An army of readers many anonymous, others marshalled by Tim Brown of Ferryhill Local History Society and some relatives have helped put us right. One could simply walk down to the corner shop and buy enough arsenic to kill a man a few times over. Mary Ann Robson Cotton, was a serial killer convicted of murdering her mother, 11 of her 13 children, her stepson and 3 of her 4 husbands by arsenic poisoning. got your result, Mary Ann Cotton Family Tree Check All Members List, Merovingian Famil As Ward was still recovering from his illness, he collected relief payments instead of working, while Cotton moved into the role of primary earner for their household. They married at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, on 28 August 1865. English serial killer Mary Ann Cotton, born October 31, 1832, and was hanged to death on March 24, 1873, for murdering her stepson Charles Edward Cotton by poisoning him. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. 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. Although her mother started getting better, she also began to complain of stomach pains. Her exact death toll remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice . In 2015 ITV filmed a two-part television drama, Dark Angel,[5] starring Joanne Froggatt as Cotton. It is said that the prisoner, who is comparatively a young woman, has had three husbands and 15 children, and that they, as well as two lodgers, died under her roof." Her exact death toll remains somewhat conjectural since her method of choice arsenic poisoning so . In 1843, her mother married George Stott (18161895), also a miner. Mary Ann Robson was born on 31 October 1832 at Low Moorsley,[1] County Durham to Margaret, ne Londsdale and Michael Robson, a colliery sinker; and baptised at St Mary's, West Rainton on 11 November. Ward continued to suffer ill health and died on 20 October 1866 after a long illness characterised by paralysis and intestinal problems. 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. As per History Collection, her younger sister Margaret died in 1834, when Cotton would have been only 8 years old. 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. Last week, we covered the life and crimes of Mary Ann Cotton, also known as the West Auckland Poisoner. Meanwhile, Mary Ann had rekindled her old romance with Joseph Nattrass, who had moved nearby. Today, there is a TV series entitled Dark Angel on UK television which depicts the life and crimes of a woman who murdered three of her spouses and up to 11 of her children. Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. Perhaps that's why Ward fell sick again not too long after the wedding and before they could conceive a child together. February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . Her mother, Margaret, died after Cotton visited the woman in March 1867. Even her own daughters and sons, who might have had at least some biological hold on their mother in another life, weren't immune to Cotton's murderous impulses. The census records, birth, death and marriage records also show no trace of him. But when their son, William, was born a few months after their arrival, his place of birth was listed as Imperial County in California a desert through which canals were being dug to create farmland. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Mary Ann first Cotton left home at only 16 years old to work as a nurse, according to Britannica. I could be remembering it wrong, though. The doctor testified that there was no other powder on the same shelf in the chemist's shop as the arsenic, only liquid; the chemist himself claimed that there were other powders. She lies in bed with her eyes. According to PBS, there's even been a modern two-part television drama, Dark Angel, which premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theater in 2017. She named her Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton, partially to target her latest lover as the father of the child. . The series also featured Alun Armstrong, Jonas Armstrong and Emma Fielding. In August, Mary Ann married Robinson, and the couple had two children, though only one survived. The so-called fever mimicked the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, a fact which would later prove interesting to investigators. In March 1873 her three-day trial began. After his death, their last surviving daughter went to live with Mary Ann's parents. Mary Ann Cotton - Dark Angel: Britain s First Female Serial Kille, Pen & Sword Publishing, 2012. Jungle Jumparoo Vs Monkey Jump. A short time later, she married William Mowbray in an 1852 ceremony. Both of Mary Ann Cottons grandsons have their names engraved on Ferryhill War Memorial. At the beginning of it all, the girl who would become Mary Ann Cotton seemed, frankly, pretty unremarkable. 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. The Messed Up Truth About 19th Century Murderess Mary Ann Cotton. The second, which took place in February 1873, was to center on the deaths of Nattrass, along with those of Robert and Frederick. Lying in bed with her bones all rotten. By May 1872, Mary Ann Cotton had moved to West Auckland with her last remaining child, stepson Charles Cotton. Cotton collected another insurance payout and moved on. The author of this book believes she killed 17, based on the fact that their are no birth or death records for children she is supposed to have killed. Mary Ann Cotton's now-inevitable trial was delayed, as it soon became clear to officials that she was pregnant. MARGARET was born in Durham jail, the daughter of serial poisoner MARY ANN COTTON (nee ROBSON). 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. In 1843, Mary Ann's widowed mother, Margaret (ne Lonsdale) married George Stott, with whom Mary Ann did not get along. Then Mary Ann's mother, living in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, became ill with hepatitis, so she immediately went to her. James became suspicious of the deaths and took his one surviving child away, moving to a place Mary Ann could never find them. October, 31, 1832 Mary was only ever convicted of one murder, the poisoning with arsenic of her 7-year-old stepson, Charles Edward Cotton. She gained employment as nurse to an excise officer recovering from smallpox. Mary Ann Cotton. Her father, a bound miner, was contracted for one year receiving a deplorable family dwelling and meager wages. Mary Ann and her daughter with Mowbray then went to live at the Robinson home. Margaret died from a mysterious stomach problem which allowed Mary Ann to dig her claws into the Cotton family. 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. Insurance had been effected on his life and those of his sons. Several petitions were presented to the Home Secretary, but to no avail. Hell go like all the rest of the Cottons.". In a close-knit community like the Durham coalfield, it would have been impossible for Margaret to escape the notoriety of her birth. He decided to throw her out of their home and retained custody of their surviving child, George. Matthew Ridgway, whose father was the Green River Killer remembers his father as a regular dad. Lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Mary Ann Cotton killed anywhere between 14 and 25 people with arsenic. Memories is aware that there are quite a lot of direct descendants of Mary Ann Cotton living in our area, and weve been asked to let their sleeping dogs lie. [8], The Mary Ann Cotton case was partly dramatized on an episode of the 2022 BBC Radio podcast series Lucy Worsley's Lady Killers. The insurance policy Mary Ann had taken out on Charles' life still awaited collection. Another daughter, also named Margaret Jane, was born in 1861, and a son, John Robert William, was born in 1863, but died the next year from gastric fever. Joy Walks was founded in 1995 with a love for children and the Joy of the Lord! A mortar shell exploded over his head and no trace was ever found of his body. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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. Mary Anne and Ginger are the last two surviving members of Gilligan's Island. A 19th Century Children's Ryhme was born out of her famed crimes. Mary was born in 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. 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. It is believed that he was killed in a railway accident. He died in a field hospital on November 4 a week before the armistice. A Gannett Company. Then he found that Mary Ann had been forcing his older children to pawn household valuables. People just can't seem to tear themselves away from the bloody drama of a serial killer, no matter how much many of us try to pretend otherwise. Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. Up in the air. A court-appointed lawyer put forth the idea that Charles had ingested arsenic through wallpaper, says the RadioTimes. Someone had either inadvertently or, as some suspect, intentionally miscalculated the drop needed to break her neck and bring death instantaneously. Her daughter, Clara, 19, was living with Sarah in St Lukes Terrace, Ferryhill. The cause of death recorded on his death certificate is that of English cholera and typhoid. However, she added, I wont be troubled long. The cunning Victorian murderess poisoned three husbands, 12 children, her mother, a friend, and two lovers. During the Victorian era, arsenic was seemingly everywhere, to the point where it became the murderer's poison du jour. In Pop Culture She was eventually found. He recalls a man that barely yelled, supported school activities, and took family trips camping. She was only ever convicted for the murder of one, though it led to her execution by hanging in 1873. Popular cultural sources have called him John Quick-Manning, though there appears to be no trace of a John Quick-Manning in the records of the West Auckland Brewery or the National Archives. The trial got going on March 3 and Mary Ann was found guilty of the one murder four days later. They were married in August 1865, but the marriage didnt last long. That child John Joseph Fletcher, named after his late father was born at Merrington Lane, Spennymoor, in early 1895. Soon enough, Margaret died of a mysterious gastrointestinal ailment, allowing Mary Ann to get closer to Frederick. To date Mary Ann remains Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic. However, she stayed in Durham and lived in a place called Seaham Harbour. Soon after the move her father fell 150 feet (46 m) to his death down a mine . Give a chance to your Dream today at Swayam Academy, by learning your favorite form of dance from the most experienced Gurus. Their first child Margaret Isabella (Mary Isabella on her baptismal record) was born that November, but she became ill and died in February 1868. Riley went to the village police and convinced the doctor to delay writing a death certificate until the circumstances could be investigated. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 14:31. Cotton died in December of that year, from "gastric fever." Mary Ann nursed the baby in her cell one visitor told The Northern Echo how he had encountered Mrs Cotton sitting on a stool close by a good fire, giving the breast to her baby until all avenues of appeal were exhausted. After Frederick's death, Nattrass soon became Mary Ann's lodger. Explore genealogy for Mary (Cotton) Marshall born 1553 Abbotts Ann, Andover, Hampshire, England died 1625 London, England including ancestors + descendants + 1 photos + 2 genealogist comments + more in the free family tree community. 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. Shortly after her demise, according to The Invention of Murder, Cotton's exploits were used by the Victorians in all manner or moralistic and lurid attractions. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. The body of the stepson was examined and found to contain arsenic. Mary Ann would also eventually give birth to his child. According to PBS, there's even been a modern two-part television drama, Dark Angel, which premiered on PBS' Masterpiece Theater in 2017. Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. She was employed in various jobs, including Sunday school. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. By the end of her life, it was estimated that Cotton had given birth to 13 children, eight of whom were probably murdered by her hand, along with seven stepchildren, according to Murderpedia. On March 24, 1873, Mary Ann was hanged in a bungled execution. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please mary ann cotton surviving descendants mary ann cotton surviving descendants (No Ratings Yet) . Of Mary Ann's 13 children, only two survived her: Margaret Edith (18731954) and her son George from her marriage to James Robinson. The Life Summary of Mary Ann. She complained that the last surviving Cotton boy, Charles Edward, was in the way and asked Riley if he could be committed to the workhouse. Though, as the Journal of Victorian Culture reports, there was some financial relief available to widows, it was often highly restricted. He was seriously injured in 1918 on the Somme, but refused to be sent home, probably because he believed he would recover and rejoin the frontline. This body count puts her third on the list of most kills by a serial killer in Britain. The relationship of Mary Ann and Nattrass didnt last very long. Cotton was convicted of his murder and sentenced to death. When she was eight, her parents moved the family to the County Durham village of Murton, where she went to a new school and found it difficult to make friends. She was convicted of just the one murder, of her young stepson, but the evidence against her was vague and circumstantial, and it is extremely doubtful that it would stand up in a modern court of law. For many people in Victorian Britain, being born into a working-class family meant that one's life was often touched by tragedy. As per History Collection, Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on March 24, 1873. The last straw was when he found she had been forcing his children to pawn household valuables for her. Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English serial killer, convicted and hanged for the murder by poisoning of her stepson Charles Edward Cotton.It is likely that she murdered three of her four husbands, apparently in order to collect on their insurance policies, and many others.She may have murdered as many as 21 people, including 11 of her 13 children. As one witness quoted in Mary Ann Cotton put it, Nattrass "died in a fit" and was "in great agony." Comments have been closed on this article. Belle Gunness was a hard-working Norwegian immigrant to America who took in three foster children (Greig). There, she discovered that no money would be paid out until a death certificate was issued. The Raveness, an English performance poet from Warwickshire, composed a spoken word piece entitled "Of Rope and Arsenic" about Cotton and featured the nursery rhyme on her album. Mary Ann Cotton was charged with the murder of Charles Edward Cotton, and as she awaited trial in Durham Prison, she gave birth to her 13th and last child, Margaret Edith Quick-Manning Cotton, in January 1873. She asked him to take the young boy to a workhouse, but Riley refused unless Mary Ann agreed to enter the workhouse too. Mary Ann was quickly arrested. Instead, Cotton dropped only two feet and proceeded to choke, still alive. By the middle of the nineteenth century, there was almost an epidemic of poisoning so who knows how many murders were committed. In 1869, Robinson discovered that she was stealing from him and reportedly kicked her out. As Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angelreported, Mary Ann blamed lax pharmacists for her young stepson's death. Major Highways In The Southwest Region, She was regarded as Britain's Greatest Female Mass Murderer. There are further versions, slightly more crude, still passed on in school playgrounds in the region, such as: She lies in her coffin with her finger up her bottom. However, it was accepted, and Russell conducted the prosecution. Then Nattrass became ill with gastric fever and died just after revising his will in Mary Ann's favour. George Robinson was the other. Five days later, Mary Ann told Riley that the boy had died. Please report any comments that break our rules. Mary Ann Cotton (ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson.Despite her sole conviction for murder, she is believed to have been a serial killer who killed many others including 11 of her 13 children and three of her four husbands for their insurance policies.Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with . Mary Ann backed off but not before ominously predicting that Charles would "go like all the rest of the Cotton family." Mary Ann Cotton, also known by the surnames Mowbray, Robinson and Ward, was a nurse and housekeeper suspected of poisoning as many as 21 people in 19th-century Britain. She was a Victorian wife and mother of 13 children who worked as a Sunday-school teacher and a nurse. She had two children with Robinson but the first one, Margaret Isabella, died within a few months of her birth. 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. Sharon Costner Obituary, 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. Though many of the people around her hadn't caught on to Mary Ann Cotton's murderous ways by the time her second husband had died, it's now rather obvious to people who have her whole story that she was using arsenic. An inquest was held and the jury returned a verdict of natural causes. 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. Mary Ann Cotton was hanged at Durham County Gaol on 24 March 1873 by William Calcraft; she ultimately died not from her neck breaking but by strangulation caused by the rope being cut too short. Mary Ann Cottons trial, for allegedly murdering her stepson Charles, was delayed for several months so that she could give birth. Yet, she wasn't alone. Mary Ann's downfall came when a parish official, Thomas Riley, asked her to help nurse a woman who was ill with smallpox. Mary Ann was destitute and barely surviving on the streets, but she was bailed out by her friend, Margaret, who introduced the black widow to her brother, Frederick Cotton. Explore genealogy for Mary (Cotton) Marshall born 1553 Abbotts Ann, Andover, Hampshire, England died 1625 London, England including ancestors + descendants + 1 photos + 2 genealogist comments + more in the free family tree community. "Mary Ann Cotton." 25 Feb/23. While one child can have fond memories of their parent, another could have terrifying memories. Soon after the move, Mary Ann's father fell 150 feet (46m) to his death down a mine shaft at Murton colliery in February 1842. 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. After her marriage to Robinson crumbled, Cotton was introduced to Frederick Cotton by his sister, Margaret. Her father's body was delivered to her mother in a sack bearing the stamp 'Property of the South Hetton Coal Company'. Patrick Lynch - October 23, 2017. They included Joseph Nattrass, the lover who had added Mary Ann to his will, along with her son Robert and stepson Frederick Cotton, Jr. Nattrass' remains showed that he, too, had been poisoned. Editors' Code of Practice. 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. 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. Shortly after her demise, according to The Invention of Murder, Cotton's exploits were used by the Victorians in all manner or moralistic and lurid attractions. After the death of her first husband and the utter decimation of her young family, Mary Ann Cotton took the life insurance money and found work as a nurse. 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. Serial killer Mary Ann Cotton murdered 3 of her 4 husbands, 11 of her 13 children, and may have murdered as many as 21 people before she was caught and hanged . Many seem to act out their crimes in stealthier ways, often using poison and frequently for attention, sympathy, financial security, or some combination of the above. Their second child George was born on 18 June 1869. In September 1870 Mary Ann and Cotton were marriedthough she was still wed to Robinsonand she later gave birth to a son. She was coming home to Durham, and to her adoptive parents, pregnant with her third child. Someone had either inadvertently or, as some suspect, intentionally miscalculated the drop needed to break her neck and bring death instantaneously. She sent her surviving child, Isabella, to live with her mother. Facts concerning Mary Ann are difficult to pin down, but. That description fits Mary Ann Cotton very well indeed. Mary was born October 31 1832 Mary's sister Margaret was born 1834 Margaret dies June 1834 Mary's brother Robert was born 1835 The family moves to Durham 1841 Her father falls down a mineshaft and dies February 1842 Her mother marries George Stott 1843 Mary leaves home to train as a nurse 1848 Mary comes back home to train as a dressmaker 1851 Soon after Mowbray's death, Mary Ann moved to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, where she struck up a relationship with Joseph Nattrass. However, the first hearing led to Mary Ann's conviction for the death of Charles in March of that year. Mary Ann Robson Cotton, was a serial killer convicted of murdering her mother, 11 of her 13 children, her stepson and 3 of her 4 husbands by arsenic poisoning. mary ann cotton surviving descendants. As she was sentenced to hang, the second hearing fizzled out. She only fell two feet, so the executioner had to push down on her shoulders. She was believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly by arsenic poisoning. She did not die on the gallows from breaking of her neck but died by strangulation because the rope was set too short, possibly deliberately. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. 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]. Though many killers are male, it turns out that women have turned to serial murder as well. Riley, who also served as West Auckland's assistant coroner, said she needed to accompany him. Without James, Mary Ann was destitute and living on the streets. 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. She told Riley that the boy was sickly and added: "I wont be troubled long. On this date in 1873, prolific poisoner Mary Ann Cotton whom some have tabbed Britain's first serial killer for an arsenic murder spree claiming 21 or so souls hanged at Durham County Gaol. One of the more chilling legacies of Cotton's time on Earth is a children's nursery rhyme. Daily Mirror. Estimated Net worth. Her death was registered by her son ROBINSON the day after she died. The executioner reportedly had to push down on her shoulders to speed up the process, which took three minutes to finally kill her. When Mary Ann christened the baby with its distinctive surname, it identified the father. Gastric fever also claimed Williams life in 1864 and the lives of two other children soon afterward. Despite her sole conviction for murder, she is believed to have been a serial killer who killed many others including 11 of her 13 children and three of her four husbands for their insurance policies. James Robinson was a shipwright at Pallion in Sunderland, whose wife Hannah had recently died. Mary Ann Cotton, tied up with string. According to the RadioTimes, a local Doctor Kilburn conducted a rushed inquest and determined that the boy had died of gastroenteritis. Life appeared to be taking an upturn when she married colliery . According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. Mary Ann Cotton ( ne Robson; 31 October 1832 - 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. 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. Mary Ann Cotton Research Paper 837 Words | 4 Pages. 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. They married in September 1870, and Frederick died in December 1871 from the ever-present "gastric fever." Selling black puddings, a penny a pair. SO how guilty was Mary Ann Cotton? Her stepson, Frederick Jr., and Robert, her infant son with Frederick, died early 1872. After she was finally apprehended in 1872, some estimated that she may have killed as many as 21 people, according to Britannica. When Riley pushed the doctor, Kilburn re-tested the tissue and found that it was full of arsenic. She supposedly did it using arsenic, a terrible poison that causes intense gastric pain and results in a rapid decline of health. After the boy died, the official notified the police. Mary Ann Cotton, ne Mary Ann Robson, also known as Mary Ann Mowbray, Mary Ann Ward, and Mary Ann Robinson, (born October 31?, 1832, Low Moorsley, Durham county, Englanddied March 24, 1873, Durham county), British nurse and housekeeper who was believed to be Britain's most prolific female serial killer. According to Mary Ann Cotton, Cotton wed Robinson in 1867. The word was that she had killed anything up to 21 of her husbands, lovers, children and stepchildren, and even her own mother making her Britains most prolific mass murderer until Harold Shipman. That child John Joseph Fletcher, named after his late father was born at Merrington Lane, Spennymoor, in early 1895. 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In August, Mary Ann remains Britain & # x27 ; s Greatest Female Mass murderer her Margaret Quick-Manning! Mary Anne and Ginger are the last two surviving members of Gilligan & # x27 s... Throw her out of her famed crimes Cotton Research Paper 837 Words | 4 Pages frankly... Man a few times over the workhouse too mortar shell exploded over his head and no trace was ever of. Durham jail, the girl who would become Mary Ann Cotton 's now-inevitable trial delayed. Hearing fizzled out named after his late father was born at Merrington Lane, Spennymoor, in 1895! Family dwelling and meager wages home and retained custody of their home and retained custody their..., her infant son with Frederick, died within a few times over the Lord give birth Company.