Fanny Frances Maria Summers was born on September 18, 1841, in Barwell, Leicestershire, to Stephen Summers, a tailor, and Mary Simpson. She grew up in Handsworth, Staffordshire, where her family relocated. Fanny had four siblings: Hugo, Sarah Ann, Thomas, and her younger sister, Fanny Maria. In her late teens, Fanny became acquainted with John Burgess, a butcher from Staffordshire, and they entered into a courtship that lasted from 1860 to 1863. However, their relationship did not progress further, and on June 20, 1864, Fanny married Joseph Oliver, a widower, at Pensnett in Stafford, Staffordshire. They started their married life together, and Fanny assumed the role of a stepmother to Joseph's children from his previous marriage. In February 1869, Fanny accidentally encountered John Burgess on Queen Street in Wolverhampton and spoke with him briefly. Following this encounter, Fanny received a letter from John Burgess requesting £2. Unable to write a reply herself, she asked her neighbour Emma Whitehouse to assist her. The letter read: "Hart's Hill, Monday morning. Dearest John, I have just received your letter and am very sorry to hear the trouble you are in. I am sending by the girl, as a letter would not come quick enough, to know whether you would come back with my girl, or no, or whether you will come by the first train in the morning, and you shall have the £2 you asked for. Our house is not many yards from the Round Oak Station, and I will meet you there. If you do not come back with the girl, send me word by a note whether you will come by the first train in the morning. Never mind, my love, how back your clothes may be, I would rather you'd come in your old ones than your best, for I love you the same as in your best. Come back with my girl if you if you can, as I shall be watching every train that comes, as now my husband is at work, and I can scarcely leave the house, as he come to every meal. Do not keep the girl waiting long, as I want her back. From your affectionate FANNY" Throughout April 1869, a series of events unfolded that raised suspicions. On April 27th, Fanny purchased arsenic from Mr. Gare's shop, stating its use for cleaning bonnets, which Mr. Gare thought was unusual as oxalic acid was the preferred ingredient. The next day, Fanny fell ill, and her husband Joseph experienced bouts of vomiting on April 29. Mary Parker, another household worker, found dead mice and reported Fanny's admission of using something to kill them in the tapioca pudding she had left out for the mice. Fanny sent a message to John Burgess, asking him to visit her, even though John testified that she could scarcely draw breath at the time. On May 4, Annie Archer escorted John Burgess to Emma Whitehouse's house, but he only stayed briefly before leaving. Fanny's illness persisted, and Joseph's condition worsened, with vomiting and discomfort. Throughout May, Fanny's actions raised suspicions. She secretly administered brandy to Joseph's tea, causing him and others who drank it to fall ill. Joseph's health continued to deteriorate, leading Fanny to seek medical attention from Dr. Daniel Timmins. The doctor prescribed prussic acid for Joseph's condition. Fanny wrote a letter to John Burgess, falsely informing him of her improved condition while stating that Joseph had contracted scarlet fever. Two days after Joseph's death, Fanny sent John a letter: "My dear, My husband died on Sunday, at six o'clock at night. FANNY." Fanny also met John at least two more times at the Horse Fair, where they spent a couple of hours together. Joseph's mother alerted the police, accusing Fanny of poisoning him which led the authorities to exhume Joseph's body and conduct a post-mortem examination. Dr. Alfred Hill, a toxicology professor, discovered inflammation and minute traces of arsenic and strychnine in Joseph's stomach. Fanny was charged with poisoning her husband and stood trial. Despite proclaiming her innocence, she was found guilty. During the trial, Fanny pleaded for understanding and explanation, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. In an emotional statement, she professed her innocence and called upon God to bear witness to her truthfulness. "By my great God, I am innocent. May I be allowed, my lord, to explain the reason why that letter was sent, and why I lent that £2. If I may be permitted to speak for myself I will Oh, no, my lord and gentleman, that £2 was lent - my great God witness thou me if I speak an untruth, and, Lord, take away my breath from me, and let me die before my enemies. Lord God though knowest that that letter came to me. His mother owed a debt of £4 15s. 10d. for groceries, unknown to his father. She did not pay it, and they put her into the County Court of Wolverhampton. She paid £1 15s into the County Court, she neglected paying the rest and they sent the bailiffs to her house, and the father did not know. He had received some money of his master's, and his mother went crying to him and he gave it to her unknown to his master. He said his master found it out, I believe, I am not certain, the next day, and when they found it out they were going to send him to gaol, and he sent to me to know if I would lend him the £2 to save him going. But sooner, he said, lord and gentlemen, I had not the money myself to lend him. I sent a black silk dress, which I pulled off my back, and pawned it for £2 to make up the money. Mrs WHITEHOUSE read the letter. I could call her, and if she is a woman I would call on her to speak the truth. She is a woman with 2 children, and may she speak for me as if I was a child of her own. She read the letter and can prove that that is why the £2 was sent. I gave the money; I did not sent it. He came over and had it on the Tuesday morning, and was to pay it at night, and on Wednesday morning I had a letter to say he had paid it, and the letter that had come on Monday morning was sent to know if I was going - there was an exhibition open there, and if I was going he would see me. Because he had sent many times, and he said if I was going there he would give the money to me, and I wrote to say my husband was dead. That was all I said, and I know no more. But as to ever administering any poison to my husband, great God answer for me. Thou knowest I am innocent, Heavenly Father, of the charge they chard me with. And why dost Thou leave me in this fearful hour of dread? I have trusted Thee. I have been wild and wicked, I know; but Heavenly Father, give me strength. I never possessed such strength, my God, as I have possessed since I have been cast into prison. I never knew what it was to love my Saviour till then, and, though death is going to be passed on an innocent woman, receive my spirit; and although I am found guilty in face of earth, and before judge and jury, my great Judge and jury is in heaven and will receive me to their fold. I am innocent in the sight of my God and his holy angels. I fear not what man is to do with me. Lord, if it is tomorrow that death is put on me I will receive it, O God, as if it came from Thee; and now I am left - my home is gone - my friends have fled; I have but one, and it is Thee. Lord, do not leave me in this fearful hour. My hour is at hand. Lord, defend me; was me in Thy own blood. Thou knowest me - that I am innocent of murder. I loved my husband. God, Thou knowest I loved him and he loved me. Call his friends - call those that were with him when he died. What is the reason that they have been brought against me? Oh God! The day my poor husband died his mother went to receive the money in the Building Society at Wolverhampton and found it not there, and went to my sister's and she did not know what to make of it, as the money was not there; "But," she said, "I believe my son has been poisoned." Fanny received a death sentence by hanging, initially scheduled for Monday, August 9, 1869. However, her sentence was later commuted to penal servitude for life, saving her from execution. Throughout her prison term, there is no record of any communication between Fanny and John Burgess, who passed away in a workhouse in 1881. Fanny's father, Stephen Summers, listed as her next of kin, worked as a gardener. The doctor's report noted her delicate health, highlighting the toll her imprisonment had taken on her well-being. In November 1869, Fanny was transferred to Millbank Prison, and in February 1871, she was relocated to Woking, where she engaged in needlework and knitting. During the 1871 census, Fanny was recorded as a female convict residing in Woking, Surrey. Her plea for compassion and understanding was evident when she requested permission in September 1871 to keep her late husband's portrait and a lock of her father's hair. These personal mementos demonstrated her longing for connection and remembrance. Fanny persisted in fighting for her innocence over the years, submitting multiple petitions to the Secretary of State, seeking remission of her sentence. In 1874, she presented evidence suggesting that her husband had been undergoing medical treatment and taking a mixture of prussic acid and other substances, which might have contributed to his death. Fanny argued that the arsenic found in his stomach could be attributed to her use of the substance in her trade. However, her pleas for remission were denied. By 1881, Fanny's health had significantly deteriorated due to her prolonged incarceration. She once again petitioned the Secretary of State, emphasizing her innocence and the adverse effects of imprisonment on her well-being. Despite her appeals, her requests were repeatedly turned down. In 1886, after serving a seventeen-year prison term, Fanny was released on license. She sought refuge with her uncle, John Mawbey, in Barwell. Fanny started a new chapter of her life in Birmingham, where she worked as a dressmaker. According to the 1891 census, she resided with her widower uncle, Richard Powers, who worked as a joiner, on Shakespeare Road in Lady Wood. Fanny's journey continued to unfold over the years. In 1901, she was recorded as a widow, still pursuing her profession as a dressmaker, and living with her uncle Richard Powers. Additionally, she had an adopted daughter named Rose. By 1911, Fanny had relocated to 6 Brighton Place on Monument Road in Birmingham, where she carried on her work as a dressmaker. Residing with her were her adopted daughter, Rose Lawrence, and a visitor named Sarah Farmer, who worked as a domestic servant. As time went by, Fanny retired from her profession and, in 1922, she was listed as a retired dressmaker residing at 6/52 Monument Road in Ladywood, Birmingham. After a rich and fulfilling life, Fanny Frances Maria Oliver passed away in October 1926 at the age of 84.
Photograph of Fanny Frances Maria Oliver
© The National Archives TNA PCOM 4/66/5
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