“The Bloody Steps” rape and murder of Christina Collins. |
37 year old Christina Collins was a
dressmaker who was living in
Sometime around midnight on the Sunday
Christina was attacked and raped and her cries were heard by the lockkeeper,
James Mills and his wife Ann, at Hoo Mill lock. They were told by the crew that Christina and
her husband were on the boat and they tried to pass off the attack as having
been committed by the husband, who was of course actually in
Christina’s body was thrown overboard
between Colwich Lock between
The authorities at Fazeley were immediately suspicious of this and searched the boat, finding several items of women’s clothing and a bonnet. The canal was searched and Christina’s body was found weighed down with an iron chain. Her body was carried up what became known as the “Bloody Steps” at Brindley Bank by locals and taken to the Talbot Inn for examination. Here two local surgeons found that she had been raped repeatedly. The adult crew members were arrested and initially charged with rape. Isaac Musson was not charged and was released, as he had been asleep in his bunk at the time of the crime.
The three were tried for rape at the
Staffordshire Summer Assizes of 1839 in the Stafford Shire Hall,
however the jury were unable/unwilling to convict them. The judge decided to postpone the trial of
the murder charge against them until the next assize, the Lent Assizes at
It was decided to postpone the execution while some further enquiries were made and these led to a reprieve for Ellis to transportation for life, on the eve of his expected execution, Saturday the 11th of April 1840. All three men received the sacrament from the chaplain around noon. Ellis reportedly burst into tears on being told the news of his reprieve by the governor and hugged and shook hands with James Owen and George Thomas and exclaimed “God bless you, Dear Boys”.
William Calcraft travelled up from
Some 10,000 people came to watch the hanging on the portable gallows that had been drawn out in front of the main gate. Every vantage point was filled with spectators and it was reported that there were a lot of women in the crowd. A little before 1.00 p.m. the prison bell began to toll and Own and Thomas emerged from the main gate and walked unaided to the gallows, climbing the steps without assistance. Here Calcraft completed the preparations and as the chaplain intoned “in the midst of life we are in death” he drew the bolt. Both men, who were described as being robust, struggled hard and were “greatly convulsed” before becoming still. Their bodies were left hanging for the normal hour, before being taken down and later buried within the prison. Here is the broadside printed for their execution.
Christina's body was buried in