About this episode
The Essex Poisoner: Mary May & the Five-Year Hunt for Britain’s Husband KillersNews of the Times | Episode 587 | 1848One quiet Essex village. One determined woman. And a trail of death so shocking it forced Victorian police to investigate an entire county.Today we uncover the chilling case of Mary May, the Essex wife whose actions in 1848 sparked Britain’s first major hunt for domestic poisoners. What began as a single suspicious death soon expanded into rumours of a murder ring, burial-club schemes, and a series of sudden “illnesses” that looked far too similar to be coincidence.In this episode we explore:? The sudden death of Mary May’s half-brother — and why villagers accepted her explanation… until they didn’t.? How Victorian burial clubs created a deadly financial loophole.? The growing panic across Essex as husbands and children linked to Mary May or her close friends began dying in identical ways.? Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor — the era’s leading toxicologist — and the forensic breakthrough that exposed the truth.? Fears of a female “death club” operating across Tendring, Wix, Bradfield, and Ramsay.? The extraordinary five-year government investigation into suspected poisonings across the county.Was Mary May a lone murderer?A catalyst?Or the central figure in a network of women using arsenic to rid themselves of inconvenient husbands?Victorian Britain had never seen anything like it.And in today’s Further Particulars, meet the fortune-teller who could predict everyone’s future except his own — including his arrest and three months’ hard labour.? Hosted by Robin Coles ? New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday ?? Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month ?? 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 researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from coroners’ inquests to forgotten newspaper columns. If you like yo 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
