THE story of the execution of Mary Voce, found guilty of the murder of her own child, which George Eliot acknowledged as the germ of her novel (see Appendix 1), was the subject of the following three, very different, broadsheets published in Nottingham at the time. They are reproduced by permission of Nottinghamshire County Council, Leisure Services (Nottingham Central Library Local Studies), in whose collection they are held.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE
Experience and Happy Death of
MARY VOCE,
Who was EXECUTED on NOTTINGHAM GALLOWS,
on TUESDAY, March 16, 1802, for the
Murder of her own CHILD
JOHN CLARKE, Miss Richards, and a few other serious friends visited her repeatedly for several weeks before her trial, explaining the plan of salvation, praying with her, and exhorting her to confess her sins and earnestly seek the Lord; but it does not appear that she was deeply awakened to a proper sense of her dangerous and lost situation by nature and practice, till early on Saturday morning last. On Friday after her condemnation, though in the most agonizing distress, she remained as hardened and impenitent as ever, persisting in denying her guilt, (and as she afterwards told us) determined to destroy herself if possible; it is evident that all the anguish she experienced on Friday was merely worldly sorrow, but very early on Saturday morning her conscience was truly awakened, and she declared she was now convinced that Hell must be her portion, unless she both confessed her guilt and obtained pardon through Jesus Christ. About two o’clock the same morning she confessed the Murder, but remained still much distressed with a load of guilt on her soul, for she became very sensible that she was under the condemnation of the law of God; all that forenoon she manifested real penitence and earnestly sought the Lord, but in the afternoon, her distress on account of her sins increased very much; she frequently said, she had such a weight of guilt upon her soul, that she thought her heart would certainly break, exclaiming, Oh, my heart will break! my heart will break! The danger of her final condemnation appeared to her so great, that she repeatedly declared, she feared she must after all go to Hell, that she thought the very Devil had the possession of her, for she saw it was quite necessary to give up the man with whom she had been wickedly connected, but felt unable to do it, till a very little time before the Lord graciously set her soul at liberty. About five o’ clock her mind was much softened, and she freely and fully confessed with real penitential contrition of soul all the sins she recollected being guilty of, continuing in earnest agonizing prayer to God for mercy. Miss UNWIN and Miss RICHARDS were shortly after engaged in prayer imploring the mercy of God in her behalf, when she suddenly stopped them, by exclaiming in a surprise of gratitude and joy, ‘Oh, what has the Lord done for me!’ On being asked what he had done for her, she replied, ‘He has forgiven me all my sins, I feel it in my heart!’ Her load of guilt and misery was instantly gone, peace and resignation flowed into her happy soul! She immediately exclaimed, ‘How happy I am, I don’t wonder at your taking such pains with me, if you feel as happy as I do, I could not have thought it possible, what happy lives you must live! Shortly after, when JOHN CLARKE, Miss RICHARDS, and ELIZABETH TOMLINSON were at prayer with her, she felt the evidence of her pardon much clearer, her consolation was amazingly increased, she never after felt any doubt, nor the least degree of the fear of death.
After she found peace, her sins appeared in their true light, and she repeatedly declared that hanging was too good for her, she deserved Hell. She felt she not only forgave but loved her enemies, and often assured us that she had now rather die than live. She observed that her imprisonment was the best thing that ever happened to her. Before her soul was set at liberty, she was much concerned at the thought of being made such a public spectacle, but ever after, all shame was banished from her mind. She could scarcely take any nourishment after her condemnation, till she experienced the pardoning love of God, but afterwards could take her food, and sleep, as usual. She frequently said that God loved her, and she felt she loved him. The prison was indeed a Bethel to all who had the privilege of visiting her. The few hours we were with her, were some of the happiest of our lives, she was so triumphant, so delivered from every degree of fear, so lost in wonder, love and praise, was such a proof that perfect love casteth out all fear that hath torment, that our grateful souls felt an increasing love to God for his goodness to her, and at the same time the most perfect union of spirit, and the most ardent christian affection with hers. Mr. Bonington very humanely requested JOHN CLARKE to prepare her mind for the entrance of the Sheriff, and his Officers, she immediately said, ‘They might come forward, for she had no fear of death;’ She met the Executioner with a smile, and gave him her hand, saying, when he asked her to forgive him, ‘Bless you, I have nothing against you, somebody must do it,’ and assisted him in placing the ropes.—She told them, that God had helped her to confess her sins, and that she was happy, that she knew the Lord had pardoned her, and that she was going to Heaven. Some of the gentlemen who had seen her on the Friday after her condemnation, remarked that they could not have conceived such a change could possibly have been effected: She took the most affectionate leave of Mr Bonington’s servant-maid and the female prisoners, embracing them all, and assuring them (although they all wept very much at parting with her) that she was so happy she could not weep, for she had rather die than live. On the road to the gallows she frequently said to Miss RICHARDS, ELIZ. TOMLINSON, and JOHN CLARKE, who at her request attended her in the cart to the place of execution, ‘This is the best day I ever saw, I am quite happy, I had rather die than live,’ and frequently uttered short ejaculatory sentences chiefly of praise to God; it seemed indeed that her prayer was almost all turned into praise.—On the road she observed, ‘I am so happy, I cannot cry, I cannot shed one tear;’ when the cart arrived at the fatal tree, Miss RICHARDS said to her, We are got there, Mary; ‘Well,’ she said, ‘Bless the Lord,’ with a triumphant and heavenly smile on her countenance.
After her condemnation our friends who visited her never left her, there were always at least two of the young women with her, which was certainly made an infinite blessing, and for which privilege, she very sensibly felt her obligation to the Sheriffs and Mr. Bonington, often expressing her thankfulness on that account to those of us who were with her.
She desired the people at the gallows to take warning by her, and assured them that she was happy, and that she was confident she should be in Glory directly, observing, that indeed Glory had already begun in her happy soul.
After the cap was drawn over her face, while the Executioner was fastening the rope, she repeated her former exclamations of ‘Glory! Glory to Jesus!’ adding, ‘I shall soon be in Glory,—Glory is indeed already begun in my soul, and the angels of God are about me!’ which were her last words.
In the evening Mr. KANE preached a sermon on the occasion, to a very crowded audience, in the Methodist Chapel, Halifax Lane, from these words, ‘Is not this a Brand plucked from the fire?’
HENRY TAFT.
Some things through haste were omitted in a few of the first
copies which are here inserted.
Printed and Sold by C.SUTTON, Bridlesmith gate.
The Life, Character, Behaviour at the Place of Execution and
Dying Speech of
MARY VOCE,
Who was EXECUTED on NOTTINGHAM GALLOWS, on
TUESDAY the 16th of March, 1802,
For the Wilful Murder of Elizabeth Voce,
her own CHILD.
AT the Lent Assizes for the Town of Nottingham, held on THURSDAY, March 11, 1802, before the Hon. Sir Robert Graham, Knt. one of the Barons of his Majesty’s Court of Exchequer, MARY VOCE, aged 24, wife of——Voce, bricklayer, was indicted for the wilful murder of her daughter, Elizabeth Voce, an infant, in the parish of St. Mary, in the town of Nottingham, by administering a certain poisonous substance, called arsenic, mixed in water in a tea-cup, to the said Elizabeth Voce, of which she languished a few hours in extreme agony, and then expired.
This horrid act was perpetrated in November last, and the alledged causes came out in evidence at the trial, and more particularly in the undermentioned voluntary Confession, which she desired might be published to the world, for the sake of deterring those unhappy married females from forming polluted connexions with other men, whose ways are ways of wickedness, and whose paths are paths of wretchedness.—Her Trial came on on Friday noon, March 12, which lasted nearly four hours; and it appeared that this unhappy creature had made several attempts to purchase the fatal drug before she could finally obtain it. The witnesses were clear and circumstantial in their evidence, as to the day and hour on which she purchased it, and the Judge, whose humanity on all occasions is so conspicuous, seeing no hope whereby he could put in a plea for her, asked if she had any thing to say in her defence? Upon this she produced a written paper, which being immediately handed to his Lordship, contained a refutation of the direct charge on which she stood indicted, saying that the poison was given by some of her neighbours’ children to the child, through mistake, whilst she was absent in the yard a few minutes; that the child being thirsty, they had hastily taken the tea-cup from the hob, and given it to her, and that she had just swallowed the contents at the moment she (Mary Voce) returned into the house; that moreover, she did not deny buying the arsenic, but declared it was her solemn intention to destroy herself by taking it, in consequence of the long repeated ill usage she had sustained from her husband. This was the only circumstance which could be construed any ways favourable for her, and on which the Judge dwelt for the space of half an hour; but then she had no evidence to corroborate her declaration.
The Judge here recapitulated the evidence, coupled with the Prisoner’s defence, and left it with the Jury to decide on the whole fact; observing, however, that possibly it might be true that she had bore with ill treatment from her husband, and that her life might be rendered burthensome to her; but the motive and the cause for such treatment, was, alas! too apparent; she had embraced the allurements of infidelity, and unable to withstand the resentment of an injured husband, she says she had recourse to the dreadful expedient aforesaid;—‘it may be so,’ said his Lordship, but there is no one who appears to substantiate this written document. She may have been constrained to destroy this child in revenge for the bad usage; and it is necessary to state, that her husband having left her, she had herself and infant to maintain by the labor of her own hands.
The Jury retired out of Court, and after a consultation of ten minutes, pronounced the Prisoner ‘GUILTY of Wilful Murder.’ The Judge immediately passed the awful Sentence of the Law, ‘That she be hanged by the neck ’til she was dead, and that afterwards her body be given to the Surgeons to be dissected and anatomised;’ which dreadful judgment the Prisoner heard with a tolerable degree of fortitude, if we except her eyes being suffused with tears. His Lordship and the whole Court were deeply affected, on beholding a woman, in the prime of life and comeliness of person, stand before God and her country, a guilty creature unworthy to live any longer in this world, and not sufficiently prepared to enter that of another, ‘where the worm dyeth not.’
THE following account of her Birth and Parentage was received verbally from her own mouth, on the morning of her execution, and committed to writing by a friend:
‘I MARY VOCE, was born at Snenton, near Nottingham, in the year 1778; my father and mother are both dead, and fortunate it is they are no more. My maiden name was Hallam; I wish it had been so still. I met with the man who took me for his wife, at——; there we were united by the spiritual law, but at Nottingham—O how I tremble while I speak it—at this place the dominion of Lust seized my soul, I quitted the protecting partner of my virgin heart, and rambling after new delights, became intoxicated with a succession of carnal pleasures; nor did I awake from my reverie, till my husband became so exasperated by my conduct, that he left me a prey to remorse. I had one child1 by him, but I believe he suspected it was not his own, which gave rise to the most violent recriminations before he left me. Having torn himself from me, I thought of subsisting my child by batting cotton, and by other methods which it is too painful to relate.
‘I came to dwell in Fishergate, and had work for some time; but that at length failing, I was at a loss how to act; to beg I was ashamed, to steal I did not like, though I could kill my child;—my husband sent me no money, in a fit of revenge I sought the deadly poison; with a view, at first, to destroy myself, but Satan, always watchful for our destruction, dictated to me the infernal spirit of murdering that sweet innocent, and prompted me to continue onwards in the wages of prostitution. I obeyed his mandates, and was undone. It was in vain I pleaded the excuse of Self-murder before the Judge and Jury, their penetrating minds knew better.
‘One Wm. Jackson went with me to purchase the arsenic in Warsergate; I wish he had persuaded me to the contrary, it might have been better for his conscience.
‘I hope God will accept this my sincere repentance, and thro’ the merits of Christ’s blood, if my sins be as scarlet, yet they shall be as wool. This is a town full of vice and misery, many there be that sit in darkness and in the valley of death; yet the Gospel is preached unto them, and they awake not; may my fate, however, awake them.
‘Lastly, I forgive those who have reflected on me.—I hope they will reflect on me no more after my decease. I have an affectionate sister who will weep at my sad exit; this is all I have to say.
‘MARY VOCE.’
‘Condemned Cell, Town-gaol, Nottingham, Monday night, March 15, 1802.’
The resident Clergymen have alternately visited her, both before and since condemnation, and have found her very desirous of prayer, and anxious to express her contrition. On Sunday night she felt quite comfortable and resigned, and asked the Ministers many questions relative to a future state, who assured her that Jesus will wait ’til the last hour to save to the uttermost all those who seek him by faith and repentance; at which she seemed greatly submissive and thankful.
The morning at length arrived when she was to bid adieu to the transactions of this world; at ten o’clock, the Undersheriff, with his posse of constables, arrived at the gaol to demand her body, and being seated backwards in the cart, was drawn to the place of execution amidst a crowd of spectators, where after being some time engaged in devotion, she was launched into that gulph ‘whence no traveller returns.’
Her remains, after dissection, were publicly exposed.
Beware of buying those printed the day before her Execution.
Burbage and Stretton, Printers.
A full and particular Account of the Life, Trial, and Behaviour of
MARY VOCE,
Who was EXECUTED on NOTTINGHAM GALLOWS,
on TUESDAY, March 16, 1802, for
Poisoning her own CHILD.
HOW frequently are we called upon to lament the untimely Death of our fellow-creatures, who are cut off by the stroke of Justice, for the perpetration of crimes which make humanity shudder!——Of all the atrocious acts which are committed by Mortals, that of Murder is of the greatest magnitude: ’Tis a Sin of the deepest dye: and calls loudly to Heaven for immediate Vengeance. If the guilty wretch escape the sword of Justice, yet sooner or later we generally find that necessary observation verified, ‘Be sure your Sin will find you out.’ We cannot but be deeply affected at the depravity of human nature, when we find it arrive to that degree of barbarity as to destroy, ‘The noblest work of God.’ The Creator enquires, ‘Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb?’ Which question implies the almost impossibility of such a depraved conduct, and were it not that we have seen and heard of such things, we should be ready to say, ‘It is impossible.’ But matters of fact compel us to say such inhuman wretches are found among the sons of men, as the following account will fully prove.
MARY VOCE, the unfortunate subject of our narrative, was on Friday, the 12th of March, arraigned at the Bar, before the Hon. Sir Richard Graham, Knight, and stood charged with having poisoned her Child, an Infant about six weeks old.
It appears from the evidence given on Trial, that she had applied at a respectable Druggist’s shop to purchase arsenick, but not having any person with her, they refused selling her any; she then applied at another shop, and for the same reason as before she was refused. She then applied at another shop, and was also refused till she brought another person with her, whom they properly interrogated respecting the purpose for which she wanted the poison; He answered, he knew she wanted it to poison rats with. Here she succeeded in her purpose. During the course of the Trial she presented a Letter to his Lordship, the substance of which is as follows, That her Husband having left her she was apprehensive of coming to poverty and distress, and during the anxiety of her mind, she resolved upon the desperate plan of terminating her own existence: That she mixed the fatal draught in a cup, but before she had time to put her horrid resolution in effect, a neighbour called upon her and invited her out to breakfast, which invitation she accepted of, and that during her absence, some Children or person unknown to her, must have given the poison to the Child. A Witness was then called upon, who declared that the Prisoner had been out to breakfast that morning as stated in the Letter.
After two hours or more had been employed in the examination of Witnesses, during which the Judge displayed great candour towards the unfortunate Prisoner; He then proceeded to sum up the evidence, taking particular notice of every circumstance which had appeared in her favour, more especially he called the attention of the Jury to the apparent state of her mind during the illness of her Infant; That she was found wringing her hands and weeping bitterly, this, he said, was worthy their attention; for the Evidence deposed, that she saw the Tears, &c. all of which were signs of real Grief.
After having summed up the evidence, the Jury withdrew, and in about ten minutes returned a Verdict GUILTY.
The Judge then proceeded to pronounce Sentence of Death, and gave her a very impressive exhortation to improve the few hours she had to live, in imploring Pardon for her Sins, and in particular for the very horrid and unnatural Crime, the Murder of her own Infant. During the whole time the Prisoner seemed much affected, and when the awful sentence was pronounced, she was unable to stand under it.
For a few hours after her condemnation she was almost frantic, and afterward acknowledged that had she had an opportunity, she would have put an end to her existence; but one person or other being constantly with her, who were solicitous for her eternal Welfare, she became more calm and thoughtful, hearkened to their seasonable admonitions, and manifested signs of genuine Repentance. She fully confessed her crime and acknowledged she had been guilty of administering the poison to the Child, and earnestly implored Heaven to have mercy on her Soul.—Which Mercy we hope she has found.
This poor unfortunate woman whose untimely death we are now deploring, was born at Snenton, near Nottingham, and was a natural Child of the late Paul Simpson of Bobbers Mill. Her mother’s name was Hallam, and she resided at Snenton about three years, when she left, and went to live near Newark, and was married to a Boatman, but we understand she is since dead. She left her Child in the care of a distant relation at Snenton, where she was brought up, and where she continued to reside till the time of her marriage to her surviving husband Thomas Voce. She has had four children, one of which only is living, a Boy about five years of age; Her husband is a Pensioner, and is obliged to go to Chatham once in three years on account of his Pension; during the time he was absent on one of these Journies, which was sometime in March, 1801, she had entertained another Man in her house, and cohabited with him, refusing to admit her legal husband. They lived separate till the latter end of September, when her husband was informed she was in the greatest distress, having been brought to bed, and the person she had been familiar with had forsaken her. In this situation he visited her, and she manifested tokens of sorrow for her misconduct, acknowledged how ill she had used him, and that if he would forgive the past, she would treat him with greater kindness in future; he hearkened to her invitations, and was prevailed upon to receive her into his favour, but alas! their reunion was but of short duration, she fell into the same crime again, on account of which together with some difference which arose on another occasion, a separation took place again, which happened on Friday, the 7th of Nov. and on the Monday following she perpetrated the horrid crime for which she has forfeited her Life.
Her general Character has been very indifferent, she acknowledged to having lived a very dissolute Life, and has been guilty of several petty crimes. During the short interval between her Condemnation, and her Execution, she sent a message to her husband, hoping he would forgive her, but did not wish to see him, as it would only have a tendency to disturb her mind, and augment her grief. She saw her Son, and took a most affectionate and parting Farewel, committing him to the care of Providence.
May every such awful occurrence as we have now been recording, operate as a powerful warning to all those Persons who find themselves tempted to evil, that they may not be drawn away by their own lust and enticed. How needful that divine caution, ‘Watch and Pray that ye enter not into Temptation.’ May we be found frequently invoking Heaven to keep us back from presumptuous sins, that they may not have dominion over us, that we may be innocent, and free from the great Transgression.