Not that long ago, the streets of London, and other British cities, were brutally violent places, with a murder rate which dwarves that today.
But to combat this astonishing violence and brutality, offenders were punished with equal violence and brutality, with punishments ranging from hanging (those in London were usually sent to Tyburn) and beheading to being burnt at the stake and being hanged, drawn and quartered, which involved having your private parts and entrails ripped out before your eyes and burnt on a roaring fire.
Eighteenth century London was especially violent, and until the mid-19th century Britain had around 250 capital punishments. Children caught stealing handkerchiefs or bread could be hanged in front of a crowd of thousands, whilst serial killers or those accused of treason could have their bowels ripped out whilst still alive (if only we could bring back those punishments).
In 1811, a series of brutal murders took place on the infamous Ratcliffe Highway in London's East End. Today, it is just known as The Highway.
The Highway, which dates back to Roman times, runs west to east from The City to Limehouse.
The accused, John Williams, a young Scotsman or Irishman, was arrested but hanged himself in gaol.
As was the custom of treating suicides in Britain in those days, Williams was buried at a junction of two roads with a stake driven through his heart after being paraded through the streets.
In the early part of the 19th century Ratcliffe Highway had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous streets in London. Situated at Wapping near the Pool of London it shared it’s reputation with other streets which were sited in close proximity to a sea ports.
The Highway lay just north of the Ratcliffe waterfront, and although the ordinary small businesses such as Bakers, Grocers and Drapers scratched out a living, they did so among the other more profitable establishments for which the Highway was known, these were the Public Houses, the Brothels and cheap Lodging Houses. It was here that the sailors, after long weeks away at sea, were only to eager to spend their money.
Those well meaning philanthropists who worked to improve the lives of the poor had little contact with Ratcliffe Highway, perhaps they thought that even the sweet scents of the spices, sandlewood and ginger piled high in the nearby wharehouses could disguise the smell of debauchery that lingered over every cobble of the Highway.
It was into this busy raucous atmosphere that Thomas Marr settled with his family in April 1811, Thomas had worked for the East India Company before deciding to opening his own Drapers and Haberdashery shop in Ratcliffe Highway, maybe he chose the spot because of the high percentage of prostitutes in the area who had money to spend on linen, ribbons and so on. Whatever the reason for moving to the Highway it turned out to be a tragic one.
During those days there were regulations as to when shops could open and close, so it was that late on the evening of the 7th of December 1811 Thomas Marr as still busy in his little shop, with him was his wife Celia, the shop boy James Gowan and te young servant girl Margaret Jewel.Three months earlier a baby boy had been born to Thomas and Celia and on that particular night he was sleeping peacefully upstairs. During that time Thomas asked Margaret to go to the local Bakers and pay the weekly bill, also to buy some oysters, which at that time were considered ‘poor mans food’, however when she reached the shop she found it closed, so retracing her footsteps she set off to pay the Bakers bill, as she did so she passed the Drapers and saw that Thomas Marr and the others were still busy getting ready for the following days trade.
Margaret estimated that she had been away from the shop for about 20 minutes, so she was surprised to find that when she returned to the shop it was in complete darkness, including the rooms above. She tried the door and found it locked, surely, she thought, they hadn’t forgotten she was still out. Putting her ear to the door she could hear no sound from inside, so lifting the knocker she let it drop with a heavy thud, she then thought she heard a footstep on the stairs, then a moment later came a small cry from the baby upstairs, yet still no-one came to let her in. By now Margaret was beginning to panic and she began pounding on the door and calling out to be let in, still the door remained closed against her, but out of the darkness came a voice demanding to know what was going on. It was with relief that she saw it was George Olney, the Night Watchman who came to the Highway to call out the time each half hour. He was a friend of Thomas Marr and grew concerned as Margaret poured out her story, especially when he noticed that although the shutters were closed they weren’t fastened so he began to call out his friends name, this in turn woke the pawnbroker who lived next door. After he learn the reason for the noise he told them he would go around the back to see if anything was amiss.
When the pawnbroker climbed the fence from his garden into that of the Marr’s he noticed that the back door stood open and a light flickered inside. Slowly John Murray made his way inside, as he did so he called his neighbours name softly, but he needn’t have worried, for none that were inside the little drapers shop would ever wake again.
Just inside the door lay the lifeless body of James Gowan, then as the pawnbroker tried to make his way to the front of the shop to let in George Olney and Margaret his foot tripped on the body of Celia Marr. By now John Murray was sick to his stomach but he managed to unlock the door and let the others in. Together the two men set out to search for Thomas Marr, there search wasn’t a long one for behind the counter they found the body of Thomas Marr who had suffered the same fate as the others. Now there was just one thing on their minds, the baby, surely the baby was safe. Sadly as the two men entered the bedroom upstairs it became clear that even young Timothy Marr had not been spared.
The maul found at the scene of the Marr's Murder
By the time the two men returned downstairs they found that the little shop was filled with onlookers, some holding candles illuminating the grisly scene as they searched for the murder weapon. Someone in the crowd called out that they were going to report the crime at the Thames River Police Office. George Olney nodded only half hearing what that man had said, for his mind was numb with the horror all around him.
Although the Bow Street Runners were created in 1746 by the time of the Marr murders there was still no offical police force. It would not be until 1829 that magistates would affirm the Metropolitan Police Bill, which would give London a full time organized police force, and another eleven years until there was a separate detectives department. Until then parish constables, magistrates and coroners dealt with local crimes.
The first officer on the scene was Charles Horton. He had already found what he believed to be the murder weapon, a bloodstained mallet (or maul), in the upstairs bedroom. However the thing that alluded him was the motive, nothing appeared to have been taken, money was still in the till, with more in the chest of drawers in the bedroom., at the back of the house two sets of footprints were discovered, earlier that day carpenters had been working inside the shop, and as the footprints contained sawdust from inside the shop it seemed that these were the footprints of the murderers. So if robbery was the motive were they distubed by Margarets return? Or was there a personal reason for so much violence?
Over the next few days various people were brought in for questioning, but no strong cases could be made agains’t them, one of the carpenters who worked in the shop that day was suspected, but released, a previous servant girl was also questioned as to her whereabouts that night but inquiries showed she really had no motives, neither had she any criminal contacts, so she too was released.
As the custom of the day the bodies of the Marr’s family, and that of James Gowan were laid out on their beds at home, many came to view the bodies, some genuine mourners, but a few just came to gawp. Later a memorial service was held and they were buried beneath a monument in St George in the East Churchyard . This was the very church where they had joined with family and friends just a few weeks earlier to witness the baptism of their son Timothy.
News of the funeral reignited the fear, not just in the east end, but throughout London that if an honest hard working family could be slaughter in the one place they should feel safe, their home, then was anyone safe? The slow progress of the police only served to feed this fear of random violence. It was then it was decided to take another look at the murder weapon, once some of the blood was wiped away from the handle a pair of initials appeared, some cases say they were I.P others J.P. This discovery took place on December the 19th and if Charles Horton thought he had at last found a breakthrough events of the coming evening were to change that.
Close to the Ratcliffe Highway was a street called New Gravel Lane, it was here that Mr and Mrs Williamson ran the Kings Arms tavern, they had done so for the past fifteen years, and unlike the public houses of the Highway theirs was an orderly house, living with them was their fourteen year old grandaughter Kitty Stillwell, also a house sevant and a lodger named John Turner.
On the night of the 19th of December Mr Williamson reported to the local constable that there was a strange man hanging around his establishment listening at doors, and in light of what had happened to the Marr’s family he thought he should be arrested. The constable promised to keep a look out for him and continued on his rounds. He had hardly finished his rounds when he heard the cry of ‘Murder’…’Murder’, running towards the sound the constable was shocked to see a crowd outside the Kings Arms, and from the upstairs window a near naked man was lowering himself to the ground by means of a knotted blanket. The man shaking and crying fell into the arms of the crowd below, and although he sounded incoherent they could just about make out what he was saying, it turned out that he was the lodger John Turner and he had just witnessed an awful sight.
The escape of John Turner from the Kings Arms tavern
Hearing this this crowd turned to the door and battered it down, as they tumbled inside they froze in horror for just outside the taproom lay the body of the publican Mr Williamson. In the parlour was the body of his wife and that of Bridget Harington Harington, the servant. Bridget’s body lay just in front of the fireplace, as if she had been struck down as she was laying the fire ready for the morning. Fearing they were seeing a repeat of the Marr’s murders some of the men armed themselves with stakes and made their way upstairs fearing the worse. When they reached the grandaughters bedroom they saw her tucked up in her bed, but one touch on her should proved she was unharmed, whatever had occurred below she had slept through it.
If there had been fear after the Marr’s murders now there was complete panic. The police knew they had to close this case and soon. So we come to the chief suspect a certain John Williams.
John Williams
John Williams was an Irish sailor who had been ashore at the time of both murders., as they considered him the circumstanial evidence piled up against him.
He had been involved in a mutiny aboard his last ship.
He returned home late on the night of the Kings Arms murders.
He had blood on his shirt.
He had been known to have no money before the murders, but had some afterwards.
This was enough for the police to arrest him, he explained that the money came from pawning some clothing, he had a pawn ticket in his pocket, but his claim was never checked. The blood he said came from being involved in a fight. In spite of the flimsy evidence he was arrested and taken to Coldbath Fields prison, together with two other suspects.
Then on Christmas Eve Pear Tree lodging house was searched, this is where John Williams was staying, and it was discovered that in a trunk belonging to a sailor at sea. and had been at he time of both murders, a mallet (maul) was missing, that sailors name was John Peterson (J.P). This seemed to seal the case against John Williams.
However Williams never came to trial, three days later he was found hanging in his cell. After his death more evidence was brought forward which convinced the police they had got their man………but had they.?
Although he was dead the inhabitents wanted to reek revenge on the person responsible for such horrific crimes, so it was they loaded his body on a cart and paraded it around Wapping, pausing at both the Marr’s shop and the Kings Arms. They then contiued to he crossroad at Cannon Street and Cable Street where a grave had been prepared. As his body fell into the waiting grave someone jumped after it and drove a stake through its heart. Satisfied the John Williams would never rise again the people returned to their homes.
The procession of Williams' Body
The procession halts outside the Marr's shop
Williams' body on the cart (the alleged murder weapons are displayed above his head)
In 1886 workmen were digging a trench across Cannon Street for the gas company when they came across a skeleton, and even after seventy five years the stake was still embedded in its ribs.
This case has fascinated crime writers some like P D James wondered, in her book ‘The Pear Tree and the Maul’ if John Williams was innocent of the crimes, and was in fact yet another victim of the Ratcliffe Highway murders.
Last edited:
