‘Save the ghastly corpse, still bleeding from a frightful wound in the head, they had not left a trace of the dark deed which had been but too successfully accomplished...’ 

In the summer of 1860, a wealthy 70-year-old widow was found murdered at her home in Stepney. She lay in a pool of her own blood, with her scalp pulverised and her petticoats thrown above her head, for four days before being discovered. Curiously, there were no signs of forced entry into her home. Was her killer an acquaintance - or worse, a friend? What did they have to gain from her murder?  

Presenter and former police officer Rav Wilding joins Jen and David to examine how the grisly murder of Mary Emsley played out in court, reflecting on Victorian investigation methods and the central themes of class and poverty. With Rav’s firsthand insight, they reflect on how police would handle this perplexing case today.  

Discover the details for yourself in the episode's Case Files - a collection of all the key newspaper reports - available to browse for free on Findmypast: www.findmypast.co.uk/wasjusticeserved 

Was justice served? Share your judgement with the WJS community: 

@wasjusticeservedpod #wasjusticeserved 

Producer - Madeleine Gilbert 

Assistant Producer - Daisy Goddard 

AV Editor - Callum Main 

Video Lead - Andrew Farrell 

Researcher - Jen Baldwin 

Voiceover - Tanya O’Sullivan 

AV Lead - Mark Asquith 

Executive Producer - Helen Kaye