Murdering Mommy: 15 Children Who Killed Their Own Mother
It's not unusual for someone to have issues with their parents, but the 15 cases profiled in this book show that sometimes they can't be resolved with a conversation. In some cases, frequent physical and metal abuse led to murder, while other cases were just mentally deranged people taking out their frustrations on the closest person available.
These short profiles show what happens when sons and daughters snap and end the lives of those who brought them into this world.
These short profiles show what happens when sons and daughters snap and end the lives of those who brought them into this world.
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Excerpt
Introduction
It's not unusual for someone to have issues with their parents, but the 15 cases profiled in this book show that sometimes they can't be resolved with a conversation. In some cases, frequent physical and metal abuse led to murder, while other cases were just mentally deranged people taking out their frustrations on the closest person available. These short profiles show what happens when sons and daughters snap and end the lives of those who brought them into this world.
Mary Ann Lamb Introduction
Mary Ann Lamb was an English writer and sister of Charles Lamb, also a famous writer, best known for his work, Essays of Elia. She is perhaps most remembered for her joint collaboration on the Tales of Shakespeare, which she co-wrote with Charles. Mary Ann was plagued off and on throughout her life with mental health issues and spent many years in mental hospitals. In 1796, during one of her repeated mental breakdowns, Mary Ann Lamb stabbed her mother to death.
Early Life
Born on December 3, 1764, to a poor family in London, England, Mary Ann Lamb was the third of seven children born to Elizabeth and John Lamb. Her inspiration to become a writer was probably most influenced by her father. While growing up, he told her stories about literature and writers, which piqued her interest in books.
During her childhood, Mary Ann attended day school in Holborn, England and she was a voracious reader. She was lucky enough to have access to an extensive library belonging to her father’s employer. Although Mary Ann had little formal education beyond day school, she was able to help support her family by doing sewing and needlework to earn extra money.
What Drove Mary Ann Lamb to the Breaking Point?
Her father John Lamb suffered a stroke and passed away in 1799. Her mother Elizabeth began experiencing chronic pain and wound up becoming incapable of taking care of herself. Mary Ann was the only child remaining at home, so the responsibility of caregiving fell entirely upon her.
Sarah Lamb, her father’s sister came to live with the family as she grew older, with Charles and Mary Ann taking turns caring for her. Charles suffered a mental breakdown in 1795 and spent the rest of the year, including the beginning of 1796, in a private mental hospital receiving care.
During the time when Mary Ann was a caregiver for her family members, she also began working as a seamstress and hired a young girl to act as her apprentice. The extra responsibilities and stress of taking care of everyone weighed quite heavily on Mary Ann and she began to experience the symptoms of a mental breakdown.
What Happened the Day Elizabeth Lamb Died?
On September 22, 1796, as she was preparing dinner, Mary Ann became angered by her apprentice. She roughly shoved the girl and pushed her from room to room, while loudly chastising her. Elizabeth Lamb began to yell continuously at Mary for becoming angry with her apprentice. Mary Ann was subject to anxiety attacks and due to extreme exhaustion from the constant caregiving, she reached her breaking point.
Mary Ann grabbed a kitchen knife and unsheathed it. She approached her mother who was in a seated position, took the knife and stabbed her directly in the heart, killing her instantly. Her father and aunt were witnesses to the incident and it was rumored he was injured during the attack. Charles ran into the room soon after the stabbing and removed the knife from his sister’s hand.
Later, on the evening of the murder, Mary Ann was confined to a mental institution called Fisher House in Islington. Mary Ann’s brother John suggested Charles have her committed to a public facility, but he refused and took over total responsibility, so she would not be permanently institutionalized. It was at this time that Mary Ann and Charles began to have a close and devoted relationship, which lasted until his death.
What Kind of Person was Mary Ann Lamb?
It can be said from reading past accounts about the life of Mary Ann Lamb that she was described as a loving, gentle and sweet person She had to have been a compassionate and giving person to uncomplainingly take on the burdens of caring for several incapacitated family members. Mary Ann was so desperate to help her family; she also worked her fingers to the bone as a seamstress in order to provide for everyone.
Mary Ann was ten years older than her brother Charles and was a sort of surrogate mother to him while he was growing up. The two siblings had a very close relationship and some of earliest sonnets written by Charles were about his sister. He wrote praising her selflessness, sweetness, compassion and enduring spirit.
What Happened to Mary Ann Lamb After her Mother’s Murder?
Six months after murdering her mother, Mary Ann Lamb was removed from Fisher House by her brother Charles. He bought her a house in Hackney, located not far from London. After the death of her mother, Mary Ann was described by many as being lucid, warm and understanding. It was during the time following the death of her mother that Mary Ann started to hone her writing and poetry skills. She perfected her craft, even though she still experienced yearly relapses back into depression and required hospitalization many times.
While living in Hackney, Charles regularly visited his sister on Sundays and holidays, while the rest of the time he paid for her to have caregivers. Mary Ann continued working as a seamstress and frequented local lending libraries to feed her love of books. After her father and aunt died, Charles brought Mary Ann back to London to live with him full time. Both siblings agreed to remain together and not marry for the rest of their lives.
When Did Mary Ann Lamb Begin her Writing Career?
In 1801, Charles and Mary Ann Lamb formed a social and literary circle that counted artists and writers as members. Charles started to drink heavily and it became a problem that plagued him throughout his life. Mary took on the role of caregiver again; she nursed Charles through his hangovers and binges, watching over him just like he had done for her.
In 1806, when William Goodwin and his wife had become close to Mary Ann and Charles, he asked her to write something for their Juvenile Library. Mary Ann soon found she had a passion and love of writing for children, coming to realize she could earn a good living through being a writer.
Mary Ann began writing her collection of stories, Mrs. Leicester’s School, in 1806; the book was published by the end of the year. In 1810, Mary Ann and Charles published another collaboration called Poems for Children; their joint writing efforts brought them financial security along with a new social stature.
What Happened to Mary Ann Lamb in Later Years?
Mary Ann wrote an article entitled “On Needle-work” in December of 1814. The piece was published by the New British Lady’s Magazine under her pseudonym Sempronia. The article pushed for sewing and dressmaking to be recognized as a profession, making it more than just a duty women did as part of their daily chores. Around this time, Mary Ann experienced a relapse back into depression and Charles published the Essays of Elia. Charles wrote the book about his sister and her life, but the information was never revealed to the public.
Charles and Mary Ann met a young girl name Emma Isola in 1820; it is thought the introduction was made by William Wordsworth. During the time Emma lived with them, Charles resigned his job with the East India House and the three of them moved to a grand home in the country. Charles and Mary Ann later adopted Emma after her father passed away in 1823.
In the late 1820’s, Mary Ann began to experience a progression of her mental illness and her periods of dementia lasted much longer than usual. In addition to experiencing a relapse in her mental illness, she also began having new symptoms and became detached from others. Charles’s health also began to deteriorate; he became infirmed due to his rampant alcohol problem and other health conditions.
In 1833, Mary Ann Lamb moved to a sanitarium for the mentally ill and Charles soon followed her there. Even as she fell more deeply into mental illness, Charles never wavered in his love and dedication to his sister. Charles Lamb passed away on December 27, 1834 and according to a family friend, Mary Ann was so lost in insanity, she was never able to fully experience the grief and loss.
What is the Legacy of Mary Ann Lamb?
Mary Ann Lamb died on May 20, 1847 and was buried next to her brother Charles in the Edmonton Church graveyard in Middlesex, England. At the time of her death, there were very few people outside of her immediate family and close friends who knew the truth of her mental health issues or the murder of her mother.
There were people who remembered her in a positive light and focused more on her sweetness and gentility. However, there were others who focused on the negatives and did not remember her with fondness. For whatever she was, Mary Ann Lamb has left an interesting legacy that will surely be studied and pondered for many generations to come.
Sidney Harry Fox Introduction
Sidney Harry Fox was a British con man and swindler who left a trail of trouble wherever he went. Fox was not above using his homosexuality to turn a profit and it was rumored he engaged in sexual relationships with a number of older men. Although Sidney Harry Fox had a lengthy criminal record, his mother was always steadfastly by his side, never doubting his innocence. It seems there was almost nothing that Sidney Harry Fox would not do for money. He was accused and convicted of murdering his mother in order to collect money from her life insurance policy.
Who was Sidney Harry Fox?
Sidney Harry Fox was born in January of 1899 in Great Fransham, Norfolk. He was the fourth and youngest of son of Rosaline Rallison Fox. Rosaline married William George Fox, but left him for a railway porter who was rumored to be Sidney’s biological father. Sidney Harry Fox grew up never knowing the true identity of his father and it was something that tortured him throughout his life.
Fox was educated at the parish school of Great Fransham, Norfolk, where he resided until he was 13-years old. Because of his illegitimacy, Fox was given to daydreaming about his father and this led him to fantasize about being of noble birth. For three years, Sidney worked in London for an Irish baron named Sir John Leslie and he soon became the pet of the family. He earned the nickname “Cupid” because of his disarming charm and natural good looks.
While living with the Leslie family, Fox started running a series of scams. He was able to seduce the family’s elderly housemaid with his charms and made off with her life savings. Next on the list, Fox stole the Leslie family silver and bible, reportedly using the signatures in the book to engage in deceptive practices. After being disgraced, he went on to work as a ledger clerk in a bank, but was fired after stealing checkbooks.
Life from 1917-1922
Between 1917 and 1918, Sidney spent three months doing hard labor because of obtaining money under false pretenses. The epileptic seizures that had plagued Fox during his childhood began to reappear, landing him in the hospital for six months. The seizures, along with debilitating headaches rendered him unfit for employment.
Fox underwent medical evaluations and it was noted he was backward in development and simple minded. Another evaluation stated Sidney was alert, but suffered from an anxiety disorder. He became a clerk at the Grindlay Bank in July 1919, but within less than a month he had gone back to his old tricks of forgery and deceptive practices. As a consequence, Fox was sentenced to eight months of hard labor.
In 1920, Sidney was given six months of hard labor for using the name of a Harrods’s customer to obtain a gold cigarette case and several expensive suits. Later in 1922, Fox received another twelve month sentence of hard labor for obtaining credit under fraudulent pretenses from a London Hotel. Throughout the later part of the 1920’s, Sidney repeatedly spent time in jail for a variety of thefts, frauds and other petty crimes.
Homosexual Lifestyle
When he could, Fox would use his homosexuality to gain money and other favors. It is rumored Sidney engaged in sexual relationships with a variety of older men. On two occasions, officers wound up being disgraced when police found letters Fox had written to them. Scotland Yard described Sidney as having an unbridled penchant for men and a terrifying sexual history.
Fox became known in social circles as living off the wealth and kindness of other men, who should have known better. Sidney adored the company of older, wealthy gentlemen and enjoyed the theater environment. In 1925, James Agate came to admire Fox, describing him as debonair, charming and suave; he too was not immune to Sidney’s charms.
It's not unusual for someone to have issues with their parents, but the 15 cases profiled in this book show that sometimes they can't be resolved with a conversation. In some cases, frequent physical and metal abuse led to murder, while other cases were just mentally deranged people taking out their frustrations on the closest person available. These short profiles show what happens when sons and daughters snap and end the lives of those who brought them into this world.
Mary Ann Lamb Introduction
Mary Ann Lamb was an English writer and sister of Charles Lamb, also a famous writer, best known for his work, Essays of Elia. She is perhaps most remembered for her joint collaboration on the Tales of Shakespeare, which she co-wrote with Charles. Mary Ann was plagued off and on throughout her life with mental health issues and spent many years in mental hospitals. In 1796, during one of her repeated mental breakdowns, Mary Ann Lamb stabbed her mother to death.
Early Life
Born on December 3, 1764, to a poor family in London, England, Mary Ann Lamb was the third of seven children born to Elizabeth and John Lamb. Her inspiration to become a writer was probably most influenced by her father. While growing up, he told her stories about literature and writers, which piqued her interest in books.
During her childhood, Mary Ann attended day school in Holborn, England and she was a voracious reader. She was lucky enough to have access to an extensive library belonging to her father’s employer. Although Mary Ann had little formal education beyond day school, she was able to help support her family by doing sewing and needlework to earn extra money.
What Drove Mary Ann Lamb to the Breaking Point?
Her father John Lamb suffered a stroke and passed away in 1799. Her mother Elizabeth began experiencing chronic pain and wound up becoming incapable of taking care of herself. Mary Ann was the only child remaining at home, so the responsibility of caregiving fell entirely upon her.
Sarah Lamb, her father’s sister came to live with the family as she grew older, with Charles and Mary Ann taking turns caring for her. Charles suffered a mental breakdown in 1795 and spent the rest of the year, including the beginning of 1796, in a private mental hospital receiving care.
During the time when Mary Ann was a caregiver for her family members, she also began working as a seamstress and hired a young girl to act as her apprentice. The extra responsibilities and stress of taking care of everyone weighed quite heavily on Mary Ann and she began to experience the symptoms of a mental breakdown.
What Happened the Day Elizabeth Lamb Died?
On September 22, 1796, as she was preparing dinner, Mary Ann became angered by her apprentice. She roughly shoved the girl and pushed her from room to room, while loudly chastising her. Elizabeth Lamb began to yell continuously at Mary for becoming angry with her apprentice. Mary Ann was subject to anxiety attacks and due to extreme exhaustion from the constant caregiving, she reached her breaking point.
Mary Ann grabbed a kitchen knife and unsheathed it. She approached her mother who was in a seated position, took the knife and stabbed her directly in the heart, killing her instantly. Her father and aunt were witnesses to the incident and it was rumored he was injured during the attack. Charles ran into the room soon after the stabbing and removed the knife from his sister’s hand.
Later, on the evening of the murder, Mary Ann was confined to a mental institution called Fisher House in Islington. Mary Ann’s brother John suggested Charles have her committed to a public facility, but he refused and took over total responsibility, so she would not be permanently institutionalized. It was at this time that Mary Ann and Charles began to have a close and devoted relationship, which lasted until his death.
What Kind of Person was Mary Ann Lamb?
It can be said from reading past accounts about the life of Mary Ann Lamb that she was described as a loving, gentle and sweet person She had to have been a compassionate and giving person to uncomplainingly take on the burdens of caring for several incapacitated family members. Mary Ann was so desperate to help her family; she also worked her fingers to the bone as a seamstress in order to provide for everyone.
Mary Ann was ten years older than her brother Charles and was a sort of surrogate mother to him while he was growing up. The two siblings had a very close relationship and some of earliest sonnets written by Charles were about his sister. He wrote praising her selflessness, sweetness, compassion and enduring spirit.
What Happened to Mary Ann Lamb After her Mother’s Murder?
Six months after murdering her mother, Mary Ann Lamb was removed from Fisher House by her brother Charles. He bought her a house in Hackney, located not far from London. After the death of her mother, Mary Ann was described by many as being lucid, warm and understanding. It was during the time following the death of her mother that Mary Ann started to hone her writing and poetry skills. She perfected her craft, even though she still experienced yearly relapses back into depression and required hospitalization many times.
While living in Hackney, Charles regularly visited his sister on Sundays and holidays, while the rest of the time he paid for her to have caregivers. Mary Ann continued working as a seamstress and frequented local lending libraries to feed her love of books. After her father and aunt died, Charles brought Mary Ann back to London to live with him full time. Both siblings agreed to remain together and not marry for the rest of their lives.
When Did Mary Ann Lamb Begin her Writing Career?
In 1801, Charles and Mary Ann Lamb formed a social and literary circle that counted artists and writers as members. Charles started to drink heavily and it became a problem that plagued him throughout his life. Mary took on the role of caregiver again; she nursed Charles through his hangovers and binges, watching over him just like he had done for her.
In 1806, when William Goodwin and his wife had become close to Mary Ann and Charles, he asked her to write something for their Juvenile Library. Mary Ann soon found she had a passion and love of writing for children, coming to realize she could earn a good living through being a writer.
Mary Ann began writing her collection of stories, Mrs. Leicester’s School, in 1806; the book was published by the end of the year. In 1810, Mary Ann and Charles published another collaboration called Poems for Children; their joint writing efforts brought them financial security along with a new social stature.
What Happened to Mary Ann Lamb in Later Years?
Mary Ann wrote an article entitled “On Needle-work” in December of 1814. The piece was published by the New British Lady’s Magazine under her pseudonym Sempronia. The article pushed for sewing and dressmaking to be recognized as a profession, making it more than just a duty women did as part of their daily chores. Around this time, Mary Ann experienced a relapse back into depression and Charles published the Essays of Elia. Charles wrote the book about his sister and her life, but the information was never revealed to the public.
Charles and Mary Ann met a young girl name Emma Isola in 1820; it is thought the introduction was made by William Wordsworth. During the time Emma lived with them, Charles resigned his job with the East India House and the three of them moved to a grand home in the country. Charles and Mary Ann later adopted Emma after her father passed away in 1823.
In the late 1820’s, Mary Ann began to experience a progression of her mental illness and her periods of dementia lasted much longer than usual. In addition to experiencing a relapse in her mental illness, she also began having new symptoms and became detached from others. Charles’s health also began to deteriorate; he became infirmed due to his rampant alcohol problem and other health conditions.
In 1833, Mary Ann Lamb moved to a sanitarium for the mentally ill and Charles soon followed her there. Even as she fell more deeply into mental illness, Charles never wavered in his love and dedication to his sister. Charles Lamb passed away on December 27, 1834 and according to a family friend, Mary Ann was so lost in insanity, she was never able to fully experience the grief and loss.
What is the Legacy of Mary Ann Lamb?
Mary Ann Lamb died on May 20, 1847 and was buried next to her brother Charles in the Edmonton Church graveyard in Middlesex, England. At the time of her death, there were very few people outside of her immediate family and close friends who knew the truth of her mental health issues or the murder of her mother.
There were people who remembered her in a positive light and focused more on her sweetness and gentility. However, there were others who focused on the negatives and did not remember her with fondness. For whatever she was, Mary Ann Lamb has left an interesting legacy that will surely be studied and pondered for many generations to come.
Sidney Harry Fox Introduction
Sidney Harry Fox was a British con man and swindler who left a trail of trouble wherever he went. Fox was not above using his homosexuality to turn a profit and it was rumored he engaged in sexual relationships with a number of older men. Although Sidney Harry Fox had a lengthy criminal record, his mother was always steadfastly by his side, never doubting his innocence. It seems there was almost nothing that Sidney Harry Fox would not do for money. He was accused and convicted of murdering his mother in order to collect money from her life insurance policy.
Who was Sidney Harry Fox?
Sidney Harry Fox was born in January of 1899 in Great Fransham, Norfolk. He was the fourth and youngest of son of Rosaline Rallison Fox. Rosaline married William George Fox, but left him for a railway porter who was rumored to be Sidney’s biological father. Sidney Harry Fox grew up never knowing the true identity of his father and it was something that tortured him throughout his life.
Fox was educated at the parish school of Great Fransham, Norfolk, where he resided until he was 13-years old. Because of his illegitimacy, Fox was given to daydreaming about his father and this led him to fantasize about being of noble birth. For three years, Sidney worked in London for an Irish baron named Sir John Leslie and he soon became the pet of the family. He earned the nickname “Cupid” because of his disarming charm and natural good looks.
While living with the Leslie family, Fox started running a series of scams. He was able to seduce the family’s elderly housemaid with his charms and made off with her life savings. Next on the list, Fox stole the Leslie family silver and bible, reportedly using the signatures in the book to engage in deceptive practices. After being disgraced, he went on to work as a ledger clerk in a bank, but was fired after stealing checkbooks.
Life from 1917-1922
Between 1917 and 1918, Sidney spent three months doing hard labor because of obtaining money under false pretenses. The epileptic seizures that had plagued Fox during his childhood began to reappear, landing him in the hospital for six months. The seizures, along with debilitating headaches rendered him unfit for employment.
Fox underwent medical evaluations and it was noted he was backward in development and simple minded. Another evaluation stated Sidney was alert, but suffered from an anxiety disorder. He became a clerk at the Grindlay Bank in July 1919, but within less than a month he had gone back to his old tricks of forgery and deceptive practices. As a consequence, Fox was sentenced to eight months of hard labor.
In 1920, Sidney was given six months of hard labor for using the name of a Harrods’s customer to obtain a gold cigarette case and several expensive suits. Later in 1922, Fox received another twelve month sentence of hard labor for obtaining credit under fraudulent pretenses from a London Hotel. Throughout the later part of the 1920’s, Sidney repeatedly spent time in jail for a variety of thefts, frauds and other petty crimes.
Homosexual Lifestyle
When he could, Fox would use his homosexuality to gain money and other favors. It is rumored Sidney engaged in sexual relationships with a variety of older men. On two occasions, officers wound up being disgraced when police found letters Fox had written to them. Scotland Yard described Sidney as having an unbridled penchant for men and a terrifying sexual history.
Fox became known in social circles as living off the wealth and kindness of other men, who should have known better. Sidney adored the company of older, wealthy gentlemen and enjoyed the theater environment. In 1925, James Agate came to admire Fox, describing him as debonair, charming and suave; he too was not immune to Sidney’s charms.
