Mary Morgan (c. 1788 – 15 April 1805) was a young servant in

Presteigne Presteigne (; : the church of St. Andrew) is a town and community (Wales), community on the south bank of the River Lugg in Powys, Wales. The town is located on the England–Wales border, which surrounds it to the north, east and south. Nearby ...

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, who was convicted and hanged for killing her newborn child. While Morgan was from

Glasbury Glasbury (), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and is located just outs ...

, her story has been associated with Presteigne since her execution in 1805. She was employed as an undercook at Maesllwch Castle, the seat of Walter Wilkins Esq, the Member of Parliament for the county of

The murder

Morgan was working in the kitchens in the early hours of a Sunday in September 1804 when she became unwell. She later went to her room in the servant's quarters of the castle. Early that evening the cook went to her room and accused Morgan of having given birth to a baby, which at first she strongly denied. Later, according to the evidence given by the cook, Morgan "owned that she had delivered herself of a child which was in the underbed cut open, amongst the feathers with the head nearly divided from the body, and the severely damaged intestinal system removed and placed underneath the child."

Inquest and trial

The inquest on the baby was held at Glasbury two days later, and the

Coroner's Jury A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction. United Kingdom In England and Wa ...

found that: Morgan was too ill to travel to Presteigne, where the Assizes were held, until 6 October. The trial eventually began in April 1805 before Mr Justice Hardinge, concluding on 11 April, when the jury found her guilty of murdering her child.

Death

On 13 April Morgan was

hanged Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

, and was buried in what was then

unconsecrated ground ''Unconsecrated'' is the debut studio album by Australian deathcore band The Red Shore, released on 8 November 2008. It was originally set for a 22 September release through Siege of Amida Records, but was delayed. A limited edition was released ...

near the church later that same afternoon. Her

public execution A public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. The purpose ...

attracted large crowds, who watched as she was taken by cart from the

gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cri ...

to the execution at Gallows Lane. She was subsequently commemorated by two gravestones in the churchyard at Presteigne.

Myths and controversies

For some time after the execution, it was claimed the father of the murdered child was Walter Wilkins the Younger, the son of the member of parliament and high sheriff for the county and the "young squire" of Maesllwch Castle.

References

Citations

General references

Bibliography * Roy Plamer, "The Folklore of Radnorshire" Logaston Press, 2001, Pages 151-54 {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Mary 1780s births 1805 deaths 19th-century executions by England and Wales British female murderers Executed Welsh people Executed Welsh women Filicides in the United Kingdom People convicted of murder by England and Wales British people executed for murder People from Presteigne Welsh murderers of children Welsh people convicted of murder