A young wife collapses in agony inside her Warminster cottage, and within minutes she is gone. Arsenic in the house, strychnine in the chemist’s shop, and whispers of fear and family tension stirred a scandal that gripped Victorian England. In this episode, we follow the final hours of Elizabeth Pearce, a 25-year-old newlywed whose sudden death in 1886 set off one of the era’s most troubling poisoning investigations.

With conflicting witness accounts, uncertain forensic evidence, and a household divided by suspicion, the question remains:

Was this a deliberate poisoning, a tragic accident, or a catastrophic failure of Victorian justice?

Join us as we trace the case from Elizabeth’s last meal to the inquest room, examining the powders, testimonies, and courtroom drama that still raise questions nearly a century and a half later.

If you enjoy these deep dives into Victorian and Edwardian true crime, you can find bonus episodes, early releases, and our full archive on Patreon — a lovely way to explore more cases with us at your own pace.

The spring of 1911 brought one of Britain’s most disturbing domestic mysteries into the ancient walls of Lancaster Castle. Three members of the Bingham family died suddenly, each showing the same violent gastric symptoms. As whispers of arsenic poisoning spread, suspicion fell upon the last surviving daughter, Edith Agnes Bingham — a quiet woman already viewed by neighbours as “simple” and vulnerable.

In this episode, we return to the original Edwardian newspaper reports to follow the case exactly as it unfolded: the baffling medical testimony, the exhumations at dawn, and the courtroom drama that gripped the country. Was this truly a triple poisoning, or a tragic sequence of illnesses misinterpreted by early forensic science?

We also look at what became of Edith after the verdict — a fate far quieter, and far sadder, than the headlines suggested.

Plus: today’s Further Particulars brings a musical disturbance from Leamington Spa, where The Blue Danube echoed through a street in the middle of the night… despite no one owning a piano.

If you enjoy these deep dives into Britain’s historical true crime, you’re warmly invited to join us on Patreon, where you’ll find weekly exclusive episodes, early ad-free releases, and our full archive of members-only content.

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A quiet Sunday in the Liverpool suburbs took a shocking turn in 1882 when a young maid, Mary Cremen, was found shot in the scullery of a respectable Crosby home. Her employer, Arthur Golding, immediately presented himself at the police station, insisting the death was a tragic accident. But as investigators examined the revolver, questioned the household, and uncovered a tangle of jealousies and clandestine relationships, the tidy façade of middle-class respectability began to crumble.

Was this truly a mishap with a six-shooter? Or was someone in the Golding household hiding far more than they revealed?

In this episode, we explore the forensic puzzle that troubled Victorian investigators, the shifting testimonies, and the domestic tensions that set the stage for one of Crosby’s most perplexing inquests.

And in this week’s Further Particulars, we turn to an extraordinary 1880s insurance tale involving a widow, a policy form, and a husband who managed to exit the world before completing the paperwork.

If you enjoy these historical deep dives, you can find additional episodes, bonus stories, and early access posts over on our Patreon — a cosy corner for those who like a little extra Victorian intrigue.