John Owen asked to sleep in the coffin he was to be buried in the night before his execution and that he also threatened to punch  hangman William Calcraft in the face for not visiting him.

In 1881 the only survivor of the Marshall family, twelve year old Francis William can be found living with his grandparents machinist Loyal Sparks and Sophie his wife at 19 Rockingham Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex.  Sadly Francis was to pass away in 1886 aged only eighteen years.

Murderous Monday - Men Who Kill - John Gould, last man to publicly hang at Reading Gaol.

John Gould went down in history, in more ways than one, as the last man to be publicly executed at Reading Gaol.

“Good people all I pray attend, 
On earth my life will shortly end,
For dreadful murder my life is took away,  
I my dear child did basely slay,
I gave her the sad and dreadful wound,
And left her bleeding on the ground,
John Gould is my name,
I bought myself to grief and shame,
To grief and shame it does appear,
In Windsor Town in Berkshire,
My early grave will be made soon,
No tears will fall on my earthly tomb;
No flowers or grass on my grave will rise,
No stone will mark where m body lies.”

(Verse written at the time of Gould’s execution in 1862)

On 30th December 1861 at his home in Clarence Clump, Clewer near Windsor, Berkshire, John Gould a hod carrier, aged 39, murdered his seven-year-old daughter, Hannah.

John Gould was born in Windsor Berkshire in 1823.  In Newington in 1851 John Gould married Caroline Miller.  Their only child, a daughter Hannah Gould was born in Clewer, Windsor in 1854.  The family can be found living at Clarence Clump, Clewer Berkshire.

Little Hannah had spent the 30th December playing with her best friend, 9-year-0ld Harriet Clarke and Harriet’s younger brother.

Around one in the afternoon, John returned home after drinking at The Prince of Wales beer shop to find that Hannah had not cleaned the house to his satisfaction, nor did she have the fire ready for him to warm himself by. John started shouting at Hannah: “You naughty child, why didn’t you clean up the place!”

“Oh, father I couldn’t do it,” Hannah cried, but her tears only served to anger John further.  Taking his cut throat razor, John slit Hannah’s throat.

He then summoned his neighbour Mrs Clarke, Harriet’s mother, to his home.  Pointing at his daughter he exclaimed, “I have done it! I have done it!”  Horrified, Mrs Clarke ran into the street shouting for help to all that would listen.  John, still in a terrible rage grabbed Hannah’s limp body and threw her into the street shouting, “you little s**t, I will die for you!” 

According to witnesses, John threw Hannah with such force that her head hit a wall with a “sickening squelching noise”. 

Samuel Wilkins, aged 12, who lived next door managed to drag Hannah, hardly breathing and struggling for life, away from the house before shouting for help.  Another neighbour Mr Coker, helped Samuel carry Hannah to the nearest infirmary, where Hannah’s mother worked as a nurse.
Unfortunately, nothing could be done and Hannah died on the way.

Mr Coker and Samuel returned with PC Radbourne to find John waiting in the doorway of his home still with the blood-soaked razor. 

John Gould was tried on 26th February 1862, evidence was submitted as a formality as John had repeatedly confessed his guilt.  The jury retired for a short time before finding him guilty of murder.

On 12th March 1862, 4000 men, women and children gathered to watch William Calcraft send John Gould to his maker.  Once the bolt was withdrawn, John struggled for a minute or two and then was gone.

Such was the outcry over the manner of John Gould’s execution that it was to become the final public execution performed at Reading Gaol.

Orginally posted on Spooky Isles.



Murderous Monday - Women Who Kill - Frances Kidder The Evil Step Mother

On 2nd April 1868 Frances Kidder met her maker at the end of William Calcraft's rope.  She had been convicted of killing her step daughter Louisa Staples-Kidder.  She became the last woman to be publicly hanged in England.

Frances Kidder was born Frances Turner in 1843 in New Romney, Kent to John an agricultural labourer and Frances Turner nee Drury.  In 1861 Frances was working as a house servant for John English, a bookmaker and newsagent and his family in Folkstone.  Some time in 1865 Frances met greengrocer William Henry Kidder and became pregnant by him, they had a daughter Emma and married later that year.  However unknown to Frances, William already had an illegitimate child with his house servant Eliza Staple, 8 year old Louisa.  Eliza had died in 1863, so Louisa came to live with Frances, William and their daughter Emma.

By some accounts Louisa was a spirited child and relations with her step mother never really flourished.  Frances disliked Louisa and metered out regular beatings as well as depriving the child of food and forcing her to wear rags.  The Kidder's neighbours even reported Frances for shutting Louisa out of the house irrespective of the weather.  Frances was fined for her abuse of Louisa and the child was sent to live with a guardian.  Unfortunately for Louisa, her father fell behind in his maintenance payments to the guardian and Louisa was sent back to her step mother's house, the abuse resumed.

One day in July 1867 whilst helping William with his potato dealing, Frances was involved in a accident and fell from the back of the cart, hitting her head when their horse bolted.  According to William -

"She was in a fit for about four hours and she has been strange in her head ever since."

Some believe this accident caused brain damage and may have paved the way for what was to happen barely a month later.  In the August of 1867 Frances took Emma and Louisa to visit her parents John and Frances in New Romney.  During her stay she confessed to one neighbour -

“I mean to get rid of that bitch Kidder’s child. I hate the sight of her because she is always making mischief.  I do not like other people’s bastards.”

Whilst her parents were out Frances took the opportunity to take action on her earlier threat.  She took Louisa on a walk with the promise of visiting a nearby fair.  As they were walking over Cobb's Bridge in Romney Marsh Frances grabbed Louisa and pushed her face down into the water filled ditch and drowned Louisa less then a foot of water. When Frances and Louisa had failed to return to the Turners home her father and William went out to search for them.  A little while later Frances turned up at her parents house without Louisa and refused to tell anyone her whereabouts.  Fearing the worst William and Frances's father contacted the police.

Bridge on Romney Marsh

Constable Aspinall arrested Frances under the suspicion of murder.  It was then that Frances finally revealed Louisa's location, stating that the girl had been frightened by passing horses and fell from the bridge into the water.  She had tried to rescue Louisa but was unable to do so.  Constable Aspinall said of the search for Louisa's body -

“It was a clear star lit night and we were furnished with lamps. There was a very heavy dew on the grass. Someone noticed something white in the ditch.  I threw my light in that direction, it was the body. She was lying on her back, her head was under the water.”

Frances was taken to Kent Spring Assizes and charged with the murder of her step daughter.  Frances continued to protest her innocence but finally confessed to Rev Fraser whilst awaiting her execution in the condemned cell at Maidstone Prison. 

Maidstone Prison

Public anger towards Frances and her crime ran high and over 2,000 people turned out to watch her hang.

On 29th May 1868 Parliament passed the Capital Punishment Within Prisons bill, Ending all public hangings.

Murderous Monday - Elizabeth Martha Browne - Last woman to publicly hang in Dorset

Artist's impression of Elizabeth Browne's hanging

On a drizzly morning in August, Elizabeth Martha Browne met her maker at the end of William Calcraft's rope.  She had murdered her second husband John Anthony Browne, twenty years her junior, with an axe becoming the last woman publicly executed in Dorset, England.

Not much is known about Elizabeth before her arrest and trial.  Her place of birth is unknown and the year estimated at around 1811, but her date of death - 9th August 1856  - is cemented in history.

John and Elizabeth's marriage was not a happy one.  Some accounts say that John only married Elizabeth for her money and that John had several affairs during the course of their marriage.  It was an argument about one of these alleged affairs with a Mary Davis that sealed John's fate.  Elizabeth had struck John with a wood chopping axe several times, shattering his skull.  Upon her arrest Elizabeth told police that John had received his injuries from a 'horse kick to the head'.  However she later confessed that she had accused him of being at Mary Davis's house when he had failed to return home for supper.

"He then kicked out the bottom of the chair on which I had been sitting, and we continued quarrelling until 3 o’clock, when he struck me a severe blow on the side of the head, which confused me so much I was obliged to sit down.

He then said (supper being on the table at the time) “Eat it yourself and be damned,” and reached down from the mantelpiece a heavy hand whip, with a plaited head and struck me across the shoulders with it 3 times, and every time I screamed out I said “if you strike me again, I will cry murder” He replied “if you do I will knock your brains through the window,” and said hoped he should find me dead in the morning, and then kicked me on the left side, which caused me much pain.

He immediately stooped down to unbuckle his boots, and being much enraged, and in an ungovernable passion at being so abused and struck, I seized a hatchet that was lying close to where I sat, and which I had been making use of to break coal for keeping up the fire to keep his supper warm, and struck him several violent blows on the head – I could not say how many – and he fell at the first blow on his side, with his face to the fireplace and he never spoke or moved afterwards."

A crowd of around 3-4,000 people turned out to watch the rare event of a woman being hanged.  One of those spectators was a 16 year old Thomas Hardy.  The hanging left a lasting impression on Thomas Hardy and many believe it was the inspiration behind his novel Tess of the D'Urbvilles.  Thomas Hardy wrote of the hanging seven decades later:

"I saw — they had put a cloth over the face — how, as the cloth got wet, her features came through it. That was extraordinary. 

I remember what a fine figure she showed against the sky as she hung in the misty rain and how the tight black silk gown set off her shape as she wheeled half round and back."

Thomas Hardy

Murderous Monday - Women Who Kill - Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's First Female Serial Killer

"Mary Ann Cotton,

Dead and forgotten,

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? up in the air

Sellin' Black puddens a penny a pair."

On 24th March 1873 Britain's first femail serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton met her maker at the end of William Calcraft's rope.  She is believed to have killed 21 people by the means of arsenic poisoning between 1865 and 1872.

Mary Ann Cotton, was born Mary Ann Robson in October 1832 in Houghton-le-spring, County Durham to Michael and Margaret Robson (nee Lonsdale).  In December 1841 Mary's father, a coal miner, fell 150 feet to his death down a Murton Colliery mine shaft.  Her widowed mother soon married George Stott in 1843.  Mary did not get on well with her step father and left the family home at the age of 16 to become a nurse to Edward Potter.  Three years later she returned to the family home.

Mary Ann Cotton.

At the age of 20 in 1852 Mary Ann married colliery labourer William Mowbray.  They had nine children together, seven of which died in infancy from 'gastric fever'.  In January 1865 William died of an unknown intestinal disorder.  At the time his life was insured with British and Prudential Insurance, Mary collected the £35 pay out, nearly half a year's wages.

Soon after William's death Mary moved to Seaham Harbour and struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass.  Joseph was already engaged to another women and reluctant to break off the engagement.  Mary left Seaham after Joseph's wedding and returned to Sunderland, where her 3 year old daughter died, leaving only one surviving child, Isabella, whom she sent to live with her mother.

Mary Ann gained employment as a nurse at Sunderland Infirmary, where she met her second husband George Ward.  They married on 28th August 1865.  George continued to suffer greatly with ill health before he died in October 1866 of intestinal problems.  The doctor attending his case confirmed that George was an ill man, but his sudden death was unexpected.  Mary Ann collected the insurance money from her second husband's death.

Sunderland Royal Infirmary taken in 1900

In the November of 1866, James Robinson hired Mary as a housekeeper.  James was recently widowed and when his baby died of 'gastric fever', he turned to Mary Ann for comfort, she soon became pregnant.  When Mary Ann's mother became ill she immediately went to nurse her.  Although Margaret began to get better she started to complain of stomach pains before she died aged 54 in the spring of 1867, just nine days after Mary Ann's arrival.  Isabella was then brought back to live in the Robinson household where she soon developed stomach pains and died, along with two of James's other children.  All three children were buried in the last few weeks of April 1867.

James soon became suspicious of his wife's actions when she insisted that he insure his life.  He discovered that she had run up debts of over £60 as well as stealing £50 she was supposed to bank.  The last straw came when he found out she had been forcing the remaining children to pawn household items.  James eventually threw Mary Ann out, an action that was to save his life.

Desperate and living on the streets Mary Ann turned to her friend Margaret Cotton, who introduced her to her recently widowed brother Frederick Cotton.  Margaret had been acting as a stand in mother to Frederick's two young children, Seven year old Frederick Jr and five year old Charles.  In March 1970 Margaret was to die from and undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to comfort the grieving Frederick.  Mary Ann bigamously married Frederick in the September of 1870, their son Robert was born in the February of 1871.

The home of Frederick and Mary Ann Cotton, Front Street, West Auckland.

Mary Ann soon discovered that her ex lover Joseph Nattrass was living nearby and no longer married, she wasted no time in rekindling their affair.  Frederick was to go to his grave in December of that year.  After Frederick's death Joseph moved in with Mary Ann as her lodger, shortly afterwards Mary Ann became a nurse to Excise Officer John Quick-Manning.  She was soon to become pregnant by him with her twelfth child.  This presented a problem for Mary Ann, now certain family members were in her way.  Young Frederick Jr was to die in 1872, followed soon after by the infant Robert.  Joseph fared no better and died from 'gastric fever' not long after he had revised his will in Mary Ann's favour.  Mary Ann had still to collect the insurance policy she had taken out on young Charles's life.

Mary Ann had initially approached parish official Thomas Riley, asking him to admit Charles to the workhouse as he was in her own words, 'in the way'.  Thomas said that she would have to accompany the child in to the workhouse, upon which Mary Ann told Thomas that the child was sick before adding, "I won't be troubled for long, He'll go like the rest of the Cottons."  Five days later the boy was dead.  Concerned, Thomas contacted the local police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate.

Mary Ann's first port of call after poor Charles's death was the insurance office, where she found out no payment would be made without the death certificate.  An inquest into Charles's death was held, where Mary Ann claimed Riley's accusations against her were due to her spurning his advances.  A verdict of natural causes was returned.  Mary Ann may have gotten away with murder had the local papers not picked up on the story.  They soon found out that Mary Ann had moved about northern England, leaving a trail of dead loved ones behind her, all of whom died of stomach complaints.

Rumour soon turned to suspicion and Little Charles's body was exhumed and a autopsy performed, where high levels of arsenic where found.  Mary Ann was arrested and charged with murder, however her trial was delayed until after the birth of her twelfth child, Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton on 10th January 1873.  Mary Ann's trial took place on 5th March 1873, it took the jury 90 minutes to find her guilty of the murder of Charles E Cotton.

The Times reported on 20th March 1873 ~

"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."

Execution site at Durham Gaol.

Several petitions for mercy were raised with the Home Secretary, but to no avail, Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham Gaol on 24th March 1873, bringing an end to Britain's first serial killer.