Search Women Sentenced 1865-1907

You will find information including name, age, and year of sentencing. Additional information can be found in the records pertaining to their crime, stauts, and sentence.

In 19th-century Britain, several women were involved in the tragic killings of children, often driven by a mix of desperation, mental illness, or societal pressures. These women, sometimes driven by poverty or personal struggles, became infamous for their crimes, with some, like Mary Ann Cotton, known for poisoning their children to collect insurance or escape financial hardships. Others, like "baby farmers," took in infants for a fee and then killed them, sometimes to conceal neglect or to avoid the financial burden of caring for the children.

The legal response to these crimes in the 19th century was shaped by the period's views on women and motherhood. At the time, women were largely seen as the primary caregivers of children, and society expected them to adhere to a strict moral code. When women committed such heinous acts, their actions were often attributed to mental instability, with many arguing that the societal pressures they faced—such as poverty, lack of education, and the expectation to be perfect mothers—may have contributed to their breakdowns.

The law, however, was harsh, and women who killed children faced the death penalty or life imprisonment. Infanticide, in particular, was a crime that led to widespread public debate. The Infanticide Act of 1922 was an attempt to address the issue, allowing women who killed their children due to post-natal depression or similar conditions to be treated differently from other murderers, reflecting growing recognition of mental health in legal cases.

The societal attitude toward these crimes was complex—many viewed these women as both victims of their circumstances and monstrous offenders. The combination of legal severity and sympathy for the emotional toll on these women highlighted the contradictions within 19th-century Britain’s view of motherhood and women’s roles in society.

One of the women found in this record set is the infamous Mary Ann Cotton. Born in 1832 in County Durham, England, Mary's life began with tragedy, losing her mother at a young age, which set a dark tone for her future. She married multiple times, each marriage ending in the mysterious death of her husbands or children. Cotton’s preferred method of murder was arsenic poisoning, a slow and undetectable way to end lives, often disguised as natural causes.

Her pattern of deaths stretched over many years, and she even took the lives of her own children. Despite several deaths in her household raising suspicions, it wasn’t until 1872, after the death of her last husband, that she was arrested and charged with murder. In 1873, Mary Ann Cotton was tried and found guilty, making her one of England's most notorious female serial killers. She was executed by hanging at Durham Gaol, but her grim legacy endures as a chilling reminder of a time when such murders went largely undetected, and women like her could hide in plain sight.