On Saturday, 5 August it is 180 years to the day, that Sarah Dazley was hanged outside Bedford Gaol for the crime of poisoning her second
husband, William. She was dubbed by the Victorian press the Potton Poisoner.
Over 10,000 people attended the execution at Gallows Corner on Bromham Road. It was the last public execution of a woman in Bedfordshire.
The case was a Victorian sensation, selling thousands of newspapers across the UK and the world and is now the subject of a local podcast,
Weird in the Wade, hosted by Natalie Doig.
Although Sarah Dazley was convicted of killing her second husband with arsenic poison, she was suspected of poisoning her first husband
Simeon Mead, and her infant child, Jonah as well.
This has led some to claim she should be recorded as the UK’s first female serial killer; an infamy denied her because she was only
convicted of one murder, not all three.
Recently, however, some have questioned her guilt, claiming she wasn’t given a fair trial.
Others claim that the tragedy she faced during her short life, and the limited choices she had as a 19th-century working-class woman, at
least partially explain why she acted as she did.
It’s true her life was a tragic one.
During her childhood, Sarah’s respectable family were brought down by her father, after he lost all his money in an ill-advised investment.
In fact, in just over a 20-year period, three members of the Dazley family spent time in Bedford Prison. Her father for debts, her younger
brother for stealing a silver spoon, and then Sarah for murder.
Weird in the Wade is now bringing the story of the Potton Poisoner to a new audience.
The episode covers Sarah Dazley’s life and that of her victims, the police chase across the country to apprehend her, the inquests and
murder trial, and of course her execution in Bedford.
Podcast host, Natalie Doig, said it was her love of history that inspired her to start the podcast. “I love anything that’s a little strange or spooky and I noticed there wasn’t anything covering Bedfordshire and its folklore, urban legends, local history or ghost
stories.
“I was inspired by the BBC podcast Uncanny after receiving encouragement from its presenter Danny Robins and the online community
that’s built up around Uncanny.”
Natalie said she discovered Sarah Dazely’s case through a local ghost story attached to a cottage she is supposed to have lived in.
“When I read the story of the murders I was struck by how the Victorian press treated her. They present her as a heartless femme
fatale in one breath and then in the next as a wretched creature who was dealt terrible blows in life.
“I wanted to get to the truth beneath those contradictions if that’s ever possible.”
The podcast aims to present Sarah’s story in a “dramatic but balanced way” and Natalie says she’s discovered some details not normally
included in reports about the case.
“Listening to the podcast is a great way to find out more about local history without feeling like you’re learning,” said Natalie.
“Although I research, write and present the podcast myself, it’s a completely independent show so I have no agenda other than to tell a
good story. Ultimately I want people to enjoy the storytelling.”
With one reviewer describing Weird in the Wade as “a warm flask of your favourite soup as you stroll past the ‘I’d Turn Back If I Were
You’ signs”, we’ll definitely be giving it a listen.
Part One of the story is out now wherever you get your podcasts or here.
Part two is out on Monday, 28 August.
