One of Victorian Britain’s most gruesome murder mysteries has been solved after the skull of a wealthy widow was found in Sir David Attenborough’s garden.
More than a century after Julia Martha Thomas was brutally attacked by a servant in her home, the case was closed yesterday as her death was formally recognised in a court.
Remains found during excavations at Sir David’s property in Richmond, South London, were confirmed as those of Mrs Thomas, who was chopped up and boiled by her housekeeper in 1879.
Although a box containing human flesh was found in the Thames days after the killing and the victim’s foot was found on an allotment, her skull had been missing for 132 years.
Workmen building an extension in the veteran nature show presenter’s garden, less than 100 yards from where Mrs Thomas was murdered, made the discovery in October last year.
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Alison Thompson, the West London Coroner, confirmed yesterday that the twice widowed 55-year-old died from asphyxiation and a head injury.
Ending the affair which became known as the “Barnes mystery” and was a matter of great intrigue in Victorian England, the coroner formally recognised the skull and delivered a verdict of unlawful killing.
Mrs Thomas was murdered by her maid Kate Webster, who pushed her down the stairs, strangled her and chopped the body up. She then boiled the body and gave the dripping to local children to eat.
Webster, who was born in Ireland, had spent her life in and out of prisons for offences including burglary.
She had been employed by Mrs Thomas for just two months when she carried out the attack. The court heard that the pair could not get on as Mrs Thomas, a devout Presbyterian, did not approve of Webster’s heavy drinking.
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Police provided the court with evidence that the skull was that of Mrs Thomas after reviewing census records and using radiocarbon testing.
Chief Superintendent Clive Chalk, of Scotland Yard, said: “This is a fascinating case and a good example of how good old-fashioned detective work, historical records and technological advances came together to solve the ‘Barnes mystery’.”