A murder in the Georgian countryside

[Toby Frost]

We're in the English Midlands, in the countryside, around 1800 (but vague about the exact date and location). A respectable but fairly unimportant widow is found dead by a visiting friend. She has clearly been stabbed to death and goods have been stolen from her home. What happens next?

The widow has no living relations, but several friends (who are also old ladies without much clout). They might be reluctant to raise a posse, as it could start a witch-hunt (literal or metaphorical). I expect that nobody of power would be much interested, so would it simply be a matter of the victim's friends taking the law into their own hands?

 

[The Judge]

Ah-ha! I shall be researching the very same issues at some point, though for 15-20 years earlier than 1800.

The very minimal research I've done so far confirms there's no police ourside London at this point, but we do, of course, have magistrates, coroners (I'm not yet sure of their exact powers as a couple of sites I checked out a fortnight ago were less than helpful) and "constables" ie unpaid locals who are meant to do some investigation, as well as assize courts which would handle murder cases.

If it's a murder that has the appearance of an accident, it's likely to be overlooked just because people in every century are lazy and take the easy way out, so getting any traction then might be difficult. (As it might well be nowadays, in fact.) If, though, it's a clearly obvious murder then action will be taken, particularly when theft is involved, because the local squirearchy won't want homicidal burglars on the loose since they have more to lose than old ladies, though that might simply mean finding the nearest itinerant/gypsy/"foreigner" and bringing them to the assize to be summarily hanged.

With regard to the non-criminal legal issues, I'm sure you're already on to it, but does your victim own her own house, or is she renting? Has she made a will? Whoever gets the money might feel under an obligation to push things further.

 

[CupofJoe]

The killing of a little-old-lady, would probably shock [or maybe mock shock] the locals.
I’d tempted to add that around 1800 and in the countryside, there would be a fairly good chance that you knew [or knew of] everyone within walking distance. And you probably had a good idea of what everyone thought about everyone else. Strangers and transient visitors would stand out. This would be the perfect setting for “pin it on the stranger”.
I could see that a kind of hysteria could run amok and have the first Tinker, Gypsy, Frenchman [pick your out group of choice] and get them hung.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Iit depends. The key thing is that it happens in the countryside and not in the city, so much more chance of the murderer being caught.

A stabbing means there's blood, and lots of it. Much of it on the murderer. Back then it wasn't so easy to wash the bloodied rags. Or to hide. Especially not to run very far or very fast.

The landowner on whose land it occurred would likely have his men investigate the scene and search the surrounding area. And if goods have been taken (although unless wealthy, you have to question what goods she would have worth stealing) then even easier to follow the trail of the perpetrator.

It's quite possible that the locals will be angered into some mob justice, targetting the usual vulnerable suspects such as travellers or strangers in the area. Whether tjey would be punished for it is another thing. Even back then, taking justice out of the hands of the official authorities would be cracked down upon.

Judges were often keen to get trials over and done with, and for justice to be seen to be done on the most likely person. And they were often corrupt. But murder is murder, and judges - if nothing else - were not fools.

For example there was a case where a number of people were accused of witchcraft (a local landowner who had had a disagreement with them, persuaded a young girl to lie). Through careful cross examination of the girl, the judge determined she was lying and acquitted the accused women.

So it wasn't always the case that the wring person was tried and executed. In fact it's likely that much of the time the judges got it right.

 

[Tirellan]

What is the attitude of the important local people - squire, priest etc? Things will happen if they want them to. Was the victim someone's old nurse/maid/servant/friend?