1825 Report of the trial of Hannah Read

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Surname/tag: Read

LEICESTER, August 3 ^[1]

Hannah Read, aged 36, was put to the bar charged under the coroner's inquisition with the wilful murder of her husband, James Read. The prisoner's appearance bespoke the extreme of terror. She was pale, and so much agitated that she could scarcely stand.

Mr. Goulburn stated the facts of the case. The deceased had been a soldier, and was at the time of his death in the receipt of a small pension from Chelsea Hospital. He had been married to the prisoner between eight and nine years; but in consequence of mutual disagreements, they had lived apart for about two years before March last. The deceased, hearing that his wife had formed an adulterous connection with one Waterfield, by whom she had a child, insisted upon her quitting that man, and again living with him. She complied; but at the same time threatened that she would do for her husband. He was obliged to call the attention of the Jury to this fact, because the proof of the crime alleged against the prisoner being wholly of a circumstantial nature, it would be necessary to take into consideration the whole of her conduct before and after the death of her husband. He then proceeded to call witnesses.

Thomas Read, brother of the deceased, deposed that on the 6th of last March the deceased took his wife to live with him again. She had been living with Waterfield, and had had a child, which she confessed to be his. The prisoner behaved ill to her husband afterwards, upon which the witness remonstrated with her, and threatened he would have her taken up. On the Monday following, the twenty-first of April, she left his brother, and was brought back again to him by the witness. At twelve o'clock on that day she sent for her husband to go with her to Foxton. The last time the witness saw his brother was as he left the town to go with her to that place. At six o'clock on the same evening witness was sent for by the prisoner, who told him that her husband had run away from her mad. She said, in answer to witness asking her what she meant, "When we got below Grimley [sic. Gumley], he began to dance and jump about as if he was mad; then he damned and swore, and fell down on the grass, and tore it up with his hands; and afterwards jumped up and ran as hard as he could to Debdale-wharf. I went on to the bridge to look after him. Witness asked her why she did not alarm the people in the neighbourhood; and she replied she was too frightened to do so.

James Almey, a constable of Sheepshead, proved that he went with the deceased to the house of one Jane Wright, to recover his wife. Upon witness's knocking at the door, and asking if the prisoner and Waterfield were in the house, the prisoner put her head out of the window, and cried out to Waterfield, " O Lord, John, here is Jem come back." The deceased insisted upon her going with him. She replied, "If I do, I won't live with you; I would sooner murder you." She threw a weaver's bobbin, as big as witness's arm, at the deceased.

Mary Gamble deposed, that the prisoner came to her on the 21st of April, and said that her husband had insisted upon her living with him, "but," she added, " d-n him, I'll do for him."

E. Whitmore proved that she was present when the deceased was endeavouring to persuade his wife to live quietly with him, when she replied, " d-n you, I'll never live with you; I'll finish you between this and Monday night"

Ann Robinson said, the prisoner came to her house on the evening that her husband was drowned, and told her he had gone, like a mad dog, towards Grimley. Witness said, "You will be guarded till your husband is found, dead or alive. People think you,have drowned him; and if you have, you are sure to be hanged." Prisoner said, " Nobody saw me drown him, and therefore nobody can swear against me."

Robert Johnson, a boatman, saw two persons near the bridge on the day mentioned. in the indictment; the man had on a smock-frock, and the woman, who had a child in her arms, wore a red gown. On the following day he helped to drag the river, and took out of it the body of the deceased. When he found it, the right hand was in the breeches pocket. The body he believed to be that of the man he had seen on the preceding evening.

W[itness] Read recalled, proved that the deceased and the prisoner were dressed in the manner described by the last witness. The place where he had seen them was in a contrary direction to the road which the prisoner said she had been.

Another witness proved that they were dressed in the manner described, and that they were seen near the lock.

The Coroner, W. Meredith, Esq. produced an examination of the prisoner, which the Judge would not have read. He reprobated the practice which seemed to have prevailed of taking the confession of prisoners in order to produce against them on their trial. The Coroner proved the finding the body.

The prisoner, who during the examination of the witnesses had frequently contradicted their statements, was now called upon for her defence. She roused herself from a sort of stupor into which she had fallen, and in a low voice and wild manner protested that she was wholly innocent of the charge made against her. She described her husband's conduct to have been frantic, and inexplicable, and that he had left her suddenly and fallen into the river.

The Judge summed up to the Jury, commenting upon the circumstantial nature of the evidence, and recommending them to examine it with the most scrupulous attention, giving the prisoner the benefit of their doubts, if any should arise, respecting her guilt.

After deliberating a quarter of an hour, they pronounced a verdict of Guilty.

The prisoner, who had anxiously watched the looks of the Jury during their consultation, fell into the arms of thee gaoler and fainted when she beard the verdict. She was recovered and placed again at the bar. The Judge proceeded to pass sentence of death upon her, which she interrupted frequently by exclaiming, "For God's sake, forgive me. I hope your Lordship won't hang me. Spare me, my Lord, for the sake of my six poor children !" The prisoner was ordered for execution on Friday next.

After she was removed from the bar, the two men convicted of extorting money, on pretence of charging a man with the commission of an infamous crime, were brought up to receive judgment, and the Judge sentenced them to be transported for life.

EXECUTION OF HANNAH READ

The execution of this wretched woman took place on Friday. She was conveyed to the County Bridewell, the place of execution, upon a sledge, instead of being taken in the gaol waggon. Although the time of her removal was so early as between five and six o'clock, there were numbers of persons collected about the county gaol, and along the streets through which she passed, anxious to get a sight of her before the fatal hour. A bed or mattress was placed upon the sledge, which was drawn by a horse, and upon which the prisoner was secured by a rope. About 11 o'clock she was again placed upon the sledge, and was drawn along the gaol yard to the foot of the steps leading to the scaffold. Soon after she appeared on the platform, followed by the High Sheriff and the usual attendants. Fully sensible that her career in this world was soon to close upon her for ever, she seemed earnest in supplicating mercy for her sins, and in invoking the divine favour upon her unfortunate children and relatives. At length the drop fell, and, after a few convulsive struggles, she was no more. After hanging the usual time, the body was cut down, and being placed in a coffin was immediately taken to the infirmary, to undergo the remaining part of the sentence. Before the unhappy creature quitted this world, she made some atonement for her crime, by making an ample confession of her guilt. She said, that having prevailed upon her unfortunate husband to give her what money he had in his possession, she asked him to take his hat off, while she rubbed some white spots from it - that having done so, he put his right hand in his pocket for some purpose, and that she then gave him a push, and he fell headlong into the water - that he afterwards came up towards the surface two or three times, but that she went off and left him to his fate.

1. ↑ "LEICESTER, AUGUST 3." Jackson's Oxford Journal [1809], 13 Aug. 1825. British Library Newspapers, link.gale.com/apps/doc/Y3202658188/BNCN?u=dmu&sid=bookmark-BNCN&xid=fe84cba8. Accessed 5 July 2023.