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Mary Ann Cotton
Cotton, c. 1870
Born
Mary Ann Robson
31 October 1832
Low Moorsley, Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, England
Died
24 March 1873(1873-03-24) (aged 40)
Durham Gaol, England
Cause of death
Hanging
Other names
The Black Widow
Occupation(s)
Dressmaker, nurse, housekeeper
Criminal penalty
Death by hanging
Details
Victims
Around 21, including 3 of her husbands and 12 children
Country
England
Weapons
Arsenic
Date apprehended
18 July 1872[citation needed]
Mary Ann Cotton (néeRobson; 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 life insurance policies. Her preferred method of killing was poisoning with arsenic.
Cotton's undoing came after she tried to have the son of her deceased husband sent to a workhouse. When that failed, within days she told parish officials that Charles Edward Cotton had died. Investigations into her behaviour soon showed a pattern of deaths. The body of the stepson was examined and found to contain arsenic. Cotton was convicted of his murder and sentenced to death. She was hanged at Durham Gaol. 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.
MaryAnnCotton (née Robson; 31 October 1832 – 24 March 1873) was an English convicted murderer who was executed for poisoning her stepson. Despite her...
MaryCotton may refer to: MaryAnnCotton (1832–1873), English convicted murderer Mary Stewart (athlete), or Cotton, (born 1956), British retired middle...
mini-series titled Dark Angel, based on the true story of Victorian poisoner MaryAnnCotton. Also in 2016, she co-starred in a dramatisation of a real-life story...
It was the birthplace of serial killer, MaryAnnCotton (1832–1873). Appleton, Arthur (1973). MaryAnnCotton: her story and trial. Joseph. p. 47. ISBN 0-7181-1184-2...
Armstrong, Neil (31 October 2016). "Dark Angel: the gruesome true story of MaryAnnCotton, Britain's first serial killer". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from...
years ago, MaryAnnCotton faced her final hearing". The Northern Echo. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023. "Serial killer MaryAnnCotton 'stamped with...
Enemys Whispers: The Story of MaryAnnCotton, a concept album focusing on the Victorian serial killer MaryAnnCotton. Autumn later protested the release...
the jaw. Afterwards, he was put in a coffin, where he later died. MaryAnnCotton (1873) – Hanging. The rope was rigged too short to break her neck and...
use the long drop method of hanging. 24 March 1873: Serial killer MaryAnnCotton was hanged at Durham Gaol for the murder of her stepson. 10 June 1896:...
in Social Context: Criminological Institutionalism and the Case of MaryAnnCotton. Policy Press. ISBN 9781447327639. Archived from the original on January...
event – a meteorite impact believed to have caused arsenic poisoning MaryAnnCotton – serial arsenic poisoner Felicia Dorothea Kate Dover – arsenic poisoner...
anatomy lecturer. Burke was hanged, while Hare was released. 1865–1873 MaryAnnCotton 21 Sunderland, England Believed to have murdered up to 21 people, mainly...
encouraged some women to kill their children for gain. Examples include MaryAnnCotton, who murdered many of her 15 children as well as three husbands; Margaret...
Essex George Chapman, hanged after murdering three common-law wives MaryAnnCotton, 19th-century woman who poisoned family members for financial gain...
hearings of Donald Trump. One of the UK's most prolific serial killers, MaryAnnCotton, lived in the nearby village of West Auckland. She was hanged at Durham...
1795) March 10 – John Torrey, American botanist (b. 1796) March 24 – MaryAnnCotton, English serial killer (executed) (b. 1832) March 25 – Wilhelm Marstrand...
Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington, statesman (born 1800) 24 March – MaryAnnCotton, serial poisoner (born 1832; hanged) 27 April – William Macready, actor...
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