The murder of Anna Maria Burgess is a story that has captured the imagination. It has been told and retold so many times that fact and fiction have become inextricably merged.
In 1858, in the isolated village of Simonsbath on Exmoor, the death of a six-year-old child by her father’s hand shocked the small community and the story of Anna Maria, William Burgess and the Wheal Eliza mine has taken its place among the myths and legends of Exmoor.
But there are many conflicting accounts and differences of opinion. So what really happened? What is the true version?
In this short book, with the help of parish records, newspaper archives, contemporary reports of the murder and of the trial, I have tried to piece together an accurate picture of the events that led to the deaths of Anna Maria and of William Burgess.
There are still gaps, and it has not been possible to verify all reports. Newspapers then, as now, were selective with the facts, and each reporter put his own spin on it.
When a story fires the imagination as this one did, there will always be errors and inconsistencies, so it is doubtful the whole truth of the matter will ever be known; but it is my hope that this account might come close to it.
#murder #exmoor #williamburgess #whealelizamine #exmoorlegends #history