The tryal of Mary Blandy, spinster; for the murder of her father, Francis Blandy, Gent. At the assizes held at Oxford for the county of Oxford, on Saturday the 29th of February, 1752 / Before the Honourable Heneage Legge, esq; and Sir Sydney Stafford Smythe, knt., two of the barons of His Majesty's Court of exchequer. Published by permission of the judges.

  • Blandy, Mary, 1720-1752.
Date:
1752
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The tryal of Mary Blandy, spinster; for the murder of her father, Francis Blandy, Gent. At the assizes held at Oxford for the county of Oxford, on Saturday the 29th of February, 1752 / Before the Honourable Heneage Legge, esq; and Sir Sydney Stafford Smythe, knt., two of the barons of His Majesty's Court of exchequer. Published by permission of the judges. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/72 (page 6)
    Pantry, and after Jlirring her Papa's Water-gruel, had eat the Oatmeal at the Bottom, fay¬ ing, that, if fhe was ever to take to the eating any thing in particular it would be Oat¬ meal. Strange Inconfiftence ! She who had caution’d the Maid againft it not above a Fortnight before, who had declared that it had been prejudicial to her own Health, “ is on “ a fudden grown mighty fond of it.”-But the Pretence is eafily to be feen through. That Afternoon fome of the Water-gruel was taken out of the Pan, and prepared for her Father’s Supper. She again in the Kitchen takes care to ftir it fufficiently ; Looks at the Spoon. Rubs fome between her Fingers. And then fends it up to the poor old Man, her Father. He fcarce had lwallow’d it, when he was taken violently ill, and con¬ tinued fo all the next Day, with a griping, purging, and vomiting. Yet fhe herfelf orders a fecond Mefs, of the fame Gruel, for her Father’s Supper on the Tuefday, and was herfelf the Perfon who carry’d it up to her Father, and adminifter’d it to him as Nourifhment. The Poor old Man, gtown weak with the frequent Repetition, had not drank half the Mefs before he was feiz’d, from Head to Foot, with the moft vio¬ lent pricking Pains, continual reaching and vomiting •,-and was obliged to go to Bed without finifhing it. The next Morning the poor Chairwoman coming again to the Houfe, unfortunately eat the Remainder of the Gruel; and was inftantly affected in fo violent a manner, that for two Hours together it was thought fhe would have died in Mr. Blandy's Houfe. The Prifoner at this Time was in Bed, but the Maid going up to her Room told her how ill Dame Emmet had been, at the fame time faying fhe had eat nothing but the Remainder of her Father’s Water-gruel. The Prifoner’s Anfwer was. Poor Woman ! I am glad I was not up, I floould have been floock’d to have feen her. Should have been fhock’d to have feen the poor Chairwoman eat what was prepar’d for her Fa¬ ther; but was never fhock’d at her Father’s eating it, or at his Sufferings! Gentlemen, in the Afternoon of the Wednefday, notwithftanding the poor Man, her Fa¬ ther, had fuffer’d fo much for two Days together, yet fhe again endeavours to give him more of the fame Gruel. No! fays the Maid, it has an odd Tajte ; it is grown ft ale; I will make frefh. It is not worth while to make freflj new, it will take you from your Ironing ; this will do, was the Prifoner’s Anfwer. Flowever Sufan made frefh, after which wanting the Pan to put it in, fhe went to throw away what was before in it. Upon tilting the Pan, fhe perceived a white Powder at the Bottom, which fire knew could not be Oat¬ meal. She fhew’d it her Fellow-Servant, when feeling it they found it gritty. They then too plainly perceiv’d what it was had made their poor old Mafter fo ill. What was to be done ? Sufan immediately carried the Pan, with the Gruel and Powder in it, to Mrs. Meunteney, a Neighbour and Friend of the deceafed. Mrs. Mounteney kept it till it was deliver’d to the Apothecary, the Apothecary deliver’d it to the Phyfician, and he will tell you, that upon trying it, he found it to be white Arfenic. Mr. Blandy continued from Day to Day to grow worfe. At laft, upon the Saturday Morning, Sufan Gunnell, an old honeft Maid Servant, uneafy to fee how her poor Mafter had been treated, went to his Bed-fide, and, in the molt prudent and gentlefl manner, broke to him what had been the Caufe oT”his Illnefs, and the ftrong Ground there was to fufpedl that his Daughter was the Occafion of it. The Father, with a Fondnefs greater than ever a Father felt before, cried out, Poor love-flek Girl! What will not a Woman do for the Man fhe loves! But who do you think gave her the Powder ? She anfwer’d, She could not tell, unlefs it was fent by Mr. Cranftoun. I believe fo too, fays the Mafter, for I remember he has talked learned¬ ly of Poifons. I always thought there was Mijchief in thefe curfed Scotch Pebbles. Soon afterwards he got up and came to Breakfaft in his .Parlour, where his Daughter and Mr. Littleton, his Clerk, then were. A difh of Tea, in the ufual Manner, was ready pour’d out for him. He juft tafted it, and faid, This Lea has a badTafte ; looked at the Cup; then looked hard at his Daughter. She was, for the firft Time, fhock’d ; burft into Tears, and ran out of the Room. The poor Father, more fhock’d than the Daugh¬ ter, poured the Tea into the Cat’s Balbn, and went to the Window to recover himfelf. She foon came again into the Room. Mr. Littleton faid, Madam! I fear your Father is very ill, for he has flung away his Tea. Upon this News floe trembled, and the Tears again flood in her Eyes. She again withdrew. .Soon afterwards the Father came into the Kitchen, and addrefting himfelf to her faid, Molly! I had like to have been poifon'd twenty Tears ago, and now I find I floall die by Poifon at lafl. This was Warning fufficient. She immediate¬ ly went up Stairs, brought down Mr. Cranfloun's Letters, together with the Remainder of the Poifon, and threw them (as fhe thought unobferv’d) into the Fire. Thinking floe had now clear’d herfelf from the fufpicious Appearances of Poifon, her Spirits mend, fhe thank'd God, that fhe was much better, and faid, her Mind was more at eafe than it had been. Alas! how often does that, which we fondly imagine will lave us, become our Deftruction ? So it was in the prefent Inftance. For providentially, though the Letters were deflroy’d, the Paper with the Poifon in it was not burnt. One of the Maids having 3 im-