Sarah Treman had been born into a poor family in the parish of Gulval in 1783 and received no education, being unable to read or write. She moved from Cornwall to London where she worked as a prostitute and married a soldier there. Her father died in an accident in London and her mother left her when she was aged just four months old in the … Read more
The Affair and the Murder Plot Nineteen-year-old Catherine was having an affair with her brother-in-law, John Camaish, who was nine years her senior. She was described as having “uncommonly interesting and rather handsome features.” John had married Catherine’s older sister but had always harboured feelings for Catherine. They plotted to murder Mrs. Camaish, who was … Read more
Early Life and Troubled Behavior Jane was the wayward daughter of John and Mary Scott, who were shopkeepers in Bridge Street, Preston, Lancashire. By the age of sixteen, Jane had become pregnant, and her parents stood by her despite the fact that she also stole from them to fund her lifestyle of drinking and debauchery … Read more
A Victorian Epidemic In the early 1800s and during the reign of Queen Victoria, murder by arsenic poisoning was epidemic in England. White arsenic, or arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃), is a metallic oxide that was widely used in the 19th century. It served multiple purposes: as a pesticide to kill vermin and insects, a herbicide, a … Read more
Mary was born in Ross on Wye in 1805 and moved to Bristol as a teenager to find employment “in service” as domestic work was known at the time. Her first job was as a house maid to a Mr. Plumley who lived in St. Nicholas Street for whom she worked for eighteen months before being sacked for petty theft. She now … Read more
