THE HORRIBLE EXECUTION OF MARGARET WATER FOR THE BRIXTON BABY FARMING CASE ....

Margaret Waters- The Brixton Baby Farming case.

35 year old widow, Margaret Waters was charged with five counts of wilful murder of children in the Brixton area of London, as well as neglect and conspiracy.

She had placed adverts in local newspapers headed “Adoption” claiming that a married couple in a good position were wishing to adopt a baby, as they were unable to have a child of their own. A fee of £4 was to be payable. In all 27 adverts were put in various papers.

The 16 year old daughter of the Cowen family had become pregnant and her father answered one of the adverts.

He received a letter signed M. Willis and arranged a meeting with this person whom he later identified as Margaret Waters. He paid her £2 to take baby John who had been born on the 14th of May 1870.

Sergeant Richard Relf of the Metropolitan Police became the first person to specialise in investigating baby farming murders. He examined the cases of 18 infant deaths in the Brixton area, leading to the arrest of Margaret Walters.

At the beginning of June 1870 Sgt. Relf spotted another advert for adoption in the same local paper, ostensibly placed by a Mrs. Oliver. He interviewed Mrs. Oliver, who turned out to be Sarah Ellis, in connection with this but she would not give him an address. However, he managed to follow her to a house at 4 Frederick Terrace, Gordon Grove in Brixton.

The next morning, accompanied by Mr. Cowen he went to the house. John Cowen was discovered along with five other infants, all in “pitiable” condition. John should have weighed about 12 lbs. by this stage but in fact only weighed 6 lbs. On a table he found a bottle of laudanum. All the infants were removed to the workhouse but died as a result of malnutrition and laudanum ingestion.

Waters and her sister, 28 year old Sarah Ellis, were tried at the Old Bailey before the Lord Chief Baron Kelly over three days commencing on the 21st of September 1870. Waters was convicted of the murder of John Walter Cowen for which she was sentenced to death. At the direction of the judge Sarah Ellis was acquitted of the murders, but convicted of obtaining money under false pretences and sentenced to 18 months in prison with hard labour.

Waters made a lengthy written confession to a Dr. Edmunds in the condemned cell a few days before she was hanged in which she admitted that she had “laid down” the bodies of five babies who had died in her home, but that she had not killed them intentionally.

Her execution was carried out by William Calcraft in a yard within Horsemonger Lane Goal (County of Surrey) at 9.00 am. on Tuesday, the 11th of October, 1870.

She was able to walk to the gallows and shook hands with the Rev. John Jessop and Calcraft. The bolt was drawn at 9.05 am. and despite the short drop, she reportedly died with barely a struggle. Some 2-300 people watched the black flag hoisted over the prison to show that the sentence had been carried out. The drawing of the hanging is from the Illustrated Police News.

Waters was the first of eight women in England, Scotland and Wales to be hanged as baby farmers from 1870 to 1909. Her case would help lead to the 1872 Infant Life Protection Act, which introduced regulations for licensing and registration of freelance child adoption.

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