Mysterious Deaths in Burnham Westgate
In the early spring of 1835, two murders by poisoning occurred in the Norfolk village of Burnham Westgate. The victims were Catherine Frary’s husband, 33-year-old Robert, and her lover’s wife, Mary Taylor.
Frances Billing and Catherine Frary lived in a row of three cottages on North Street in Burnham Westgate. Frances, 46, was a washerwoman having an affair with Peter Taylor. He and his wife Mary, who were childless, lived in the middle cottage. Catherine, 40, worked as a childminder and lived with her husband Robert and their three children in rented rooms above Thomas Wake’s carpenter’s shop at the other end of the row. She too may have been involved in an affair.
The First Victim: Robert Frary
On February 21, one of Catherine’s charges, Harriet Southgate, became very ill at her house. Her mother, Elizabeth, was sent for. Harriet died the following morning. Elizabeth noted that Robert Frary was ill in bed, complaining of severe stomach pains. He died on February 27 and was buried at St. Mary’s in Burnham Market, in the same graveyard as little Harriet.
Suspecting poisoning, both bodies were exhumed. No trace of arsenic was found in Harriet’s body. However, Robert’s body, examined by surgeon Mr. W. F. Church on March 21 after being buried for three weeks, revealed the presence of arsenic in his stomach.
The Second Victim: Mary Taylor
On March 12, 1835, arsenic was added to dumplings that Mary Taylor had prepared for dinner. Catherine offered to look after Mary when she fell ill and was seen by William Powell, the village blacksmith, adding what looked like powdered sugar to Mary’s gruel.
Phoebe Taylor, wife of Peter’s brother John, also visited Mary and saw Catherine preparing the gruel. She testified that the gruel was initially too thick, and Catherine thinned it down. Peter Taylor sent Catherine to fetch the local surgeon, Mr. Cremer, who arrived around midnight.
Mary died shortly after midnight on March 12 in Mr. Cremer’s presence. He performed the post-mortem and took the stomach contents to local chemist Mr. Nash for analysis. Two tests confirmed the presence of arsenic.
Arsenic Purchases and Suspicion
Mr. Nash testified that he had sold arsenic to Frances Billing and Catherine Frary. They visited his shop on February 25 and March 7. On the first visit, each bought a penny’s worth of white arsenic (a quarter of an ounce). On March 7, Billing returned with Jane Dixon to buy threepence worth of arsenic for a Mrs. Ann Webster—who had neither requested nor received it. Billing also bought another penny’s worth for herself.
Arrests and Trial
On March 18, Fanny Billing and Peter Taylor were arrested. Catherine Frary was arrested the following day. Sufficient evidence led to Catherine and Frances being committed for trial at the Norfolk Summer Assizes. They were remanded in custody; Peter Taylor was released.
The trial began on Friday, August 7, 1835, at 9:00 a.m. before Mr. Baron William Bolland in Norwich and lasted until around 8:00 p.m. Catherine was charged with administering poison to Mary Taylor. Frances was charged as an accessory before the fact. They were also charged with poisoning and murdering Robert Frary, and Frances with poisoning her husband James. Both pleaded not guilty.
Testimony from several witnesses was heard. Only the murder of Robert Frary was pursued. The guilty verdict and resulting death sentence made further prosecution for Mary Taylor’s murder unnecessary.
Execution on Castle Hill
At noon on Monday, August 10, 1835, Catherine and Frances were led to the gallows on Castle Hill. Due to their exhausted state, the scaffold was moved from its usual spot to the summit of the bridge between the lodge and the Castle.
The procession, led by the chaplain Rev. James Brown, emerged just after midday. Catherine wore a black silk dress and mourning cap; Frances wore a green gown. Both had to be supported by warders for the short 30-yard walk. Catherine was lifted onto the platform. Executioner William Calcraft made the preparations.
A few moments later, the signal was given and the drop fell. Both women struggled briefly before becoming still. Their bodies were left hanging for an hour before being taken down. Death masks were made and they were buried within the Castle.
Aftermath and Additional Execution
A large crowd witnessed the execution, and broadsides were sold depicting the scene. Death masks of the women survive. As photography did not exist in 1835, no images of them in life remain.
Peter Taylor was later hanged at Norwich on April 23, 1836, having been convicted of inciting the murder of his wife Mary and acting as an accessory. A broadside of his crime and execution was published, featuring a woodcut similar to the one made for Billing and Frary.
Those hanged after 1830 were buried on the Castle Mound in graves marked with their initials and date of execution.
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