In 1922, Edith Thompson's husband was stabbed to death while the couple walked home from the theatre in London. Her young lover, Frederick Bywaters, admitted to the killing but Edith was also charged with murder.

At the centre of the sensational trial were Edith's passionate letters, which prosecutors claimed revealed a deadly conspiracy.

Was Edith involved in her husband's murder, or were her private words used to condemn her?

This week on Historical True Crime, we explore the Edith Thompson and Frederick Bywaters case, one of Britain's most controversial murder trials.

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Source Materials

Filson Young (ed.), Trial of Frederick Bywaters and Edith Thompson (Notable British Trials, William Hodge & Co., 1923).

René Weis, Criminal Justice: The True Story of Edith Thompson (1988).

Lewis Broad, The Innocence of Edith Thompson: A Study in Old Bailey Justice (1952).

The Trial of Frederick Bywaters and Edith Thompson — Original trial proceedings, Old Bailey, December 6–11, 1922.

Edith Thompson and Frederick Bywaters — Surviving correspondence and letters presented as evidence at trial.

René Weis, Edith Jessie Thompson — Historical research, archival documents, original correspondence, and supplementary materials.

https://edithjessiethompson.com

https://edithjessiethompson.com/notable-british-trials-1923/

https://edithjessiethompson.com/verbatim-trial-transcript-december-1922/

https://edithjessiethompson.com/letters-of-edith-thompson-and-frederick-bywaters-4/

In July 1918, Russia's last emperor, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their five children and four loyal attendants were murdered in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.

For decades, the disappearance of their remains fuelled rumours that Anastasia Romanov had survived. From the family's final months in captivity to the investigation, disputed survival claims and eventual DNA discoveries, this episode explores the murders of the Romanov family and the mystery that endured for nearly a century.

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Love Historical True Crime? Support the podcast on Patreon for access to exclusive bonus episodes, including historical murders, mysterious disappearances and fascinating cases you won't hear on the main feed. Your support helps keep the podcast going and allows me to continue bringing these stories to life.

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Source Materials

Helen Rappaport, The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg (2008)

Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra (2014)

Pierre Gilliard, Thirteen Years at the Russian Court

Robert Wilton, The Last Days of the Romanovs (1920)

Joshua Hammer, “Resurrecting the Czar,” Smithsonian Magazine (2010)

Michael D. Coble et al., “Mystery Solved: The Identification of the Two Missing Romanov Children Using DNA Analysis,” PLOS ONE (2009)

Michael D. Coble, “The Identification of the Romanovs: Can We (Finally) Put the Controversies to Rest?” Investigative Genetics (2011)

In 1877, Harriet Staunton died after months of isolation at a cottage in Kent. Her husband, his brother, sister-in-law and mistress were charged with her murder in a case that became known as the Penge Murder. But when doctors disagreed over whether Harriet had died from starvation or disease, the verdict sparked a controversy that would change the fate of all four defendants.

Love Historical True Crime? Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes, extra historical mysteries and more stories that don’t make it onto the main feed. Your support helps keep the podcast going and means so much to me. You can find us at patreon.com/historicaltruecrime.Source Materials

J. B. Atlay, Trial of the Stauntons (1911)

Old Bailey Proceedings, Trial of Louis Staunton, Patrick Staunton, Elizabeth Staunton and Alice Rhodes (September 1877)

J. E. Wilkinson et al., “Report of Post Mortem Examination, and on the Cause of Death, of Harriet Staunton, Aged Thirty-Five,” The British Medical Journal (October 27, 1877)

Dr. J. F. Payne, commentary on the Staunton case, The British Medical Journal (October 27, 1877)

Dr. W. S. Greenfield, “Some Remarks on the Medical Evidence in the Staunton Case,” The Lancet (October 6, 1877)

The Lancet, contemporary commentary on the Staunton verdict and medical evidence (1877)

The Daily Telegraph, contemporary reporting and correspondence on the Penge Murder (1877)

Lilly Library, Indiana University, Off the Pedestal: Images of Women in Victorian Broadsides, Ephemera, and Books