The body of the stepson was examined and found to contain arsenic. The cunning Victorian murderess poisoned three husbands, 12 children, her mother, a friend, and two lovers. Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. According to the British Library, that's because it was alarmingly easy to access. Mary Ann would go on to kill many of her own children, her husbands, lovers and other family. Preeminent British Criminologist David Wilson has described Mary Ann Cotton as a Black Widow and Britain's First Female Serial Killer with 15 confirmed murder victims, and another six suspected victims in 20 years. 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. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. In 1843, her mother married George Stott (18161895), also a miner. 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 Cotton." After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Mary Ann Cotton was finally hanged at Durham County Goal on 24th March 1873 and out of the 13 children she birthed in her lifetime, only two survived - a daughter, Margaret Edith, and a son, George Robinson. Rather quickly, she sent the daughter to live with her own mother, Margaret, and set out on her own once again. [3] He told the police, who arrested Mary Ann and procured exhumation of Charles' body. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. Things seemed to grow worse for the family after Mowbray took out life insurance policies on himself and their three remaining children. The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. He hired Mary Ann as a housekeeper in November 1866. Mary was born October 31 1832 Mary's sister Margaret was born 1834 Margaret dies June 1834 Mary's brother Robert was born 1835 The family moves to Durham 1841 Her father falls down a mineshaft and dies February 1842 Her mother marries George Stott 1843 Mary leaves home to train as a nurse 1848 Mary comes back home to train as a dressmaker 1851 [9], Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and she's rotten The drama is based on the book Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer by historian David Wilson and remains true to many of the details of how the poisoner got found out - but . She was, as The Northern Echo reports, remembered after her 1954 death as "intelligent, warm and kind-hearted." The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. A month later, when James' baby John died of gastric fever, he turned to his housekeeper for comfort and she became pregnant. 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. 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 was in Sunderland on October 31, 1832. 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. She was employed in various jobs, including Sunday school. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. Patrick Lynch - October 23, 2017. She allegedly poisoned up to 21 people before being executed in 1873. 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. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. 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. According to the RadioTimes, a local Doctor Kilburn conducted a rushed inquest and determined that the boy had died of gastroenteritis. 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. Connolly, Martin. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Although her mother began to recover, she also began to complain of stomach pains. 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. They married in Monkwearmouth on 28 August 1865. 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. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Famil Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. 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. Parents Mary Ann Robson Cotton 1832-1873 Spouses John Joseph Fletcher 1862-1894 (m. 1891) Mary Ann Cotton, she's dead and forgotten, 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. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). 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. Before their final break, Cotton had attempted to get Robinson to insure both himself and the remaining children. Yet, she wasn't alone. 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. She asked him to take the young boy to a workhouse, but Riley refused unless Mary Ann agreed to enter the workhouse too. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:31. Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic. 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. 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. Her family describe her as being immensely private, intelligent, warm and kind-hearted, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. The executioner reportedly had to push down on her shoulders to speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her. Where, where? To date Mary Ann remains Britain's most prolific female serial killer. She apparently complained to a parish official named Thomas Riley that her stepson, Charles Edward Cotton, was preventing her from marrying Quick Mann. It is believed that he was killed in a railway accident. When Mary Ann was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. 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. Some three minutes passed before she finally died. As per Female Serial Killers, the two were married in 1865, shortly after he was discharged from the hospital. Family Time Line. She took him in as a lodger while also starting a relationship with a man she knew as John Quick-Manning. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. His name is carved with countless thousands of others on the Menin Gate at Ypres. I must tell you: you are the cause of all my trouble." Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. Neither came home. An English woman convicted of murdering her children. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. Mary Ann Cotton, tied up with string. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Her mother re-married. Cotton was convicted of his murder and sentenced to death. 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. She is believed to have murdered up to 21 people in total. Product Description. 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. After moving frequently, the family settled in Hendon, Durham county, in about 1856. . 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. Selling black pudding a penny a pair. On March 24, 1873, Mary Ann was hanged in a bungled execution. 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. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). Hon misstnks bland annat ha mrdat tre av sina fyra makar, elva av sina egna barn samt ett av sina styvbarn genom att frgifta dem med arsenik i syfte att f ut pengar frn deras livfrskringar.Hon dmdes dock enbart fr ett mord Mary Ann Cotton's now-inevitable trial was delayed, as it soon became clear to officials that she was pregnant. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. She sent her surviving child, Isabella, to live with her mother. Dark Angel Mary Ann Cotton: See the County Durham house where she murdered her last victim Cotton's letters, previously owned by descendants of her lodger, sold at auction in 2013 for 2,200 . Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. 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. They included Joseph Nattrass, the lover who had added Mary Ann to his will, along with her son Robert and stepson Frederick Cotton, Jr. Nattrass' remains showed that he, too, had been poisoned. 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. 5 May 1802- Rotherhithe, Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom. He threw her out, retaining custody of their son George. Mary Ann first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. The . She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. Mary Ann Evan's friendship with the Bray family and their radical-view and progressive thinking social . He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. [1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. All three children had been subjects of small life insurance policies. ", "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=1141733042, Around 21, including 3 of her husbands and 12 children. A sister named Margaret was born in 1834, but died a few short months later. A court-appointed lawyer put forth the idea that Charles had ingested arsenic through wallpaper, says the RadioTimes. 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. 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. Ward continued to suffer ill health and died on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. 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. Soon her twelfth pregnancy was underway. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. Of Mary Ann's thirteen children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. At the end of her life, as she spoke with officials, Cotton did not offer an explanation for any of her murders. Mary Ann and her only surviving child Isabellawent to live in Sunderland. Then he found that Mary Ann had been forcing his older children to pawn household valuables. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. 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. She was coming home to Durham, and to her adoptive parents, pregnant with her third child. 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. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. With this baby still in nappies, Joseph disappeared. 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. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. Often (erroneously) believed to be the first known female serial killer in Britain, Mary Ann Cotton poisoned up to 21 people. Mary Ann Cotton's now-inevitable trial was delayed, as it soon became clear to officials that she was pregnant. 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. Riley countered that the boy was a "little healthy fellow," but Charles died on July 12, 1872. The first focused on Charles' death and took place in August of 1872. 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. c. 1870. Mary Ann Cotton, fdd 31 oktober 1832, dd 24 mars 1873 (avrttad), var en engelsk seriemrdare som tros ha mrdat totalt uppemot 21 personer. Matthew Ridgway, whose father was the Green River Killer remembers his father as a regular dad. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. . "Mary Ann Cotton, a widow, is in custody at West Auckland, charged with having poisoned her stepson, aged eight years. She only fell two feet, so the executioner had to push down on her shoulders. [2] In Low Moorsley, Tyne & Wear. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. None of these deaths are registered, as although registration was compulsory at the time, the law was not enforced until 1874. Mary was baptized November 11, 1832. Thank you for visiting mary ann cotton family tree page. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. 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