THE EXECUTION OF MARY ANN BRITLAND " SHE BRUTALLY POISON AN OLD MAN AND HIS SON

 Mary Ann Britland – a serial poisoner.


Thirty nine year old Mary Ann Britland of Ashton-under-Lyne in Lancashire was hanged by James Berry at 8.00 a.m. on Monday the 9th of August 1886, becoming the first of four women to be executed at Strangeways prison in Manchester.


Mary and Thomas Britland had rented a house at 92 Turner Lane in Ashton-under-Lyne, which she liked very much, except for the fact that it was allegedly infested with mice. To eliminate these, she went to the chemists and bought packets of Harrison's Vermin Killer, each packet containing 1.91 grains of strychnine as well as arsenic and therefore, Mary had to sign the poison register.  


Mary's first victim was to be her 19 year old daughter Elizabeth Hannah Britland on the 9th of March 1886, her death being put down to natural causes by Mr. Charles Thompson the attending doctor. This was not unusual at the time as food hygiene standards were not very good and there were no refrigerators to preserve food. A few days later, Mary claimed Elizabeth's £10 life insurance. It is thought that Elizabeth suspected that her mother wanted to marry Thomas Dixon.  

Her next victim was 44 year old Thomas, her husband, who died on the 30th of April. His death was initially diagnosed as epilepsy and again Mary claimed on his insurance. 


Mary had been having an affair with her neighbour, Thomas Dixon, and after her own husband's death, she moved into the Dixon's house. 29 year old Mary Dixon did not seem to mind Mary Ann living with them.  She became the next and last victim of this serial poisoner when she died on the 13th May 1886. The three deaths, all with their identical and somewhat unnatural symptoms, raised suspicion. Mary Britland was interviewed by the police in connection with Mary Dixon's death and her body was examined by a pathologist. It was found to contain a lethal quantity of the two poisons and Mary was arrested on the 25th of May.  Thomas Dixon was also charged with the murder of his wife, but this charge was thrown out by Ashton magistrates on the 24th of July.


She came to trial on Thursday, the 22nd, of July 1886 before Mr. Justice Cave at Manchester Assizes, the proceedings lasting two days. Witnesses testified as to May Ann purchasing the vermin killer.  Charles Thompson described to the court the poisoning of Elizabeth, whom he tended to three times during the day she died.  Mary Ann’s defence was absence of motive. She contended that the small insurance payouts were no compensation for the loss of her husband and daughter. It took the jury some time to convict her, although in the end they did. After she was sentenced on the 23rd of July, she declared to the court, "I am quite innocent, I am not guilty at all."  It was reported that she frequently interrupted the proceedings.


Early on the Monday morning she was brought from the female block of the prison to the condemned cell as it was nearer to the execution shed.  The procession to the gallows was led by the Chaplain, the Rev. J. Dreaper, with Mary Ann following in a state of virtual collapse supported by two female warders with two male warders following close behind.  Her last words were “Oh, forgive me.  Lord have mercy upon me. Christ have mercy on me.”

She was held up on the trapdoors by the two male warders while Berry prepared her for execution.  Berry gave her a drop of seven feet and death was reported to have been instantaneous.  At the subsequent inquest the governor revealed that she made a full confession to the murders while in the condemned cell.

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