DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TRIAL OF WILLIAM CORDER

The Ninth Indictment

The cause of Maria Martin's death could not be determined. In an endeavour to cover every possibility, Corder was indicted with nine variations of the charge of murder to avoid him escaping conviction "on a technicality". James Curtis made the comment: 'This indictment is considered as a masterly specimen of legal skill and exactitude, and will, no doubt, become a standard for future reference'. There is record of it being used by Suffolk police for the training of cadets well into the twentieth century (1)

In the event he was charged with ten counts in all:

1. By shooting her with a pistol inflicting a mortal wound in the left side of her face
2. By stabbing her with a sword on the left side of the body between the fifth and sixth ribs
3. By stabbing her with a sword on the right side of her face
4. By stabbing her on the right side of the neck
5. By putting and fastening a handkerchief about her neck, and strangling her
6. By shooting her on the left side of the face with a gun
7. By throwing her and pushing her into a hole dug into a floor of the barn, and throwing a quantity of earth upon her, thereby suffocating her
8. By throwing her into a hole and burying her
9. By stabbing her in the left side and strangling her with a handkerchief conjointly
10. By all four wounds above mentioned and by strangling her with a handkerchief and by suffocating her with earth conjointly.

RETURN TO "THE MURDER OF MARIA: From Red Barn to Lincolns Inn Fields

GALLERY 1: Corder and the Martin Family

Thomas Martin, a mole catcher in Polestead, was born in 1766. His daughter Maria was the oldest of three girls by his first wife, Grace. Sisters Maria and Anne were said to be very similar in appearence, and it is said that Anne sat as the model for this sketch of Maria. Thomas Henry was the son of William Corder and Maria. By the time of her murder, Thomas had married again, to Ann Holder, who was 25 years his junior.

Images from The Red Barn Murder: St Edmunds Borough Council, West Suffolk except * Maria Marten: from The Red Barn Murder: Wikipedia

RETURN TO "THE MURDER OF MARIA: From Red Barn to Lincolns Inn Fields

GALLERY 1: Arrest, trial and execution

The large image is a likeness of William Corder awaiting his trial in the summer of 1828. John Wayman was the Coroner who presided over the inquest on Maria Martin at the Cock Inn, Polstead and was the attorney for the prosecution at Corder's trial. James Lea was the Constable in London who, with Constable Ayres from Polstead, arrested Corder in Brentford. John Curtis was the investigative journalist who wrote accounts for The Times and whose researches were subsequently published in a book. John Orridge was the governor and the Reverend W Stocking the chaplain of the County Gaol at Bury St Edmunds where Corder was incarcerated after his arrest and spent his last days in the condemned cell. They were said to have spent many hours with him and ultimately produced and witnessed the confession that he made and signed the night before his death. The final image is a detail from a lithograph of Corder's execution.

Images from The Red Barn Murder: St Edmunds Borough Council, West Suffolk except * Corder awaiting trial: from The Red Barn Murder: Wikipedia

RETURN TO "THE MURDER OF MARIA: From Red Barn to Lincolns Inn Fields

The execution broadsheet

James Catnach was one of several authors who produced broadsheets of popular events. This example (2) included accounts of the execution, a copy of Corder's confession and the words of a song attributed to William as author. It is reputed to have sold over a million copies.

From: The Red Barn Murder: Wikipedia

RETURN TO "THE MURDER OF MARIA: From Red Barn to Lincolns Inn Fields

References

1. The Trial. St Edmunds Borough Council, West Suffolk
2. Confession and Execution of William Corder: James Catnach. Wikipedia Commons
3. McCormick, Donald: "The Red Barn Mystery, Some new evidence on an old murder " John Long, London (1967)

Added April 9th 2007
Updated March 18th 2012

Return to Top of Page