Harold Greenwood (solicitor)
Encyclopedia
Harold Greenwood was an English solicitor
who was accused and acquitted of murdering his wife by arsenic poisoning
. He was tried at Carmarthen
Assizes
in 1920 and defended by Edward Marshall Hall; his case is a rare example of a legal professional being charged with murder.
, moved to Wales in 1898 and he, his wife Mabel (nee Bowater), and their four children, lived comfortably, with domestic staff, in Kidwelly
, Carmarthenshire
. Mabel was not in good health and on 16 June 1919, complained of stomach pains after eating a gooseberry
pie for lunch; "it always disagrees with me", she said. Greenwood gave her brandy, which caused her to vomit, and Dr Griffiths was summoned and dispensed medication. By the early hours of the 17th, however, she had died and the cause of death was certified by Griffiths as heart disease
. Within a few months of her funeral, Greenwood married Gladys Jones, who was much younger than Mabel, causing much local gossip. Mabel had been an active and popular member of the local community and in October 1919 the gossip had reached such a level that the police proposed to exhume the body for forensic examination; when Greenwood was informed of this, he replied "Just the very thing – I am quite agreeable".
Mabel Greenwood's remains were examined and found to contain 0.25 gr of arsenic
, but no evidence of heart disease. Accordingly, an inquest
was held in June 1920 at which the jury returned a unanimous verdict of "murder by arsenical poisoning ... administered by Harold Greenwood". The jury had been told that Greenwood had purchased weedkiller containing arsenic. Greenwood's comment on hearing the verdict was "Oh dear!", and he was arrested on 17 June 1920.
Assizes
before Mr Justice Shearman
; he was prosecuted by Sir Edward Marlay Samson and defended by Sir Edward Marshall Hall. The case was Hall's third murder trial of the year, and he was already in poor health; however, he decided to accept the brief
, despite doubts expressed by others, claiming "The man's innocent, and I'll get him off – you'll see".
Hall's defence of Greenwood hinged upon impugning the forensic evidence and that of a parlourmaid
. In the former case, he showed that Dr Griffiths had himself given Mabel Greenwood medication (bismuth
and morphine
) at the time, which could be a cause of death independently of any arsenic
, despite Griffiths' change of story from morphine to opium
, then a much weaker drug; Hall seized upon this difference to maximum effect. In the case of Hannah Williams, the maid, Hall successfully showed that her evidence had been strongly influenced by a police officer who had interviewed her some time after the death, and that she had changed her story on several occasions.
Hall opened his defence by citing from Othello
and alleging the whole case arose from local gossip. He called Greenwood as a witness in his own defence, who denied any involvement in his wife's death, and withstood lengthy cross-examination. His final witness was Irene Greenwood, the accused's 22-year old daughter, who stated that she had also drunk, without ill effect, from the wine bottle alleged by the prosecution to have been the source of the poison that killed Mabel. The judge referred to this in his summing-up: "If she also drank from the bottle, there is an end of the case". Greenwood was acquitted and the jury added a rider
(not published at the time) to their verdict, stating "We are satisfied ... that a dangerous dose of arsenic was administered to Mabel Greenwood ... but we
are not satisfied that this was the immediate cause of death ... (nor) how or by whom the arsenic was administered".
Greenwood, with his second wife, moved to Sellack, near Ross-on-Wye
, Herefordshire
, changed his name to Pilkington, and lived an uneventful life until his death in 1929.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
who was accused and acquitted of murdering his wife by arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the element arsenic in the body. Arsenic interferes with cellular longevity by allosteric inhibition of an essential metabolic enzyme...
. He was tried at Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
in 1920 and defended by Edward Marshall Hall; his case is a rare example of a legal professional being charged with murder.
Facts
Harold Greenwood, a Yorkshire solicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, moved to Wales in 1898 and he, his wife Mabel (nee Bowater), and their four children, lived comfortably, with domestic staff, in Kidwelly
Kidwelly
Kidwelly is a town in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, approximately north-west of the main town of Llanelli.It lies on the River Gwendraeth Fach above Carmarthen Bay. The town is twinned with French village St Jacut de la Mer.-History:...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. Mabel was not in good health and on 16 June 1919, complained of stomach pains after eating a gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
pie for lunch; "it always disagrees with me", she said. Greenwood gave her brandy, which caused her to vomit, and Dr Griffiths was summoned and dispensed medication. By the early hours of the 17th, however, she had died and the cause of death was certified by Griffiths as heart disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
. Within a few months of her funeral, Greenwood married Gladys Jones, who was much younger than Mabel, causing much local gossip. Mabel had been an active and popular member of the local community and in October 1919 the gossip had reached such a level that the police proposed to exhume the body for forensic examination; when Greenwood was informed of this, he replied "Just the very thing – I am quite agreeable".
Mabel Greenwood's remains were examined and found to contain 0.25 gr of arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, but no evidence of heart disease. Accordingly, an inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
was held in June 1920 at which the jury returned a unanimous verdict of "murder by arsenical poisoning ... administered by Harold Greenwood". The jury had been told that Greenwood had purchased weedkiller containing arsenic. Greenwood's comment on hearing the verdict was "Oh dear!", and he was arrested on 17 June 1920.
Trial
Greenwood's trial began on 2 November 1920 at CarmarthenCarmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
before Mr Justice Shearman
Montague Shearman
Sir Montague Shearman was an English judge and athlete. He is most notable as co-founder of the Amateur Athletics Association in 1880.-Early life:...
; he was prosecuted by Sir Edward Marlay Samson and defended by Sir Edward Marshall Hall. The case was Hall's third murder trial of the year, and he was already in poor health; however, he decided to accept the brief
Brief (law)
A brief is a written legal document used in various legal adversarial systems that is presented to a court arguing why the party to the case should prevail....
, despite doubts expressed by others, claiming "The man's innocent, and I'll get him off – you'll see".
Hall's defence of Greenwood hinged upon impugning the forensic evidence and that of a parlourmaid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
. In the former case, he showed that Dr Griffiths had himself given Mabel Greenwood medication (bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
and morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
) at the time, which could be a cause of death independently of any arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, despite Griffiths' change of story from morphine to opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
, then a much weaker drug; Hall seized upon this difference to maximum effect. In the case of Hannah Williams, the maid, Hall successfully showed that her evidence had been strongly influenced by a police officer who had interviewed her some time after the death, and that she had changed her story on several occasions.
Hall opened his defence by citing from Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
and alleging the whole case arose from local gossip. He called Greenwood as a witness in his own defence, who denied any involvement in his wife's death, and withstood lengthy cross-examination. His final witness was Irene Greenwood, the accused's 22-year old daughter, who stated that she had also drunk, without ill effect, from the wine bottle alleged by the prosecution to have been the source of the poison that killed Mabel. The judge referred to this in his summing-up: "If she also drank from the bottle, there is an end of the case". Greenwood was acquitted and the jury added a rider
Addendum
An addendum, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its reader subsequent to its printing or publication. It comes from the Latin verbal phrase addendum est, being the gerundive form of the verb addo, addere, addidi, additum, "to give to, add to", meaning " must be added"...
(not published at the time) to their verdict, stating "We are satisfied ... that a dangerous dose of arsenic was administered to Mabel Greenwood ... but we
are not satisfied that this was the immediate cause of death ... (nor) how or by whom the arsenic was administered".
Greenwood, with his second wife, moved to Sellack, near Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, changed his name to Pilkington, and lived an uneventful life until his death in 1929.