Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann Cotton, around 1870

Mary Ann Cotton (born October 15, 1832 in Low Moorsley , Sunderland as Mary Ann Robson , † March 24, 1873 in Durham ) was a British serial killer in the Victorian era .

She was the daughter of Michael Robson and Margret, nee Landsale. When she was eight, her parents moved to Murton , County Durham. In February 1842 her father died in a fall in the mine. Since they lived in the employee's apartment, they also became homeless. In 1843 her mother married George Stott (1816–1895).

Murders

In 1852 at the age of 20, Cotton married the 26-year-old worker William Mowbray, with whom she had nine children. Little by little, all the children died except for their daughter Isabella. The cause of death was always "gastric fever". On January 18, 1864, the husband also died and Cotton was paid a life insurance policy of £ 35 (£ 3,371 2019). Cotton then gave Isabella to her mother and moved to Sunderland , where she worked as a nurse.

In 1865 she married a patient, 32-year-old George Ward. He suffered from cancer, but then died suddenly in 1866. He also left life insurance.

In November 1866, shipbuilder James Robinson Cotton hired as a housekeeper. A month later, Robinson's baby John died. Then he consoled himself with Cotton and she became pregnant.

Cotton's mother lived in Seaham Harbor , Durham, and when she got sick, Cotton rushed to see her. Nine days after her arrival, the mother died at the age of 54 in the spring of 1867.

Cotton moved in with Robinson with her daughter Isabella, but Isabella died shortly afterwards. So did Robinson's children Elizabeth and James. All three children were buried in late April / early May 1867. Isabella's death received £ 5 10s 6d from life insurance. Robinson and Cotton married on August 11, 1867 in St. Michael in Bishopwearmouth. Their child Margaret Isabella was born in November, but died in February 1868. On June 18, 1869 their son George was born. When Cotton asked Robinson to get life insurance, he became suspicious. He found out that she was embezzling his money and mortgaging the furniture. He threw her out of the house, but kept George with him.

Through her friend Margaret Cotton she met her brother Frederik. He was a widower and had already lost two of his four children. Margaret looked after the two children. Margaret died of an uncertain margin disease in late March 1870. At the same time, she was pregnant for the twelfth time. On September 17, 1870, Frederik and Mary married in St. Andrews in Newcastle upon Tyne , although Mary Ann was still married to Robinson. Son Robert was born in early 1871. In December 1871, Cotton died of stomach fever. He and his sons also had life insurance in favor of Mary Ann. In March 1872, Frederik Cotton Jr. died and shortly afterwards the 14-month-old baby Robert. Joseph Nattrass, a wealthy lover, shortly afterwards changed his will in her favor of Mary Ann and died on September 19, 1871 as well.

So only her stepson Charles Edward Cotton was alive. To the community officer Reiley she said that Charles Edward was still in her way and that he, like all Cotton, would soon die. When Charles Edward died five days later, Mary Ann went to the insurance office first. This informed her that the life insurance would only be paid out after the death certificate was issued. When Reiley found out about the death, he arranged for a closer investigation. After that, local newspapers found that Mary Ann Cotton had lived across northern England and lost three husbands, a lover, a friend, her mother and eleven children. All died of stomach fever.

Condemnation

She gave birth to her thirteenth child, Margaret Edith, in prison in January 1873. In March, she was only charged with the murder of her seven-year-old stepson Charles Edward on legal grounds and sentenced to death . On March 24, 1873, Cotton was hanged in Durham County Jail .

Depending on the source, 14 to 21 victims are assumed. Her name became synonymous with arsenic poisoning.

Only their children Margaret Edith and George from their marriage to James Robinson survived.

literature

• Hans-Dieter Otto: Lexicon of the unpunished murders. Unsolved cases - undiscovered crimes - controversial acquittals , Herbig Verlag (2007) ISBN 978-3-7766-2533-2 .

Web links

• COTTON Mary Ann. In: crimezzz.net. Retrieved March 15, 2013 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mary Ann Cotton. In: murderpedia.org. Retrieved April 5, 2013 . 
2. ↑ Peter & Julia Murakami: Lexicon of the serial killers . 10th edition. Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-548-35935-9 , p. 55-56 .