Mary Anne Barry

Case details

Mary Anne Barry was executed by hanging at Gloucester Prison on January 12, 1874.

The offence

Mary Anne Barry was executed alongside her partner in crime, 32 year old Edwin Bailey, for the poisoning murder of his illegitimate one year old child, Sarah Jenkins. Sarah was poisoned with strychnine after being given powders described as teething powders.

Sarah Jenkins died on Sunday the 17th of August 1873. The powders were analyzed and the other two powders were found to contain strychnine.

Investigation

Constable Critchley took charge of the powders, the letter and the envelope that they had come in. A post mortem was carried out on the baby and concluded that she had been poisoned by the contents of the packets. The packets were genuine but their original contents had been removed and replaced by a rat poison containing strychnine, a fact confirmed by the county analyst.

An inquest was opened at the Volunteer Inn in Stapleton on the 18th of August and adjourned until the 5th of September. Edwin was present at the second hearing and heard Constable Critchley’s evidence regarding similarities of the handwriting. Edwin was bound over to be present at the next hearing scheduled for a week later but did not show up for it.

Police enquiries about the woman “Ann” who had been visiting the baby led to the arrest of Mary Anne Barry at her lodgings in Bristol on the 14th of September.

Arrest

Mary Anne Barry was arrested at her lodgings in Bristol on the 14th of September.

Trial

Edwin Bailey and Mary Anne Barry were tried together before Mr. Justice Archibald at Gloucester assizes on Tuesday the 23rd of December 1873, the day before Edward Butt.

Mr. Justice Archibald told the jury:

“Edwin Bailey and Mary Anne Barry are accused of causing the death of Sarah Jenkins by poison, or rather I ought to tell you that the prisoner Bailey has been committed as principal in the offence and Mary Anne Barry as an accessory before the fact.”

The paper of the letter purporting to come from the Dorcas Society was traced to Edwin and the handwriting matched his according to handwriting expert, Mr. Charles Chabot, who appeared for the prosecution. No evidence was offered by the defence counsel. The jury took an hour to reach a verdict of guilty against both defendants and they were accordingly condemned to death. The jury made a recommendation to mercy for both of them.

Sentencing

Edwin Bailey and Mary Anne Barry were condemned to death. Petitions for a reprieve were got up locally but no reprieve was to be forthcoming and an execution date of January the 12th was fixed.

Execution

William Calcraft was not available for this hanging due to ill health, so the job was offered to Robert Anderson (Evans) from Carmarthen in Wales, by the Under Sheriff of Gloucestershire. Anderson suggested that the platform of the gallows be mounted over a pit to make it level with prison yard and this modification was done. The platform was enclosed by a four foot high black calico screen.

The hangings took place at eight o’clock in the morning. Edward Butt and Edwin Bailey were wearing suits and Mary Anne Barry was wearing a long print dress. She was accompanied to the gallows by the matron of Gloucester Gaol, while Edwin was accompanied by the Governor, Captain H. K. Wilson.

The three condemned prisoners knelt on the platform and recited the Lords Prayer with the chaplain before submitting to the final preparations. Mary Anne Barry was placed between the men on the trap, their legs were tied and the white hoods placed over their heads, followed by the nooses. The chaplain and the hangman shook hands with each prisoner and then Anderson withdrew the bolt releasing the trap doors and causing the prisoners to drop below the level of the calico screen.

The two men died almost without a struggle but Mary Ann Barry suffered longer and Anderson had to press down upon her shoulders to quicken her death.

A black flag was hoisted over the prison to show that the executions had been carried out and after the formal inquest their bodies were buried wearing the clothes they were hanged in, in unmarked graves in the execution yard, with quick lime thrown into the coffins.

The chaplain revealed that both Edwin and Mary Anne had confessed their guilt to him. Anderson said that Mary Anne had whispered to him on the gallows that she had dreamt she would die like this.

Mary Anne Barry became the last woman to suffer death by the short drop method of hanging in Britain and the last woman to be executed at Gloucester Gaol.

Other relevant people and details

• Edwin Bailey was 32 years old and had a history of philandering, alcoholism and petty theft.
• In 1872, Edwin Bailey’s wife left him over his behaviour.
• In October 1872, Mary Susan Jenkins gave birth to Edwin Bailey’s daughter, Sarah.
• Mary Susan Jenkins was described as a servant who lived with her mother in Stapleton.
• The affiliaton order required that Bailey pay five shillings per week for the maintenance of his daughter.
• Mary Anne Barry worked for Edwin Bailey in his shop at Clifton, Bristol.
• Mary Anne Barry became Bailey’s common-law wife after her husband had been sent to prison.
• Shortly after Christmas 1872 Mary Anne visited the Jenkins family and made regular visits over the next six months.
• In August 1873 a package arrived purportedly from the Dorcus Society containing a few stamps and some teething powders for the child.
• On the 17th of August, Mrs Jenkins gave the baby one of the powders and the child promptly died in Mary Anne Barry’s arms.
• Mary Anne Barry was described as having taken her common law husband’s name of Bailey and her real name was Anne Salmond.
• Mary Anne Barry made a statement to the police in which she said that Edwin sent her on errands including visiting the Jenkins to try and find out who Sarah’s father really was, as he absolutely denied he was.

Timeline

• Sunday 17 August 1873 — Sarah Jenkins died after receiving one of the powders.
• 18 August 1873 — An inquest was opened at the Volunteer Inn in Stapleton and adjourned until the 5th of September.
• 14 September 1873 — Mary Anne Barry was arrested at her lodgings in Bristol.
• 23 December 1873 — Edwin Bailey and Mary Anne Barry were tried together before Mr. Justice Archibald at Gloucester assizes and were condemned to death.
• 12 January 1874 — Mary Anne Barry and Edwin Bailey were executed by hanging at Gloucester Prison.