The Murder of Anna Maria

By Gail Crane

Exmoor, 1858. In the isolated village of Simonsbath on Exmoor, the death of a six-year-old child by her father's hand shocked the small community. The story of Anna Maria Burgess and the Wheal Eliza mine has since taken its place among the myths and legends of Exmoor.

The story has been told many times and, as with any story that has been told and retold as this one has been over the years, there are conflicting accounts and differences of opinion. So what really happened? What is the true version?

With the help of parish records, newspaper archives, contemporary reports of the murder and of the trial, and Ancestry.com, I have tried to piece together an accurate picture of the events that led to the deaths of Anna Maria and of William Burgess.

There are still gaps, and it is not possible to verify all reports. Newspapers then, as now, were selective with the facts and each reporter put his own spin on the story.

When a story fires the imagination as this one did, there will always be errors and inconsistencies, so it is doubtful the whole truth of the matter will ever be known; but it is my hope that this account might come close to it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aller Books
• Release date: Feb 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781739971687

Gail Crane

Gail Crane writes romance novels and short stories inspired by the Exmoor countryside where she lives. She is a member of The Alliance of Independent Authors and The Romantic Novelists Association and in 2014, she completed a BA degree with Open University, studying creative writing and children's literature. When not writing or reading, she enjoys walking and gardening, and is addicted to crosswords.

Book preview

THE MURDER

OF

ANNA MARIA

the true story of

William Burgess

and the Wheal Eliza Mine

Gail Crane

website: https://gailcranewriter.com

Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-73997 16-9-4

Ebook: ISBN: 978-1-73997 16-8-7

Cover Image: The Grave of Anna Maria Burgess

© 2023 Barry Hitchcox

Introduction

In 1858, in the isolated village of Simonsbath on Exmoor, the death of a six-year-old child by her father's hand shocked the small community.

The story of Anna Maria Burgess and the Wheal Eliza mine has since taken its place among the myths and legends of Exmoor.

The story has been told many times and, as with any story that has been told and retold as this one has been over the years, there are conflicting accounts and differences of opinion. So what really happened? What is the true version?

With the help of parish records, newspaper archives, contemporary reports of the murder and of the trial, and Ancestry.com, I have tried to piece together an accurate picture of the events that led to the deaths of Anna Maria and of William Burgess.

There are still gaps, and it is not possible to verify all reports. Newspapers then, as now, were selective with the facts and each reporter put his own spin on the story.

When a story fires the imagination as this one did, there will always be errors and inconsistencies, so it is doubtful the whole truth of the matter will ever be known; but it is my hope that this account might come close to it.

MAP OF THE AREA

William Burgess

William Burgess was born around 1816, in the village of Porlock on Exmoor. He was the son of John Burgess, a mariner from Bossington, and his wife, Betty Floyd. John and Betty had three other children; a daughter, Betty, and two sons; an elder son John, and a second son who was said to have died in a lunatic asylum.

As a teenager, William Burgess worked as an agricultural labourer, tending the stock that roamed the Exmoor Forest. Even at that early age, one of his employers warned him that, if he didn't learn to control his temper and aggressive behaviour, he was likely to end his days on the gallows.

Burgess could neither read nor write and was seen by all who knew him as a wastrel and a drunkard; a regular visitor to the taverns of South Molton.

The Bridgwater Mercury, reporting on his trial in January 1859, gives a detailed description of him.

His