About this episode
The Clergyman Who Hid His Wife’s Murder: The Shocking Case of Rev. Selby Watson | True Crime 1871News of the Times | Episode 590 |1871 London 1871A quiet Stockwell street.A respected clergyman.A locked room… and a truth no one wished to imagine.In October 1871, Reverend John Selby Watson — scholar, headmaster, and a man thought incapable of violence — calmly told his servant that his wife had “gone out of town.” What followed was one of the most chilling domestic murders of the Victorian era: a brutal killing, a body hidden behind a library door, and a carefully written confession that raised as many questions as it answered.Was this a momentary lapse?A lifetime of strain erupting all at once?Or a premeditated act disguised as madness?Tonight, we walk through the investigation as it unfolded — from the servant’s first suspicions, to Dr Rugg’s devastating discovery, to the courtroom debate that divided Victorian London.This is the case of a clergyman whose life unravelled in a single, terrible momentAnd in today’s lighter end-of-episode Further Particular's tale:Three cats, two furious ladies, and one judge who absolutely did not sign up for any of this.A “Persian stud” turns out to be more “Camden wanderer,” and Victorian justice must decide which whiskers are genuine.? Hosted by Robin Coles ? New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday ?? Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month ? Related cases from the archive: 1871 - 1910: Scorned: Jilted Partners and Vengeance | Ep264 https://youtu.be/IyU0PpewCD01870-1871: Stories of in-law Issues | EP319 https://youtu.be/NTNGLpFdOmU1871-1873: Murder in Uniform: The Death of William Glass and the Hanging of Inspector Montgomery | EP580 https://youtu.be/mPgfbM-2fGw?? Support Independent History If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit: ? **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent): https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime ? Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd? About the Channel We’re an independent team of historical Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! ? https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f
