This is a true crime story about the gruesome murder of a child in Victorian England.
In mid-1860, the relatively prosperous Kent family lived in a large house on Road Hill in the county of Kent, southeast of Greater London.
The Kents' Road Hill house
The county of Kent is southeast of Greater London
Samuel Kent and his second wife Mary were raising six children, four from Samuel's first marriage, and two from their union. In addition, Mary was pregnant again. (Note: In the course of her life, Mary experienced many pregnancies, most of which ended in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. The women of this era certainly had it rough. 😒)
On the morning of June 30, 1860, Samuel and Mary's son Saville - three years and ten months old - was missing from his cot in the nursemaid's room. The nursemaid, Elizabeth Gough, thought Saville's mother Mary had taken the boy, and didn't immediately raise the alarm.
Little Saville Kent
When it became clear that Saville was missing, a frantic search ensued, and servants found the boy's body stuffed down a privy outside the house. Saville had been stabbed and his throat had been cut.
The local police were called, and their investigation revealed that the house had been shut up tight, and the murderer was well-acquainted with the home's layout. Thus the murderer must have been a servant or family member....not a random intruder.
Police in England, circa 1860
In Victorian England the home of respectable people was considered sacrosanct, and this severely hampered police inquiries. The authorities weren't able to search the house properly, and when a woman's soiled chemise (a piece of clothing worn under a corset) was found in the privy, the police only 'fitted' it against servants, not family members.
Example of woman's chemise, circa 1860
These constraints, plus police ineptitude, resulted in no arrests...though the police had their suspicions. The failed investigation raised the ire of the general public. The sensational murder of a child was fodder for newspapers, pamphleteers, and balladeers, and people all across Britain heard about the case.
Balladeers helped spread the news in Victorian England
When a murderer wasn't arrested the population roundly criticized the authorities, and 'armchair detectives' came up with their own theories. Many people wrote letters to magistrates and politicians, calling for Scotland Yard to get involved.
The British public was angered by the Saville Kent case
Finally Scotland Yard Detective-Inspector Jonathan Whicher was sent to Road Hill to re-investigate the murder. Whicher had a stellar reputation as a detective, and was renowned for his previous successes in criminal apprehension. Summerscale provides several anecdotes about Whicher's former cases, which are wide-ranging and interesting.
Detective-Inspector Jack Whicher
Whicher was aware the local cops didn't appreciate his 'interference', but he questioned and re-questioned every person of interest, including family members, servants, the local laundress, neighbors, townsfolk, etc. Whicher also found new evidence, which informed his opinion of the case. In the end, the Kent police and Whicher had different theories of the crime.
- The Kent police surmised that little Saville woke up and found his father Samuel (or some other man) in bed with the nursemaid Elizabeth. The guilty couple, fearing Saville would tattle to his mother, killed the child.
Samuel Kent
- Whicher thought Saville's teenage half-sister Constance killed him, out of resentment against her stepmother Mary. It was well known that Mary Kent - who was originally the children's nanny - had an affair with Samuel before his first wife died. In addition, Mary was MUCH nicer to her own children than to her stepchildren.
Young Constance Kent
There were accusations, arrests, court proceedings, and all manner of rigmarole surrounding the Saville Kent murder, which Summerscale describes in detail. The case severely impacted the people in the Kent household, as well as Detective-Inspector Whicher.
The victim's father Samuel Kent - who was already unpopular because his job involved enforcing child labor laws - was reviled by the public, many of whom thought him guilty. Other residents of the Road Hill house were also scrutinized by the press and public, who watched them, wrote about them, etc.
As for Detective-Inspector Whicher, his 'evidence' didn't hold up against the savvy, sarcastic defense lawyers. This led to vicious remarks from the press and public, and Whicher became a broken disheartened man.
In addition to the Kent murder case, Summerscale provides a picture of Victorian England, which was experiencing industrialization and its concomitant problems, especially child labor. Most people seemed to think child labor was perfectly okay, even desirable, and they resented laws restricting the practice.
Child labor was rampant in Victorian England
The murder of Saville Kent, and the way it was solved, makes a fascinating story. However Summerscale doesn't believe justice was completely done, and she explains why. I found the book well-researched, well-written, and interesting. I also like Summerscale's speculation about the impact of syphilis on the lives of the characters. (Consider this a teaser. 😊)
I'd recommend the book to fans of true crime stories.
Rating: 4 stars
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