MARY ANN COTTON. 1832-1873.
                Mary Ann Cotton.. The Evidence.. Execution.. Hartlepool History Team.. Illustrations. Newspaper & Public Comments.. Mary Ann Cotton.. The Evidence.. Execution.. Hartlepool History Team.. Illustrations. Newspaper & Public Comments..


As Calcraft and Evans took  hold of the noose around the neck of Mary Ann, she was lifted slightly and the noose was untied from around her neck, she was then lowered onto the wooden planks of the gallows. Calcraft slipped the blood stained white hood from her head, Mary Ann’s face was swollen and contorted with her eyes slightly opened, her right eye was slightly protruding from its orbit, her nose and mouth had been bleeding, her mouth was agape and her lips were swollen, congealed blood being deposited to the insides of the white hood. Calcraft then untied the leather restraints from her hands, arms and ankles. I have often wondered as to what Calcraft had thought as he rolled Mary Ann’s corpse over to release her arm and ankle straps? Factual recorded evidence suggests that Calcraft must have been totally unmoved by such sights, which by all accounts is probably true because he rolled Mary Ann over and removed the straps from her corpse as though he was untying his boot laces! After removing the leather straps he took the items and noose and placed them back into his canvas holdall. This point is very interesting as later that afternoon a dispute at the Coroners Inquest would arise as to where the noose had vanished to? That dispute can now be put to rest as I have with research established conclusively that Calcraft took it back to London with him and sold it to a person associated with Madame Tussaud's and from their it was apparently sold to a private individual back in the early 1900’s. Another fact I can clear up is that Mary Ann’s shoes were placed within the coffin and her black and white checked shawl was also placed within her coffin.





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Coroners Inquest..