Death of a Parachutist

20/08/1895

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Many people in Fletton Recreation Ground watched as a balloon, controlled from the ground by Alfred Norton, rose into the sky. In the balloon's basket was Alfred's partner, 36-year-old Annie Bassett. All were waiting for Annie to jump wearing a form of parachute. Annie came from the East End of London and was an experienced parachutist, having made thirty such jumps before. The plan was for her to ascend in the balloon and jump off wearing the parachute. However, something went wrong and Annie tragically fell to her death. At the inquest that followed, Alfred - who was described as a professional aeronaut - stated that when he gave to order to loosen the balloon, it rose, but not far enough to clear a tree and telegraph wires. With the balloon entangled, the parachute device worn by Annie became detached from the balloon. Alfred stated that he tried to stop Annie from jumping but that she, it appeared, misunderstood him. She leapt from a height of about 7o yards and 'directly appeared to reach the ground'. The jurymen sitting at this inquest recommended 'that since no useful purpose is served by these senseless exhibitions at which the lives of the performers are risked, they should be made illegal'. (Family History Magazine)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

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Prosecution of a French Strumpet

1844

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In December 1843 Nathalie Miard was charged with demanding money with menace from the Rev. Herbert Charles Marsh, vicar of Barnack and prebend of Peterborough Cathedral. He had been in a relationship with Nathalie Miard in 1839 in London, and she had become pregnant. Over the next few years he paid her large sums of money, even after the child had died, and she threatened to destroy his reputation if he did not continue to pay her. The extent of their interactions and those of two other French prostitutes, were revealed in scandalous detail in local and national press, revealing every sum of money paid, every hotel they visited, and letters written by her. The news story was in all of the British newspapers and was a national discussion point.

Rev Marsh first visited Nathalie Miard in London where she was said to have been an actress. He gave her money to allow her to return to Paris and visited her there shortly afterwards. Their interactions continued over the next few years, meeting together in London and Paris, each time Ms Miard demanding increasingly large sums of money. In April 1843 she arrived in Stamford, attempting to extract more money from him, with the threat that she would go door to door to expose him to all of his parishioners and then work her way through the local and national clergy until she had informed the Archbishop of Canterbury. She stayed for some time in Barnack, appearing at church services to cause as much disruption as possible, attempting to extort 10,000 francs (£400 at the time) from his brother to start a gambling house. She also talked to his mother, wife of the late Bishop of Peterborough, George Davys, the resident Bishop, and also the Dean. In December of 1843 a prosecution was made against Ms Miard on three different charges of sending a letter demanding money, another similar offence and conspiracy to extort money with another woman.

Witnesses gave examples of how Ms Miard had lied about a second pregnancy and about Rev Marsh giving her drugs to induce a miscarriage in an attempt to increase the scandal, and she had previously extorted money from a Spanish man using the same technique she was using on Rev Marsh. Yet despite the evidence, the jury of 12 men found her not guilty, possibly as a result of nine of the jurors being Dissenters. She was freed from jail on the understanding she would not harass Mr Marsh any further and would return to Paris.

In 1848 Rev. Marsh married a Belgian woman named Elise Sidonie Pouceau and was shortly after admitted to a mental institute in Belgium, then Paris and eventually England. His brother George Marsh was successfully able to get him declared insane on 12th June 1850.

Rev. Herbert Charles Marsh , Barnack , Nathalie Miard , George Davys , George Marsh , Strumpet

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Death of a Parachutist

20/08/1895

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Prosecution of a French Strumpet

1844

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