Charlotte Dymond (1826 – 14 April 1844) was an 18-year-old servant who was the victim of a notorious murder which influenced the folklore of

Bodmin Moor Bodmin Moor () is a granite moorland in north-eastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and dates from the Carboniferous period of geology, geological history. It includes Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall, and Rough To ...

. It is considered to be one of the most infamous murders in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

Crime

Charlotte Dymond was born an

illegitimate child Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

. She worked as a servant on Penhale Farm which was located on the edge of Bodmin Moor, between

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

and

Davidstow Davidstow ( (village) or (parish)) is a civil parish and village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is north of Bodmin Moor straddling the A395 road about north of Camelford. The hamlets of Hallworthy, Hendraburnick, ...

. The farm was owned by an elderly widow Phillipa Peter and her son and they employed Charlotte and two other live-in servants John Stevens and Matthew Weeks. Charlotte and Matthew were believed to be courting but she was also considered to be romantically interested in Thomas Prout, the nephew of her employer. It was believed that Charlotte and Thomas were planning to run away and get married. On 14 April 1844, Charlotte was seen leaving the farm with Weeks heading towards the moor. She was wearing a green striped dress and Weeks was recognised by an elderly farmer by his distinctive limp. Later that evening suspicion arose when he returned alone with muddy trousers and a ripped shirt. He told the household that she had been offered a new job in

Blisland Blisland () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is approximately five miles northeast of Bodmin. According to the UK census 2001, 2001 census, the parish had a population of 565. Thi ...

. She was missing for a week before the discovery of her body. Her body was found at a high-point on Bodmin Moor, Roughtor Ford. Her throat had been cut from ear to ear. The coroner was Joseph Hawley and his deputy was Gilbert Hamley. Weeks fled to

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

and planned to flee to the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

when a warrant was issued for his arrest. When he was captured he pleaded his innocence. Circumstantial evidence implicated Weeks as he was the last person to see her alive, as well as his erratic behaviour after she went missing. It was believed that Charlotte was planning to leave him and she was killed in a fit of jealous rage. Due to subsequent research, considerable doubt was raised surrounding his guilt. An alternative hypothesis is that she was killed by a secret admirer.

Trial

Weeks stood trial in August 1844 at Shire Hall in

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

. He was found guilty of the murder. At noon on 12 August 1844, Weeks was hanged in front of

Bodmin Gaol Bodmin Jail (alternatively Bodmin Gaol) is a historic former prison situated in Bodmin, on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Built in 1779 and closed in 1927, a large range of buildings fell into ruin, but parts of the prison have been tu ...

. He was buried in the coal yard adjoining the gaol.

Legacy

The crime influenced local

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

inspiring poems, songs and ghost stories, including ''The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond'' by

Charles Causley Charles Stanley Causley CBE FRSL (24 August 1917 – 4 November 2003) was a Cornish poet, school teacher and writer. His work is often noted for its simplicity and directness as well as its associations with folklore, legends and magic, especi ...

. The Charlotte Dymond Memorial, which stands on Bodmin Moor, is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building. The monument is listed due to its rarity as a mid-19th-century memorial to a domestic servant paid for by public subscription which was unusual at the time. In 1978 the case underwent a televised reconstruction. In 2001 the case was part of a historical exhibition at Shire Hall. The exhibition involved a re-enactment of the trial. In 2010 a local historian wrote a book on the murder. Author Jill Batters presented a talk "The Life of Charlotte Dymond" at Liskeard Old Cornwall Society in 2019. British/Australian author Brand King sets much of his second novel, ''A Cornish Spring'' on Bodmin Moor.' The novel evokes the ghost of Charlotte Dymond to drive its narrative. Her monument features on the book's cover. An episode of '' Rick Stein's Cornwall'' features a visit to the memorial on Bodmin Moor.

Crime

Trial

Legacy

References

Further reading