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My 2 x great Aunt Mary Elizabeth Smith
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My Ashford family came from the Birmingham area of the
West Midlands. If your Ashford Family comes from this area
and you are willing to exchange information with us, Back to Homepage The Murder of Mary Ashford – 27 May 1817
My Grandfather Francis Augustine Ashford and his siblings My mother Winifred Gertrude Taylor nee Ashford My mother's siblings
The Murder of Mary Ashford – 27 May 1817 My mother’s grandmother told her that we were related to Mary Ashford who was murdered on the 27th May 1817 at Erdington, Birmingham. I wanted to find out if there was any truth in this legend, so decided to research my Ashford Family Tree. I traced it back to William Ashford, my 3 x great grandfather, who was baptised on the 31st December 1794 at Aston, son of Thomas Ashford – a Gardener from Erdington and Ann (nee Coleman) his wife. William had a sister called Mary who was baptised on the 31st December 1796 at Aston. She was born about the right time to be the murdered Mary. I decided to read as much as I could about the case. Several newspapers and books covered the story, and the events were described in detail in a book entitled “The Trial of Abraham Thornton” edited by Sir John Hall, Bnt. and published by William Hodge and Co. Ltd. in 1926. According to this book, Mary was about 20 years of age, strong, active and of decidedly attractive appearance, the daughter of a Gardener from Erdington. She lived at Langley Heath with her uncle John Coleman, a small Yeoman Farmer, for whom she acted as a Housekeeper and General Servant. Mary’s brother William was said to be about 22 years of age, slightly built with sandy hair and blue eyes. The story unfolds on the evening of the 26th May 1817. Mary attended a dance at Tyburn House with her friend Hannah Cox, and during the evening she danced with Abraham Thornton, a bricklayer and son of a local Farmer. Early the following morning, Mary’s body was found in a water pit near Penns Mill. At the inquest on the 30th and 31st May, the Coroners Jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder against Abraham Thornton, who was committed for Trial at the Warwick Summer Assizes where he was duly tried and acquitted. There was a public outcry and Mary’s brother William, as her heir, was persuaded by a local Solicitor to take proceedings for an “Appeal of Murder” against Abraham Thornton, and on the 6th November 1817 at Westminster Hall in the Court of the Kings Bench this second trial began, but was postponed until the 17th November. On this day, when asked how he pleaded, Thornton replied “Not guilty, and I am ready to defend the same with my body” and threw down a Gauntlet. There was uproar in the courtroom, as there had not been a “Wager of Battel” since 1638. On the 16th April 1818 Thornton’s right to challenge was upheld by the High Court. William Ashford was advised not to take up the challenge, and on the 20th April, Thornton was discharged and he emigrated to America. Two years later “Appeal of Murder” and “Trial by Battel” were removed from the statute book. Mary Ashford was buried on the 1st June 1817 at Sutton Coldfield, where a tombstone was erected by public subscription. William Ashford, Fish Hawker, died on the 18th January 1867 in Aston, Birmingham. |
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