Hixon History Society

Steve Booth addressed the May meeting by asking if Dr William Palmer was a Murderer or a Saint! William was born in 1821 in Rugeley, the sixth of eight children. His father died when William was just 12 years old. William went to Rugeley Grammar School and then aged 16 he worked as an apprentice at a Liverpool chemist but was dismissed after only three months due to allegations of theft. He went on to study medicine in London, where he qualified as a physician in August 1846. Following his studies, William returned to Rugeley and was apprenticed to a surgeon Mr Tylecote, a friend of his mother. Later that year, he met George Abley at the Lamb and Flag public house in Little Haywood and challenged him to a drinking contest. George was carried home an hour later and died in bed that evening. William married Ann Thornton, on 7th October 1847, in St. Nicholas Church, Abbots Bromley. The couple had five children, but sadly, only their first born son, William, survived to adulthood. The rest of their children died within 2 months of their birth. Ann's mother had inherited a fortune of £8,000 after her husband committed suicide in 1834, and she was known to have lent William money. Unfortunately, Ann's mother died just two weeks after coming to stay with William and Ann! William's interest in horse racing grew, and he borrowed £600 from Leonard Bladen, whom he had met at the races. Leonard died in agony at William's house on 10 May 1850, and his death certificate listed William as ‘Present at the death’. As Palmer's gambling debts grew, he took out life insurance policies on his loved ones; including his wife who died in September 1854, aged 27, and his brother Walter who died in August 1855. Palmer received payouts of £13,000 and £14,000 from the insurance company after paying only one premium! He met up with a fellow gambler John Parsons Cook who had inherited a £12,000 fortune. The two attended the ‘Shrewsbury Cup’ on November 14th 1855, where Cook won £3,000. After the race, the pair celebrated at a local drinking establishment, the Raven. However, Cook soon fell ill, complaining that his gin had burnt his throat. Cook returned to Rugeley and booked a room at the Talbot Arms, where he met with Palmer who took responsibility for Cook's well-being. His vomiting became worse and on 21st November, Cook died in agony. A post-mortem examination took place at the Talbot Arms and samples of his stomach were sent off to toxicologist Alfred Swaine Taylor, who complained about the poor quality. and so a second post-mortem took place on 29th November. Although Taylor found no evidence of toxins, he still believed that Cook had been poisoned. Palmer was arrested on the charge of murder and forgery, and was detained at Stafford Gaol but the trial was moved to London's Old Bailey to ensure fairness due to intense public interest. There, a chemist’s assistant admitted selling Palmer strychnine the week before. Despite Palmer’s plea that “Cook did not die from strychnine” the 12-day trial saw him found guilty of poisoning Cook. Palmer was publicly hanged at Stafford Prison on June 14, 1856, in front of an estimated 30,000 spectators and was buried in the prison grounds. His mother is said to have commented: "They have hung my saintly Billy”. It is thought that Palmer could have been responsible for 12 – 16 deaths. 

The June meeting will be a talk on RAF Cosford by James Robson and in July we will be hearing about the Saint and the Viking.

All meetings start at 8-00pm. 

The fee is £2-00 per person. All welcome. 

John Egginton