She named her Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton, partially to target her latest lover as the father of the child. Cause of death: Hanging, Capital punishment - Mar 24 1873 - Durham, England, Oct 31 1832 - Low Moorsley (now part of Houghton-le-Spring in the City of Sunderland), Michael Robson, Margaret Robson (born Londsale), abella Mowbray, Mary Jane Mowbray, John Robert Mowbray, Margaret Isabella Robinson, George Robinson, Robert Robson Cotton, Mary Jane Mowbray, Circa 1832 - Low Moorsley, Hetton-le-Hole, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, Mar 24 1873 - Durham Gaol, Durham, County Durham, England, United Kingdom, Frederick Cotton, Charles E Cotton, Robert Cotton, Low Moorsley, Hetton-le-Hole, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, Deptford, County Durham, England, United Kingdom, Durham Gaol, Durham, County Durham, England, United Kingdom, Durham Gaol, Durham, Durham Unitary Authority, County Durham, England, United Kingdom, Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Fletcher Kell, Birth of Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Fletcher Kell, Durham, Durham Unitary Authority, County Durham , England. The 1911 census lists Margaret, Robinson and her three sons living in Watt Street, Dean Bank. Mary Ann's first visit after Charles' death was not to the doctor but the insurance office. At the beginning of it all, the girl who would become Mary Ann Cotton seemed, frankly, pretty unremarkable. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on (the still living) Charles' life still awaited collection. Mary Ann had cashed in William's life insurance, equivalent to about 1,700 in today's money. Insurance had been taken out on his life and the lives of his sons. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on Charles' life still awaited collection. That is until she grew overconfident and made a remarkable blunder. She enjoyed crafting, hosting ceramics classes for many years, creating scrapbooks of family memories, and making special cards for every occasion. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. She rekindled the romance and persuaded her new family to move near him. According to some sources, she left home at age 16 to work as a nurse but returned three years later and became a dressmaker. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Mary Ann received a life-insurance payment of 5 10s 6d for Isabella. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. 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). 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. Once again, she profited from the insurance policy, but her spree was about to come to an end. 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. 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. login . He, however, was engaged to another woman and she left Seaham after Nattrasss wedding. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When Cotton gave birth to her and Robinson's child, her infant daughter quickly died of "convulsions." Today we dive into the serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. Leave a message for others who see this profile. THE baby was the daughter born to Mary Ann Cotton, of West Auckland, in Durham jail on January 7, 1873. As History Collection reports, his wife was paid via yet another life insurance policy and was left with two stepsons. 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. In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. Mary Ann was desperate and living on the streets. Though she's been gone for nearly a century and a half, Cotton remains one of the most shocking female killers in modern history. Up in the air Sellin black puddens a penny a pair. 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 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. According to Mary Ann Cotton, her father was a coal miner. 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. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.. The cause of death recorded on his death certificate is that of English cholera and typhoid. He died in October 1866, baffling doctors on his way out. The couple was married in September 1870, but since Mary Ann had not divorced Robinson, it was a bigamous marriage. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Family Tree You Should Check It. Both of Mary Ann Cottons grandsons have their names engraved on Ferryhill War Memorial. There appears to be no trace of John Quick-Manning in the records of The West Auckland Brewery or The National Archives at Kew. I cannot remember what was assumed, but my impression was that she craved the attention she got from taking care of the sick and then as a widow and the children seemed to be a means to ingratiate herself into a family and to take advantage of the grieving father, eventually marrying him and receiving the insurance from his passing. 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. Robinson married Mary Ann at St Michael's, Bishopwearmouth on 11 August 1867. He is buried in Cambrai cemetery. She officially died of hepatitis, though she died just over a week after her daughter came to tend to her. Mary Ann Cotton's trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. In September 1870 Mary Ann and Cotton were marriedthough she was still wed to Robinsonand she later gave birth to a son. The jury retired for 90 minutes before finding Mary Ann guilty. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. 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. Daily Mirror. 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. 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 claimed to have used arrowroot to relieve his illness and said Riley had made accusations against her because she had rejected his advances. Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton is a female serial killer. William and John went off to fight. This week, I'll delve into her psychology. She had meant only to buy harmless arrowroot powder for the ill boy, but a terrible mix-up had occurred, and she was given arsenic instead. 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. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. 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. Cotton was born on October 31, 1832, in a village near Sunderland. 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 had rather more luck at work, where she came across a patient named George Ward. Five days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy had died. Yet, according to Female Serial Killers, his cause of death was listed as cholera and typhoid. After it became clear that young Charles Cotton had died of arsenic poisoning, authorities gave permission for the exhumation of three more of Mary Ann Cotton's alleged victims, the RadioTimes reports. One of her patients at the infirmary was engineer George Ward. A brief investigation into the trial and execution of Mary Ann Cotton. 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. 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. Mary Ann found employment as a nurse, and it was here that she met her next husband, George Ward. (The lack of documentationsuch as birth and death certificatesleaves many details of Mary Anns life open to dispute.) Ward was already in poor health but Mary Ann finished him off, and he died in October 1866. Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but. 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. Sing, sing, oh what should I sing? After three years there, she returned to her mother's home and trained as a dressmaker. 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. He died of an intestinal disorder in January 1865. "Black puddens" refers to black pudding, a type of sausage made with pig's blood. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can For women of the working class, the sudden death of a husband could easily throw them into devastating poverty with little way out. As per Find A Grave, she thereafter appeared as "Margaret Edwards" on the 1881 census and later married John Joseph Fletcher in 1890. From above, out of sight of the gallows, members of the Press are gathered. Doctor William Byers Kilburn, who had attended Charles, had kept samples, and tests showed they contained arsenic. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. Frederick Jr. died in March 1872 and the infant Robert soon after. 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. Where, where? An army of readers many anonymous, others marshalled by Tim Brown of Ferryhill Local History Society and some relatives have helped put us right. The defence at Mary Ann's trial claimed that Charles died from inhaling arsenic used as a dye in the green wallpaper of the Cotton home. After her marriage to Robinson crumbled, Cotton was introduced to Frederick Cotton by his sister, Margaret. He fled and changed his surname: some say he went abroad; others that he returned to his hometown of Darlington where, reconciled with his wife, he ran a small beerhouse. 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. 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. She died at age 54 in the spring of 1867, nine days after Mary Ann's arrival. But in late March 1870 Margaret died from an undetermined stomach ailment, leaving Mary Ann to console the grieving Frederick Sr. Mary Ann Cotton, tied up with string. She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. For weeks they have been 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. He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. 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." After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). 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. A Gannett Company. With this baby still in nappies, Joseph disappeared. She was later found guilty and executed. Login to find your connection. 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. Her family describe her as being immensely private, intelligent, warm and kind-hearted, and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill so she immediately went to her. The following year Mary Ann went to visit her ailing mother, who died about a week after her return. [1] Baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November 1832. The inquiry into Charles Cotton's death showed that Mary Ann's weapon of choice was arsenic. 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. Rumour gave rise to suspicion and scientific investigation. It is said that the prisoner, who is comparatively a young woman, has. He didnt. We meet Mary Ann as a loving wife and mother, newly returned to her native North East of England. Though he appears to have worked as a skilled laborer who opened new mining shafts, the Robsons were working class. Isabella lasted a few weeks until she died of "gastric fever," and she was soon followed by two more of Robinson's children, who succumbed to "continued fever" and yet another case of "gastric fever," according to death records. 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. 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. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Another daughter, Isabella, was born in 1858, and Margaret Jane died in 1860. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. Neither came home. 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. There, she discovered that no money would be paid out until a death certificate was issued. 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. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. Soon, Mary became pregnant by him with her thirteenth child. However, the first hearing led to Mary Ann's conviction for the death of Charles in March of that year. She and her only surviving child, Isabella, had moved back to County Durham. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. 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. Wife of George Ward; William Mowbray; Frederick Cotton and James Robinson During this time, her 3-year-old daughter died, leaving her with one child out of the nine she had borne. "Mary Ann Cotton." 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. 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]. Crumbled, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873 a laborer! 1872 and the lives of his sons to visit her ailing mother, who about... Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire being immensely private, intelligent, and! 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