Peasenhall Murder
Encyclopedia
The Peasenhall Murder is a notorious unsolved murder committed in Peasenhall
, Suffolk
, England, on the night of 31 May 1902. The house where the murder occurred can be found in the centre of the village, on the opposite corner to Emmett's Store. It is a classic 'unsolved' country house murder, committed near midnight, during a thunderstorm, and with many ingredients of mystery.
The victim was Rose Harsent
, a servant girl, who was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. She was unmarried but found to be six months pregnant. It was alleged that the father of the unborn child was local Primitive Methodist preacher William Gardiner, known locally to have conducted an affair with the victim in 1901. Gardiner also held a position of some prominence in his employment as a foreman at the local seed drill works (Smyth's of Peasenhall). He lived in the main street of Peasenhall with his wife and six children, in a small semi-detached cottage, within sight of Providence House where the murder was committed.
The police investigated the murder and Gardiner was quickly arrested. He was tried twice at Ipswich. Both times the jury was unable to reach a verdict — it was said that at the first trial the jury was split eleven to one in favour of guilty, and the second ten to two in favour of not guilty. The prosecution then issued a writ of nolle prosequi
. This was distinct from the usual process of a formal acquittal
. The consequence of this is that Gardiner is one of the few people in English history to have been tried for murder and to have no verdict ever returned.
This case has been detailed in an episode of BBC One
's Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder
. Fellowes believes the murder was perpetrated by Gardiner's wife, probably due to jealousy. He also speculates that the wife would have confessed if her husband had been convicted.
Peasenhall
Peasenhall is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District, in the English county of Suffolk. It was the location of the Peasenhall Murder.- Amenities :...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England, on the night of 31 May 1902. The house where the murder occurred can be found in the centre of the village, on the opposite corner to Emmett's Store. It is a classic 'unsolved' country house murder, committed near midnight, during a thunderstorm, and with many ingredients of mystery.
The victim was Rose Harsent
Rose Harsent
Rose Harsent was a servant girl from Peasenhall, Suffolk, stabbed to death by an unknown assailant in what became known as The Peasenhall Murder...
, a servant girl, who was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant. She was unmarried but found to be six months pregnant. It was alleged that the father of the unborn child was local Primitive Methodist preacher William Gardiner, known locally to have conducted an affair with the victim in 1901. Gardiner also held a position of some prominence in his employment as a foreman at the local seed drill works (Smyth's of Peasenhall). He lived in the main street of Peasenhall with his wife and six children, in a small semi-detached cottage, within sight of Providence House where the murder was committed.
The police investigated the murder and Gardiner was quickly arrested. He was tried twice at Ipswich. Both times the jury was unable to reach a verdict — it was said that at the first trial the jury was split eleven to one in favour of guilty, and the second ten to two in favour of not guilty. The prosecution then issued a writ of nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi is legal term of art and a Latin legal phrase meaning "to be unwilling to pursue", a phrase amounting to "please do not prosecute". It is a phrase used in many common law criminal prosecution contexts to describe a prosecutor's decision to voluntarily discontinue criminal charges...
. This was distinct from the usual process of a formal acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
. The consequence of this is that Gardiner is one of the few people in English history to have been tried for murder and to have no verdict ever returned.
This case has been detailed in an episode of BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder
Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder
Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder is a British five-part docudrama series produced by Touchpaper Television , which premièred on BBC One on 16 October 2004.-Overview:...
. Fellowes believes the murder was perpetrated by Gardiner's wife, probably due to jealousy. He also speculates that the wife would have confessed if her husband had been convicted.