Amelia Dyer | the Ogress of Reading

The Victorian period has some of the most fascinating true crime stories, many coming out of what was considered to be normal practice. One element of Victorian society that survived until the 19^th Century was the practice of Baby Farming, something Amelia Dyer made infamous.

Baby Farming in Victorian England

Baby Farming was the practice of adopting unwanted infants in exchange for money. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, denied the poor the right to subsistence, so lower income families with lots of children or single mothers with illegitimate children were left with no help, financial or otherwise. This resulted in many being forced to work in prison like workhouses. Unable to care for their children themselves, many women were forced to outsource the care for their children. At the time, the term baby farmer was seen as an insult, as it implied improper treatment of the children.

Though there were likely many who took in children and did care for them, it was more profitable if the infant died, as the payment would not cover their care in the long term. Many baby farmers adopted several children at a time and then neglected or murdered them – several women would be tried for murder, manslaughter or criminal neglect after taking in children that would die in their care, including Margaret Waters, Amelia Sach and Annie Waters. The last baby farmer to be executed in Britain was Rhoda Willis in 1907. Perhaps the most infamous of these baby farmers was Amelia Dyer.

Who was Amelia Dyer

Amelia Dyer, also known as the Ogress of Reading, primarily earned a living as a baby farmer and is believed to have murdered up to 400 infants over a 30 year period.

She was born Amelia Hobley in 1837, the youngest of five children in a village on the outskirts of Bristol. She was a bright child, who learned to read and write – unusual for the time period, however, her childhood wasn’t a happy one. Her mother was mentally unwell and even as a young child, Amelia was her primary caregiver. After her mother’s death, Amelia became an apprentice to a corset maker and then married George Thomas, who was significantly older than her. They both lied about their ages on the marriage certificate to reduce the age gap.

While married to George, Amelia trained as a nurse and worked alongside midwives.  It was while working this job that she learned of an easier way to make money – by using her home to provide lodgings for young unmarried women who had conceived out of wedlock and then arranging adoptions for a fee.

Amelia and Baby Farming

Because of the law and also societal expectations, illegitimacy and single parenthood were frowned upon. Wealthy families would pay large amounts to conceal an illegitimate child, such a fee could be enough for a baby farmer to live off of for a year or more.

In 1869, the now elderly George Thomas died, leaving Amelia a widow and a single mother. As she was in need of an income, she left nursing altogether and took up baby farming. She placed adverts in national and local newspapers, offering to nurse and adopt babies in return for substantial one off payments. She would then meet with the parents and assure them that she was married, respectable and would provide a loving home.

In 1872, Amelia remarried, this time to William Dyer. She had two more children, Mary Ann, known as Polly, and William jnr. She eventually left her husband and set out on her own, likely because she had decided to forgo the inconvenience of allowing the children in her care to die slowly from neglect and began murdering them immediately, allowing her to pocket the whole fee for herself.

Amelia’s criminal record

Amelia first raised the suspicion of the authorities in 1879 when a doctor became concerned about the number of deaths he had been called to certify for children in her care. However instead of receiving a charge of manslaughter, she was sentenced to six months of hard labour – a fairly lenient sentence for the time but it took its toll on her mental health and on her release, she had several spells in mental hospitals. Conveniently, however, these spells of mental unwellness tended to coincide with times when she was wanted for questioning or when parents asked after their infants.

One such incident saw parents of a baby given to Amelia coming to visit.

Amelia presented them with a baby, but the parents were suspicious and looked for a birth mark that had been present on their child’s hip. After not finding one, they went to authorities and Amelia either feigned or had a serious mental breakdown and made an attempt on her own life.

It is worth noting though, that Amelia was known to abuse alcohol and opiates, so it is likely that she did have some mental health issues resulting from this. The extent of her mental health issues remains a debate among historians and criminologists. Amelia returned to baby farming and rather than involving doctors to issue death certificates, began to dispose of the bodies herself. This resulted in her frequently relocating and changing her name

In 1893, Amelia was discharged from her final stay in a mental hospital at the Somerset and Bath Lunatic Asylum, near Wells. Two years after this, she moved to Berkshire, with her daughter Polly and her husband, Arthur. The three of them, along with an older lady, Jane Smith, moved together to Reading, eventually settling at 45 Kensington Road.

The murder of Doris Marmon

In January 1896, a barmaid in her twenties, Evelina Marmon, gave birth to an illegitimate daughter that she named Doris. As she was unmarried, she began looking for someone to care for the child and placed an advert in the Bristol Times and Mirror, stating: “Wanted, respectable woman to take a young child.” Evelina said that she intended to get a better paid job and reclaim her child once she was able to care for her herself.

She came across an advert from a Mrs Harding, offering: “Married couple with no family would adopt a healthy child, nice country home. Terms, £10.” Evelina contacted them and began a correspondence with Amelia Dyer, who was calling herself Mrs Harding. She wanted to pay a more affordable weekly fee, but Mrs Harding insisted on a one off advanced payment – with no other option, Evelina agreed and Mrs Harding travelled to Cheltenham to collect Doris.

According to testimony, Evelina was surprised by this woman’s appearance, but as she was affectionate towards her daughter,  she handed her over, along with the money and some clothes. A few days later, she received a note from Mrs Harding claiming all was well, but no other correspondence came forward.

Unbeknownst to Evelina, Amelia did not take the baby to her home in Reading, instead travelling to Willesden in North London, where her daughter Polly was staying. There, baby Doris was strangled with dressmaking tape. It is alleged that both Polly and Amelia wrapped Doris’ body in a napkin. The next day, Amelia collected another child, a baby named Harry Simmons. They couldn’t find any more tape, so they took the length from Doris’ neck and used it to strangle him too. Both bodies were then put into a carpet bag, along with bricks for weight. The landlady was paid and a pair of children’s boots were gifted to her for her daughter. The rest of the clothes went to a pawn broker.

Amelia then returned to Reading. At a secluded spot near Caversham Lock, she pushed the carpet bag through the railings and dropped it into the River Thames.

The downfall of the Ogress of Reading

Amelia Dyer’s downfall began on 30^th March 1896. A bargeman travelling along the River Thames in Reading came across a package that was floating on the surface of the river. On inspection, he discovered the body of a baby girl, later identified as Helena Fry. He reported his finding to the police, who examined the package and discovered a label from Temple Meads Station in Bristol and an address bearing the name Mrs Thomas.

An investigation involving both Reading and Bristol detectives began, eventually leading to Amelia’s address, which was placed under surveillance. With the fear that she might plead insanity or abscond, the police set up a decoy, using the wife of one of the officers posing as a single mother in need of a baby farmer. However, when Amelia opened the door to welcome her new client, she found police instead. They raided the home and found reels of the dressmaking tape, correspondence from parents and potential clients, receipts for adverts and a strong smell of decomposition. It transpired that Amelia Dyer was now working under the name Mrs Thomas and that at least 20 children had been placed in her care in the last few months, though there was no evidence of them living in the home. There was also evidence to suggest that she was planning another move, this time to Somerset. By the police’s estimate, she had killed over 400 babies and children, but there was not enough evidence to conclusively prove this.

Amelia was arrested on 4^th April 1896, along with her daughter and  son in law, Arthur Palmer. Following their arrest, parts of the Thames were dredged and six more bodies were discovered, including Doris and Harry – who were believed to be her last victims. Each body had been strangled with the dress making tape. Later, Amelia admitted to the police that “was how you could tell it was one of mine.”

Less than a fortnight after handing over her baby, Evelina Marmon identified her daughter’s remains.

Inquest and trial

At the inquest, no evidence could be found against Polly or Arthur and a written confession from Amelia meant that they were both discharged.

Amelia then appeared at the Old Bailey on 22^nd May 1896 and pleaded guilty only to the murder of Doris Marmon. Family members and neighbours testified at the trial and several eyewitnesses were found who claimed to have seen her dispose of bodies at Caversham Lock. Her only defence was insanity, with her various stays in asylums presented, however the prosecution argued that this was used as a ploy to avoid suspicion.

The jury took only 4 and a half minutes to find her guilty. She spent three weeks in a cell, where she filled five exercise books with her “last and true confession.” When visited by the prison chaplain before her execution, she presented him with the books and asked if it was not enough.

Polly, Amelia’s daughter, was also due to stand trial, with a date arranged for the week after Amelia’s execution. She was initially subpoenaed to appear as a witness but judges decreed that as she had already been sentenced, she was legally dead and therefore any evidence she gave would be inadmissible. Amelia’s execution went on as planned and the charges against Polly were dropped.

Amelia was hanged at Newgate Prison at 9 am on 10^th June 1896. Her last words were reported as being: “I have nothing to say.”

After the trial

Following the trial, Amelia Dyer was given the moniker the Ogress of Reading. Adoption laws were made much stricter, with local authorities given the power to police baby farmers to stamp out abuse. However, this didn’t mean that the trafficking and abuse of infants ceased.

It is unknown how many more children Amelia Dyer is guilty of harming, either by neglect or outright murder or how much her daughter Polly and son in law contributed. Two years after Amelia’s execution, a three week old girl was found wrapped in a parcel on a train in Newton Abbot, Devon. She was alive, but cold and unwell. The mother, a Jane Hill, was traced. Jane was a recently widowed woman who claimed she had given the baby to a Mrs Stewart for £12. It transpired that this Mrs Stewart had picked her up at Plymouth and then dumped her on the next train. There is speculation that Mrs Stewart was an alias being used by Amelia’s daughter Polly.

Amelia Dyer is also speculated to be a suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders. This suggestion was put forward by the author William Stewart who also suspected Mary Pearcey, a woman who was convicted of brutally murdering her lover’s wife and child around the same time as the murders. However, there is no evidence to connect Amelia Dyer to the Jack the Ripper murders, other than her killing at around the same time.