Sign-In
Cart
Infanticide and Baby-farming in Victorian England: The Torquay Murder of 1865
Hardcover
Series: History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment
General World HistoryBritish History
ISBN13: 9781350532021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: Nov 13 2025
Pages: 296
Weight: 1.30
Height: 0.69 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
This open access book explores the tragic case of the Torquay Murder of 1865, when the body of a young boy was discovered abandoned on the outskirts of Torquay in Devon, England. Having identified the child as three-month-old Thomas Harris, local police arrested the child's mother, Mary Jane Harris, and his nurse, Charlotte Winsor, and charged them both with murder.
Through careful analysis of a range of original sources including police and inquest reports, court and prison records, witness depositions, newspaper accounts, census records, medical and legal texts, Home Office documents and letters, Mark Jackson reconstructs the complex story of the Torquay murder and explores the personal and political consequences of England's first baby-farming scandal. Situating the case within the context of mid-Victorian concerns over rising rates of illegitimacy and infanticide, debates about the abolition of capital punishment and attempts to regulate child-care and adoption practices, this book examines the impact this landmark trial had on British law and society. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by University of Exeter, UK.Also from
Jackson, Mark
Also in
British History
Revolution: The History of England from the Battle of the Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo
Peter Ackroyd
Hardcover
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, 1485-1534
Everett, Michael
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History
Danner, Mark
Danner, Rk
Paperback
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Hardcover
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Paperback
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Paperback
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women
Mitchell, Claire
Venditozzi, Zoe
Paperback
Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat-And the American Revolution-Transformed Britain
Allen, Danielle
Hardcover
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Hardcover
Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735
Veerapen, Steven
Hardcover
Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown
Foster, Ann
Hardcover
With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Beatles and the People Who Made Them
Maconie, Stuart
Hardcover
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas
Newman, Brooke N.
Hardcover
The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare
Swift, Daniel
Hardcover
The Secrets of Eaton Square: Sex, Scandal, and Infamy on the Road to Buckingham Palace
Larman, Alexander
Hardcover
The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: Private Revelations from Britain's Most Famed Diarist
de la Bédoyère, Guy
Hardcover
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Paperback
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Hardcover
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Hardcover
The Defector: The Untold Story of the KGB Agent Who Saved Mi5 and Changed the Cold War
Kerbaj, Richard
Hardcover
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Johnson, Steven
Paperback
Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry: The History and Lore of Gems, Charms, and Talismans
Azzarito, Amy
Hardcover
The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
Anishanslin, Zara
Hardcover
Things We Found in the Ground: Discovering the History Buried Beneath Our Feet
Gray, Lucie
Bruce, Ellie
Paperback
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Paperback
Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
Buchanan, Patrick J.
Paperback
A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins
Davidson, Hilary
Hardcover
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America's Early Independence
Burnard, Trevor
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson
Hardcover
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Millard, Candice
Paperback
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War: The Life of George Downing
Sewell, Dennis
Hardcover
Scottish History and Mythology: An Enthralling Journey Through Scotland's Past and Legendary Myths
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
The Intellectual Origins of American Slavery: English Ideas in the Early Modern Atlantic World
Harpham, John Samuel
Hardcover
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Paperback
The Quest for El Dorado: Sir Walter Ralegh and the Search for the City of Gold
Gibbins, David
Hardcover
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Hardcover
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
Flanders, Judith
Paperback
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
Sides, Hampton
Hardcover
The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew J.
Paperback
Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century
McDonagh, Melanie
Hardcover
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line
Cormac, Rory
Hardcover
Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat - A New Scientist Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Shute, Joe
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining: How to Cook, Host, and Toast Like a Member of the Ton: A Cookbook
Timberlake, Emily
Hardcover
Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War
Ferling, John E.
Hardcover
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley
Gordon, Charlotte
Paperback
Scotland's Forgotten Past: A History of the Mislaid, Misplaced and Misunderstood
Moffat, Alistair
Paperback
Our Island Story: A History of the Kings, Queens and Battles of England, Scotland and Britain for Boys and Girls
Marshall, H. E.
Paperback
The Story of Tudor Art: A History of Tudor England Through Its Art and Objects
Faraday, Christina J.
Hardcover
Forgotten Churches: Exploring England's Hidden Treasures: The Sunday Times Bestseller
Sherlock, Luke
Hardcover
The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook: Teatime Drinks, Scones, Savories & Sweets
Downton Abbey
Hardcover
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Paperback
They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France
Glass, Charles
Paperback
Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History
Tatarnic, Martha
Hardcover
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
Hindmarsh, Bruce
Borlase, Craig
Paperback
Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era
Bunn, Mike
Hardcover
Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution
Paul, Joel Richard
Paperback
A Spy Amongst Us: Daniel Defoe's Secret Service and the Plot to End Scottish Independence
Mierowsky, Marc
Hardcover
The Big Hop: The First Non-Stop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean and Into the Future
Rooney, David
Paperback
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
Worsley, Lucy
Paperback
A Vintage Victorian Christmas Sticker, Color & Activity Book: Over 200 Unique Stickers
Editors of Chartwell Books
Paperback
The Stuff of History: A Curated Compendium of Curious Objects and Forgotten People
Moore, Steven
Hardcover