Victorian Domestic Abuse Cases - Margaret Fay 1848

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In January 1848 in Glasgow, George Fay was charged with culpable homicide and also the cruel, barbarous and unnatural treatment of his wife Margaret in so far as on 30th June 1847 he caused his wife to be confined in a water closet until 23rd September following which from the effects of such treatment, she died.

George Campbell, Inspector of the Poor, said

“I went to the prisoner's house on 23rd September. I inquired for the prisoner and found he was at home. Asked prisoner where his wife was. He said in the country and would be home the next day. Told him I must see her as I had information that she was in the house. There are three rooms, a kitchen and a water closet in the lobby. There was a window a foot square in the door of the water closet. I asked the servant, Margaret Hume to light a candle and asked the prisoner again if his wife was in the house, when he admitted she was. He was then leading me to a room behind when I noticed a bar across the water closet door, which fastened so that no one within could move it. I asked prisoner if she was there and he admitted that she was. I turned the bar and the door came open and I found her there. It was five o clock in the afternoon and we could not see without a candle. I found her lying with her body upon a sort of wooden bed, with her head on the seat of the water closet, and her body crouched towards the door. Her body was covered with a loose black covering, of a sort of cotton cloth; she had no shift or cap on and was in a state of nudity. She was lying in filth, with no bedding below her, and the straw was all wet. Her hair was matted like a door mat and the vermin were innumerable. From the way in which she was lying, her body had broken out a little. The straw apparently had not been removed from the time she went in, as it was all rotten. I measured the closet; the distance from the door to the back of the wall was four feet three inches; and the breadth of the closet was two feet ten and a half inches, but there were standards at each side of the door, which narrowed the breadth six inches. We lifted her out and set her on a chair but she could not sit up, her legs being drawn upwards towards her body. We removed her to the kitchen and set her in a chair with her feet on the fender to support her on the chair. I asked her name and age and how long she had been there. She stated that she had not been out but once since her incarceration in the month of May last. I desired the servant to bring her some clothing and she said that deceased had no clothing but she would bring some of her own. She did not bring any in my presence. I heard the prisoner say to his wife

“Sit up my dear”

But she seemed to think his kindness was mere show and paid no attention to it. Her eye was all putrified and a large lump of mortified matter upon it. Her nose was off her face. There was a very strong stench; so much so that I could hardly stand it and the officer with me had to leave the house. I asked the prisoner why he had kept her in such a place. He said she had been very disorderly and he had put her there in order that she should not disturb the neighbours. Prisoner said she was wrong in her mind. He said that she was very disorderly at times and that she was insane. From the conversation I had with her I considered her in a sound state of mind. In defence, an attempt was made to show that the wretched woman was of unsound mind and of such disgusting habits that she polluted every place she came to; and that consequently it was necessary to confine her, though it was denied that she was never permitted to leave the water closet, but, on the contrary that she could come out when she liked”. The jury however returned a verdict of guilty and the Lord Justice sentenced him to transportation for life



From my book "Victorian Domestic Abuse" - available in paperback from Amazon or download to Kindle











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