Sudden Death in Southend

“...she asked me to fetch the police, but my husband would not let me interfere... he had threatened to rip her inside out. I said to her: “He is not safe to live with”...” In the early morning of 2 June 1906, a woman is discovered lying dead on the floor of her bedroom. She had gone to bed in good spirits but never woken up. An autopsy revealed a ruptured spleen – an injury which could have been caused by a nasty fall, or just as easily by the toe of a boot. What happened overnight in the small, terraced house in the Essex coastal town of Southend on Sea? Was her partner to blame? In this episode, Jen and David pick apart the complex relationships between a woman, her partner, and her close family, all living in close proximity in Victorian terraced housing. They discuss issues of masculinity and historical attitudes towards domestic abuse, which played a central role in the case. This mysterious and tragic death was discovered and sent in by Findmypast community member, Tom Fitton. Discover the details for yourself in the episode's Case Files - a collection of all the key newspaper reports - available to browse for free on Findmypast: www.findmypast.co.uk/wasjusticeserved Was justice served? Share your judgement with the WJS community: Instagram - @wasjusticeservedpod TikTok - @wasjusticeserved Producer - Madeleine Gilbert Assistant Producer - Daisy Goddard AV Editor - Callum Main Videographer - Angus Webster Video Lead - Andrew Farrell Graphics/Design - Kate Benzie, David Bradley and Graham Jacobs Researcher - Jen Baldwin Voiceover - Elliot Hardman AV Lead - Mark Asquith  

Om Podcasten

Discover historical crimes, one headline at a time. Join hosts Jen Baldwin and David Wilson as they journey back in time to some of the past’s most cryptic criminal cases, brought to you by Findmypast. In each episode, we’ll take a look at the evidence found in historical newspapers and records and try to unpick what really happened. Listen as we delve into the gory, the heartbreaking, and the sensational cases that gripped the nation. Get to know the characters involved, their lives and secrets. Follow the twists and turns of the trial – and help us answer the ultimate question: Was Justice Served? Don’t just take our word for it – analyse the evidence for yourself. For each episode, you can access a complete collection of the historical newspapers we’ve talked about online at www.findmypast.co.uk/wasjusticeserved.