We all know that life was different for our ancestors back in their day. They did not have the conveniences we have at our disposal today. Many things would have made their lives easier like electric lights, washing machines, electric stoves, fridges, and farm equipment. These would have been a dream come true for many. But would these things really have made them happier? There seems to be a few today that purposely go to live off the grid.
If had to pick out the one of the most important differences between now and then, I think it is not what they didn't have, it is what many of our ancestors had to endure that we do not. Servitude.
I found a rather disturbing twisted court case that involved a young girl back in 1877. This newspaper article was found in the Northwich Guardian October 24, 1877.
Alleged Attempt to Poison A Farmer Near Middlewich
At the Middlewich Petty Sessions, on Monday last, the magistrates – Colonel France Hayhurst, Messrs. W.R. Court, C. Kag and H.H. Moss- investigated a case in which a servant girl, 14 years of age, named Ann Venables, whose parents live at Moulton was charged with attempting to poison her master, Mr. Thomas Wilkinson, of Dawfield Farm, near Middlewich, by putting a quantity of “Vermin Killer” in the teapot. There was a summons against Elizabeth Wilkinson, wife of Thomas Wilkinson, for an alleged assault upon the girl Venables, and the Bench went into this charge first. Mr. J.H. Cooke appeared for Venables, but the other side was not represented by a legal gentleman.
Mr. Cooke, in opening the case, said that the girl Venables had lived with Mr. Wilkinson as a servant in the house. On the evening of the 4th of last August, Mrs. Wilkinson complained about her not having the kitchen cleaned earlier and she afterwards took hold of her (complainant) and abused her rather severely: she knocked her against the pump, then pushed her into the pantry and having got her down behind the door she pinched her twice on the arm, hurting her very much and making black marks. It might appear strange to the Bench that these proceedings were not taken earlier; but they should state that on the 6th the girl showed the bruises to her grandmother in the presence of Mrs. Wilkinson, and she would have taken on a summons at once, but her brother was ill of small pox at the time, and she did not have an opportunity of seeing her until the 9th of October, when the matter was inquired into and the present proceedings instituted.
Evidence in the support of the above statement was given by the complainant and her grandmother Margaret Palin.
Mrs. Wilkinson, in answer to the charge, said that the complainant tried to throw her down with the mop handle, and she “shook her” for it, but she did nothing more. The girl also struck her in the mouth and made it bleed. With reference to the black marks spoken to by the witness, the defendant stated that the girl often shown her black marks on different parts of her body. She had not been a good girl.
It being stated that the complainant had formerly been in the employ of Mr. Brown, spirit merchant, Middlewich, that gentleman was sent for at the request of the Magistrates; and in answer to their inquiries he said that she has been in his service about eight months and he had nothing to say against her.
By Mr. Brown: We did not send her away. She wanted more wages than we could give her.
The girl Ann Venables was then charged with unlawfully and maliciously attempting to cause to be taken by Thomas Wilkinson a certain poison called “Vermin Killer” with intent thereby to injure the said Thomas Wilkinson.
Mr J.H. Cooke defended.
Thomas Wilkinson said: I am a farmer at Dawfield in Kinderton. On Wednesday, the 10th of October, I went into the kitchen for my breakfast about half past six in the morning. The defendant was in the kitchen, having been left there to get breakfast ready whilst I and my wife were out milking. There was no one else left in the house. The boy servant was with us in the buildings. On the breakfast table was the teapot produced containing tea ready for drinking. I poured some into my cup and drank it. It had a peculiar taste, and it also had a peculiar smell. I drank a saucer full and I threw the remainder behind the fire. I washed the cup out with hot water and poured some more tea into it out of the same teapot and it tasted the same as the previous cup. I just tasted it when my wife came in she also tasted it. I said, I should not drink anymore. She then got a basin and emptied the tea out of the teapot into it and put the tea leaves in another basin. The tea leaves were left in the basin until the day after, Thursday, when I showed them to PC Sherwin, who came with a summons for my wife. I fetched the teapot, and the basin with the tea grounds in and showed then to Sherwin. I pointed out that there was some blue stuff in the grounds. I then locked them up and in the afternoon of Friday they were handed over to Mr. Superintendent Rowbottom. The pot produced contains “vermin killer, and was kept in my garret to which there is no door. I had used it myself. I fetched it out of the garret on the Wednesday morning and found there was less in it then there was when I last saw it. I had used an old knife with a square and when I got any out of the pot. I and my wife went to the bowl when it was locked up in the parlour, but nobody else. When I saw the stuff in the bowl amongst the tea grounds I said to the defendant, “Annie, you have put this in.” She said in reply that “she had not put this in, if she must sink down in the earth.” I said, “You must have fetched it out with a round stick or your finger.” She denied it again. I said “You might as well confess to the truth as not.”
Mr. Cooke – Did you tell her that if she told you the truth you would forgive her?
Witness – No sir. Continuing his evidence, Mr. Wilkinson said: She started to cry, and said if I would forgive her she would tell me. I made no reply. She then said she had not fetched it out with a round stick, but her finger. I told her to go home and fetch her mother. She has not said anything more about it to me. She went away to fetch her mother.
Mr. Cooke: Have you told us all the girl stated?
Yes, as far as I can remember.
Before she made the answer in which she told you that she fetched it out with her finger, are you quite certain that you did not lead her to believe that you would forgive her?
No Sir.
Did you make any reply when she said if you would forgive her she would tell you?
I did not say I would forgive her.
You did not make any reply?
No Sir.
Did you not lead her to believe by your demeanor that you would forgive her?
I did not. I sent her wages, but they have been sent back. I at first said that I would have nothing to do with her money or clothes, but I did afterwards give them up.
Did you consider that if the girl had been guilty of putting poison in the teapot she was deserving of her wages?
She was not deserving of her wages if it came to that. Mrs. Venables had been to my house on the previous Tuesday night, and complained about her daughter being sent home wet. She said if I was dissatisfied with the girl she was willing to take her back again. I heard my wife say she would make her “serve her or Knutsford until Christmas.” I should say that I did not see the pot of “vermin killer” for about a month before that day. I had it about three months. It was not part of the girl’s duty to have anything to do with the poison.
Where do you get your water from?
Out of the pit.
Is that the same place where the cattle get their water from?
Yes, as well as us.
(Laughter) By the bench. Mr. Rowbottom then asked to be read the girls wages and clothes.
Elizabeth Wilkinson, wife of the last witness, deposed. I tasted the tea on the Wednesday morning in question, and it tasted and smelled unpleasant. I emptied it into a basin and amongst the leaves I saw some blue stuff. I asked the girl what she had put in it and she said she had put nothing in and if there was anything in it must have been in the caddy. I looked in the caddy, but found no blue stuff in it. I locked up the bowl with the tea leaves in a drawer in the parlour. I had the keys but I gave them to my husband on the Thursday whilst I went to market. On the Wednesday morning I asked the defendant what she had done it for and she said she thought she would have a bit of a joke with us for once. I heard what took place between her and my husband. She asked him if he would forgive her, and he made no answer. She did not say anything more. She said, in answer to my husband’s question, that she had not fetched it out with a round stick, but with her finger. The defendant and the boy always had milk to breakfast. The “vermin killer” was kept in the garret. I have never had anything to do with it. She told me “she thought she would have a bit of a joke” after she made the confession about her using her finger and not a stick. There was no one else present. When I first tasted the tea, I said it smelled like matches. My husband did not say he would forgive her.
PC John Sherwin said: On Thursday the 11th of October, I served a summons at Mr. Wilkinson’s house. It had been taken out against Mrs. Wilkinson for an assault on the defendant. I left it with Mr. Wilkinson who fetched a teapot and some tea leaves in a bowl. He pointed out to me some blue stuff in the leaves and called it “rat poison.” I told him to keep them until I had reported the matter to Mr. Rowbottom. I then left.
Superintendent Richard Rowbottom of Middlewich said: On the evening of the 10th the defendant with her father and mother called upon me at the police station and made a complaint upon which I advised them to see the magistrate’s clerk. On Friday morning I saw Mr. Wilkinson and in the afternoon of the same day I went to his house. I received from Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson the teapot, tea caddy with tea in it and the tea leaves and the blue stuff new in a bottle. The tea leaves and the blue stuff were in a basin. I also received the small jar produced containing “vermin killer.” I also examined an old knife with a square point and found some marks of blue stuff on it. On examining the teapot I found that it smelled like “vermin killer”, but the tea caddy was free from such smell. “Vermin Killer” is a poisonous thing. The defendant made no reply when I served her with the summons.
By Mr. Cooke: On the Wednesday the mother said the charge was unfounded, and they were determined to have it investigated.
The case was then closed for the prosecution.
Mr. Cooke submitted that the case must fail even that the admission of the girl was evidence, which he intended it was not. What Mr. Wilkinson said that “she said she fetched it out with her finger” but that did not show she put it in the teapot. In addition to that, there was no evidence to show what was in the teapot. Mrs. Wilkinson said it smelled like matches. They used pit water for tea and there was nothing to show that the pit water was not the cause of the tea not being good.
Colonel Frances Hayhurst – But they found some blue stuff amongst the tea leaves.
Mr. Cooke - But there is no evidence that it is poison. It may be something else.
Col. Hayhurst – Will you try it? (Laughter)
Mr Cooke was not prepared to try it. He called attention to the fact that the girl was only 14 years of age and that this was only her second place and he asked whether it was likely that she would really do such a thing as that charged against her. He submitted that the way in which Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson had given their evidence was altogether satisfactory. One would have thought that the first thing a responsible and common sense man would have done, suspecting he found that his servant had been guilty of such an atrocious crime would have been to have complained to the Police, but instead Mr. Wilkinson took no steps whatever until after the girl had applied for a summons against his wife. Their evidence was entirely inconsistent with their act. He submitted, as a point of law, that as admission made by a person who was led by a party in authority to believe that he or she would be forgiven an offence was not admissible as evidence.
Colonel Hayhust – The witness said that he did not lead her to believe so.
Mr. Cooke – He says he did not; but there is this about it – he says he did not say anything and we know very well there is an old proverb which says “Silence gives consent.” The girl cries and says that if he will forgive her she will tell him the truth, and as he makes no reply I submit that was sufficient to lead her to believe that she would be forgiven. I contend that there is not sufficient evidence to convict under the statue, and therefore the girl should be dismissed.
After the Magistrates had consulted for a few minutes, Colonel Frances Hayhurst said: With regard to the charges of assault against Mrs. Wilkinson, the Magistrates have decided that it is not proved and consequently will be dismissed. In regard to the charge of attempting to poison, the Bench think that it is not proved and that case will also be dismissed.
The announcement of the decision was received with a slight manifestation of approval on the part of the crowd in court.
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Do you think Justice was served?
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