Background.Mary Eleanor Wheeler was born in 1866 and little is known of her childhood. At the time of her arrest, she was 24 and was described as being 5’ 6” tall with “lovely russet hair and fine blue eyes.” She was of normal build and had nice shapely hands. Her face was not overly pretty but … Read more
1. Origins and Social Context 1.1 Why Baby Farming Emerged The practice of baby farming grew up in late Victorian era when there was no effective contraception and great social stigma attached to having a child out of wedlock. Proper adoption agencies and social services didn’t exist at this time. Instead, a number of untrained … Read more
Execution at Newgate Thirty-one-year-old Henry Fowler and thirty-three-year-old Albert Milsom were hanged at Newgate at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the 9th of June, 1896, by James Billington. At this time, the bell of St. Sepulchre’s Church was still tolled, beginning at 8:45 a.m. It was reported that as many as 4,000 people had congregated outside … Read more
In Victorian times attitudes to mental illness were very different to those of today, the policy being to confine patients diagnosed with such illnesses to large asylums which were being built all over the country. One such facility was Leavesden Mental Asylum which had been built at Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire by the Metropolitan Asylums Board to serve … Read more
Early Life and Background Louisa (or Louise) Josephine Jemima Masset was the first person to be executed in Britain in the 20th century when she was hanged at Newgate Prison on Tuesday, the 9th of January 1900. Louisa was the name given at trial, so it is used here. Louisa was 36 years old and … Read more
