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Florence Maybrick was an American citizen who spent fourteen years in prison in England after being convicted of murdering her English husband. There was doubt about her guilt in her lifetime, and the question remains unresolved.

Mr and Mrs James Maybrick

Born Florence Chandler in 1862 in Mobile, Alabama, she married cotton broker James Maybrick in 1881, settling with him in Battlecrease House, Aigburth, a suburb of Liverpool. Florence made quite an impression on the social scene in the city and the two were usually to be found at the most important balls and functions, the very picture of a happy, successful couple. But all was not as it seemed. Maybrick had a number of mistresses, one of whom bore him five children and Florence, increasingly unhappy in her marriage, had a liaison with a local businessman, which her husband learned of.

James Maybrick was taken ill and died at his home on 11 May 1889. His brothers, suspicious as to the cause of death had his body examined by a doctor. It was found to contain a significant but not fatal amount of arsenic, though it is uncertain whether this was taken by Maybrick himself or administered by another person. Florence Maybrick was charged with his murder and stood trial at Liverpool Crown Court, before Justice James Fitzjames Stephen where she was convicted and sentenced to death.

The case was something of a cause celebre and attracted considerable newspaper coverage on both sides of the Atlantic. James Maybrick had taken arsenic on a regular basis as it was regarded by some men then as an aphrodisiac and tonic. A city chemist confirmed that he had supplied the dead man with quantities of the poison - a search of Battlecrease House later turned up enough to kill at least fifty people. Although her marriage was clearly over in all but name, Florence had little motive to murder her husband. The financial provision James Maybrick had made for her and his children in his will was paltry and she would have been far better off with him alive but legally separated from her. Many people held the view that Florence had indeed poisoned her husband because he was about to seek a divorce - which, in Victorian society would see her ruined. More importantly it would have meant her being parted from her two children - a prospect which might well make any mother act with murderous intent.

Eventually reprieved, she spent fourteen years in prison before returning to the United States, where she earned a living on the lecture circuit, during which she continued to protest her innocence. In later life, after some years as a housekeeper Florence became a recluse, living in a squalid cabin near Gaylordsville, Connecticut with only her cats for company. She never saw her children again. Her neighbours had no knowledge of Florence's earlier notoriety and the lady who had once charmed Victorian Liverpool died alone and penniless on 23 October 1941.

Florence Maybrick wrote a book about her experiences soon after her release. A rare copy of My Fifteen Lost Years is still held by Liverpool City Libraries.

Dorothy L. Sayers' novel Strong Poison references the trial, and its solution is clearly inspired by the case.

• http://casebook.org/suspects/james_maybrick/maybrick.html
• http://www.lawbuzz.com/famous_trials/florence/florence_maybrick.htm
• http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4113/is_200401/ai_n9351005
• http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/Maybrick.html
• http://www.geocities.com/stevenhortonuk/jamesmaybrick.html
• http://www.redstarline.org.uk/liverpool_parks_suburbs.html