Henry Martin (died 1866 in

Newbury, Berkshire Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbere ...

) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

Biography

Martin lived in

. He spent most of his life living off

petty crime A summary offence or petty offence is a violation in some common law jurisdictions that can be proceeded against summarily, without the right to a jury trial and/or indictment (required for an indictable offence). Canada In Canada, summary offenc ...

, though was once employed as the assistant to a butcher. He was dismissed from this role after being convicted of

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

. He briefly lived in Woodspeen with a

prostitute 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 ...

, Eliza Shaw, who provided him with sufficient money to avoid working. During the

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...

fair of September 1866, Martin was caught

pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

ing and was sentenced to a month's imprisonment at

Reading Gaol HM Prison Reading, popularly known as Reading Gaol, is a former prison located in Reading, Berkshire, England. The prison was operated by His Majesty's Prison Service until its closure at the start of 2014. It is a Grade II listed building and ...

. During his incarceration, Martin learned of Shaw's growing relationship with a Newbury barman called James Brett. On 4 December, shortly after his release, Martin entered the Eagle

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

at 124 Bartholomew Street. Brett and Shaw were in the building, and Martin began to argue with Brett. Violence broke out between Shaw and Martin, but soon ended as the entire pub was well aware of a number of police officers on the street outside. Martin, one of the last people to leave the pub, told a friend that he planned to murder both Shaw and Brett. He unsuccessfully attempted to have his friend provide him with a hammer or pickaxe, before heading to Shaw's cottage.

Murder and suicide

Martin arriving at Shaw's house armed with a butcher's cramp. He broke in through a window and went upstairs. Finding Brett and Shaw asleep in bed together, he slashed Brett's throat and repeatedly stabbed Shaw with the hook. Martin fled the house, leaving his victims dying in a pool of blood. Neighbours had heard shouting and a scuffle, but assumed it was normal based on Martin and Shaw's regular arguments. At 9 am the following morning, the

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

arrived. Shaw had died during the initial attack, suffering from a fractured skull and a penetration above her eye into her brain measuring . Brett was still alive, however, and received emergency medical treatment on his skull. His condition did not improve, and he died at approximately midday. Martin had gone to the Crown Inn adjacent to the

Kennet and Avon Canal The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the cent ...

. After finishing his drink, he walked to the footbridge to Northcroft. Removing his hat and boots, Martin tied his scarf around his ankles and jumped into the water. The superintendent, who had concluded that Martin was the sole perpetrator, followed witness accounts to the area and Martin's body was removed from the canal and taken to await the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

Enborne Enborne is a village and civil parish, in West Berkshire, England that bounds to the east, across a road from Newbury. The River Enborne shares its name, although it does not run through the village; rather, it runs through and rises near the ne ...

. Martin was buried in Enborne on 6 December with no rites. Brett and Shaw's coffins were drawn in a cart to Speen where they were buried by Reverend H W Magendie.

Footnotes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Henry Year of birth unknown 1860s suicides 1866 deaths 19th-century English criminals Crime in Berkshire English murderers Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom Suicides by drowning in England