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1889: Young Florence Maybrick stands trail for the alleged poisoning of her older husband..but did she kill him?
Did She Kill Him?: A Victorian tale of deception, adultery and arsenic
What you need to know before your trail
Summer 1889
Florence Maybrick stood trial for the alleged arsenic poisoning of her much older husband, Liverpool cotton merchant James Maybrick.
‘The Maybrick Mystery’ was the scandal of its day: a pretty, flirtatious young girl; resentful, gossiping servants; rumours of gambling and debt; and torrid mutual infidelity. This was the case which ultimately shattered the veneer of Victorian respectability. The public and the media were fascinated.
Florence’s fate was fiercely debated in the courtroom, on the front pages of the newspapers and in parlours and backyards across the country. Did she poison her husband? Was her previous infidelity proof of murderous intentions? Was James’ own habit of self-medicating to blame for his demise?
There is more to this case than meets the eye….
Travel Guide
From the dark cobbled streets to the gas lamps shrouded in fog, this is the Victorian streets of Liverpool brought vividly to life
Since this was a real murder case, there is the added sense of authenticity and foreboding. There is a nice mix of old and new – the old story with a modern update on the use of forensics now for example to help solve the case so many years later.
The Maybrick case
The Maybrick case was the scandal of its day : Florence Chandler met James Maybrick as she was traveling to Britain by boat with her mother. He was 23 years older than her and so the fledging relationship was a scandal before anything else which followed. They married but problems soon followed. James regularly used arsenic ( it was used at the time as an aphrodisiac and tonic ) and had several mistresses. Florence was also not happy in the relationship, had affairs and used arsenic for cosmetic use.
Florence here speaks for herself – the fiction merging with the fact. This was the time of other historical moments – a move from a man’s world to one where women had more choice in life in careers and elsewhere. The fact that a woman was suspected of such a high profile crime ensured that women were often more likely to be heavily pursued by the law.
The time and the era are also alluded to via the arts, the painting and the books of the time – times were indeed a changing – but social mores and attitudes were a hard thing to shift. And there were plenty of armchair detectives even then.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: Did She Kill Him?
Author/ Guide: Kate Colquhoun Destination: Liverpool Departure Time: 1889
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