Dorcas "Darkey" Kelly (died 7 January 1761) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

brothel-keeper and alleged

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who was

burned at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1761.

Biography

Dorcas Kelly was a

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ...

who operated the Maiden Tower brothel on Copper Alley, off

Fishamble Street Fishamble Street (; ) is a street in Dublin, Ireland within the old city walls. Location The street joins Wood Quay at the Fish Slip near Fyan's Castle. It originally ran from Castle Street to Essex Quay until the creation of Lord Edward Stre ...

in the southwest part of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Convicted of killing shoemaker John Dowling on St. Patrick's Day 1760, Kelly was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

by partial

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

and

burning at the stake Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...

on Gallows Road (modern

Baggot Street Baggot Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location The street runs from Merrion Row (near St. Stephen's Green) to the northwestern end of Pembroke Road. It crosses the Grand Canal near Haddington Road. It is divided into two sections: ...

) on 7 January 1761. After her execution she was waked by

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

on Copper Alley; thirteen of them were arrested for disorder and sent to

Newgate Prison, Dublin Newgate Prison () was a place of detention in Dublin, Ireland. It was initially located at Cornmarket, near Christ Church Cathedral, on the south side of the Liffey and was originally one of the city gates before being moved to a new purpose ...

. An account of the 1773 execution of the murderer Mrs Herring at Tyburn, London, gives an idea of what Kelly's execution may have been like: A 1788 account in the ''World'' newspaper claims that her brothel was investigated by the authorities and that investigators then found the corpses of five men hidden in the vaults. However, this does not appear in any contemporary account of her trial and execution and appears to be a later embellishment.

Legend

Various legends grew up around Kelly after her execution. The most common story is that she became pregnant with the child of Dublin's Sheriff

Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton (1713 – 14 January 1787), was an Anglo-Irish politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1780. Biography He was the second son of Henry Luttrell, of Luttrellstown (whose family had held Luttr ...

, a member of the

Hellfire Club Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high-society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. The name most commonly refers to Francis Dashwood's Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe. Such clubs, ...

and probable client of Kelly's Maiden Tower. She demanded financial support from him. He responded by accusing her of witchcraft and of having killed their baby in a Satanic ritual. The body was never found. Darkey was then burnt at the stake. This story may have its origin in one told about Luttrell's son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, who supposedly

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

d a girl in a brothel, and then had the girl and her family imprisoned under false charges.

Legacy

A pub on Fishamble Street, near where her brothel once stood, is named Darkey Kelly's.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Dorcas 1761 deaths 18th-century executions 18th-century Irish businesspeople 18th-century Irish criminals 18th-century Irish women Criminals from Dublin (city) Executed Irish women Irish brothel owners and madams People executed by Ireland by burning People executed by the Kingdom of Ireland Suspected serial killers

Biography

Legend

Legacy

See also

References