Blessin Adams ells Metro how cases were solved 400 years ago (Picture: Getty)
A young woman lay face down floating in a river in Hertfordshire in 1699, without any of her outer garments on.
From a wealthy family and with her whole life ahead of her, Sarah Stout’s death confused even the most experienced investigators.
With no known enemies or illnesses it was hard to tell what caused her to drown in those cold murky waters.
‘Conspiracy theories were flying,’ Blessin Adams, a former detective and now-historian, told Metro. ‘Many thought she was pregnant and as she had no husband, she killed herself to spare her and her family the shame.’
But as forensic science emerged from its earliest infancy, Sarah’s death could be – and was – solved, amongst other notable cases.
This is without the modern scientific knowledge detectives are able to employ today. There was no finger printing, no recording equipment, and especially no DNA tests.
Blessin told Metro: ‘All deaths were investigated by coroners , and many of them had no medical or legal training. they were flying by the seat of their pants.’
But her case and subsequent trial marked the first time experts outside of the church were deployed to give their verdict on what happened to the young woman.
Where did the answers lie? Well, in throwing dogs off bridges and submerging babies lungs in water of course.
Drownings
The last man to see her alive, Spencer Cowper, was arrested. The married 29-year-old lawyer was a good friend of her family.
He was alone with Sarah for about five hours, and all eyes were on him as her family accused him of their daughter’s murder.
The coroner ruled her death as a suicide, but her parents, who were both Quakers, could not accept this, and had her body exhumed and paid for a private autopsy.
Two expert witnesses were called to the stand, who insisted a woman who had drowned wouldn’t possible float.
Spencer Cowper by Godfrey Kneller (Picture: Ella Millward)
A ship’s doctor claimed all drowned bodies were full of water, meaning they would sink. Another seaman claimed people killed in battle and thrown overboard floated, while those who drowned sank.
To test their theories, some unfortunate dogs were rounded up and drowned to see whether they sank or floated.
Blessin said; ‘It is cringe to read about, but this was a form of forensic science they were just trying to prove or disprove.’
Despite this hard-and-fast science, Spencer took to the stand and was able to convince a judge love lorn Sarah killed herself.
He insisted she was suffering from a severe depression brought on by an obsession of him, which the jury believed.
Infanticide
The execution of a woman named Anne Green who was accused of infanticide. Remarkably, she managed to survive her hanging (Picture: Ella Millward)
When babies died, the mothers were automatically assumed to have killed, even if they have miscarried.
Unmarried women were especially scrutinised for their role in their baby’s death, with many automatically expecting they murdered …read more
Source:: Metro
