1752: The Tryal of Miss Mary Blandy, Spinster, for the Murther of her late Father, Francis Blandy, Gent. at the Assizes held at Oxford, 29th February
Transcript of Interrogation before the Magistrate
Magistrate: Miss Blandy, thou art arraigned for the death of thy father, Francis Blandy. Wilt thou confess the truth unto this Court?
Mary Blandy: I do not deny my hand was involved, my Lord. God forgive me, yet it is so.
Magistrate: Pray, relate to the Court the manner of his death and thy intent therein.
Mary: It was neither my full design nor determination to rid the earth of my dear father. But the potion I administered—brought to me under guise of love’s sweet elixir from one Captain Cranstoun—was potent beyond reckoning. I believed it to soften his heart against our union. Alas, the bitter draught wrought death.
Magistrate: Thou affirmest that this potion was arsenic, yet thought it but a philter of love?
Mary: Verily, my ignorance was great, and mine affection blind. The apothecary’s poison I took for a cordial.
Magistrate: Witnesses testify that thou didst prepare many a meal and potion for thy father. Doth not that bear the stain of premeditation?
Mary: I did but follow the plea of a lover and the handmaiden’s duty. My heart trembled oft, yet I never wilfully meant his death; alas, it hath come of my deeds.
Magistrate: What sayest thou to the claim that thou sought his demise for lack of paternal goodwill?
Mary: It troubles me sore. My father’s wrath was fearsome, yet such dread doth not breed murder, but obedience.
Magistrate: We shall now hear observations of the Apothecary, Dr. Anthony Addington.
Forensic Evidence Submitted to Court
Potions and Calx: Analysis by Dr. Addington revealed the presence of arsenic in residue taken from victuals and liquids prepared by Mary Blandy for the deceased. The detection employed the Marsh test, a novel means for the detection of arsenic salts, which rendered a characteristic garlic-like odour and a metallic film upon decomposition.
* Symptoms of the Deceased: Witnesses attest that Mr. Blandy’s last days were marked by violent sickness, vomiting, and cramping, all consistent with arsenic poisoning as understood. His eventual demise followed shortly upon these symptoms, without relief.
* Correspondence: Letters exchanged between Mary Blandy and Captain Cranstoun were presented, indicating knowledge of a devised plan involving the so-called love potion.
* Motive and Behaviour: The prosecution reflects on Mary’s continued preparation and administration of the potion despite the worsening state of her father, suggesting either wilful intent or culpable negligence.
* Absence of Alternate Causes: A rigorous inquiry found no evidence of natural causes or accidental ingestion; the pattern of symptoms and the chemical presence of poison constitute a strong indictment.
In closing, the Court considers that Mary Blandy, despite her protestations of ignorance, did administer poison to her father that resulted in his death, deserving of the utmost penalty under God’s law and the laws of the land.
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