William Palmer

the infamous Rugeley Poisoner
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  • Home
  • Family
    • Parents
    • Brothers and Sisters
    • Annie Thornton – wife of William Palmer
    • Palmer’s five children
    • The Palmer family Vault
  • Background
    • Childhood
    • Employment
    • Palmer the Doctor
    • The Races & Palmer’s horses
    • The Gambler
    • Mounting Debts
    • Extracts from Palmer’s diary
    • Blackmailed?
    • Rugeley as depicted in the newspapers
  • Deaths
    • 1846. Was George Abley the first victim?
    • Leonard Bladen – died in Palmer’s house in 1850
    • Bly from Beccles
    • The Cross Keys Mystery
    • His Mother in Law – alcohol or poison?
    • Four of five Children – poison from his fingers?
    • Uncle Joseph (Bentley) – Died after drinking with Palmer!
    • Deaths of Other Children – Palmer Suspected
    • His wife Annie, natural causes, suicide or poison?
    • Brother Walter
    • A narrow escape for George Bates?
    • Eliza Tharme the Maid-servant – and her illegitimate son
    • A Manx Murder and a Ghostly Carriage
  • Crime
    • John Parsons Cook – the crime for which William Palmer was hanged
    • John Cook’s stepfather Mr. William Stevens
    • Post-mortems and inquest verdict on Cook
    • Cook’s grave in Rugeley
    • Crimes not Murder
  • Arrest
    • Did the Press convict Palmer before his trial?
    • His Demeanour – the calm poisoner
  • Trial
    • The ‘Palmer Act’ allows trial to be in London
    • The Trial of the Century
    • The three Judges selected for the Palmer Trial
    • The Prosecution: Counsel for the Crown
    • The Defence Team: Counsel for the Prisoner
    • Reasons for doubting the safety of the verdict
    • In the Witness Box
    • Jere Smith’s poor performance in the witness box harmed Palmer’s case
    • Medical evidence – did Cook die from strychnine?
    • The Verdict
    • The Sentance – Palmer’s fate is sealed
    • How the trial differed from trials today
  • Execution
    • Details of the execution – the crowd, the scene, the drop!
    • William Palmer’s final words
    • Palmer’s executioner – George Smith, the Dudley hangman
    • The Death Mask – a gruesome artefact
    • William Palmer’s final resting place
    • Stafford Hangings – others who faced the drop
  • Miscellany
    • Further study – where to look for more information
    • Key Dates
    • Madame Tussaud’s
    • Rugeley’s name – famous for the wrong reasons
    • Teaching Resources
    • Some of the memorabilia linked with Palmer

Execution

The public execution was set for 8.00 a.m. on Saturday June 14th 1856

  • Details of the execution – the crowd, the scene, the drop!
  • Palmer’s executioner – George Smith, the Dudley hangman
  • The Death Mask – a gruesome artefact
  • William Palmer’s final resting place
  • William Palmer’s final words
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