110-524: The Red Barn Murder was a 1827 murder in Polstead , Suffolk , England. A young woman, Maria Marten, was shot dead by her lover William Corder at the Red Barn, a local landmark. The two had arranged to meet before eloping to Ipswich . Corder sent letters to Marten's family claiming that she was well, but after her stepmother spoke of having dreamed that Maria had been murdered, her body was discovered in
220-458: A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve . With a land area of 380 km (150 sq mi), it is about half the size of Singapore . The island has been home to the poets Algernon Charles Swinburne and Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Queen Victoria built her summer residence and final home, Osborne House , at East Cowes on the Isle. It has a maritime and industrial tradition of boat-building , sail-making,
330-595: A boarding house for ladies in Brentford . He was running the boarding house with his new wife Mary Moore, whom he had met through a lonely hearts advertisement that he had placed in The Times (which had received more than 100 replies). Judith Flanders states in her 2011 book that Corder had also placed advertisements in the Morning Herald and The Sunday Times . He received more than forty replies from
440-420: A fraudster and ladies' man . He was known as "Foxey" at school because of his sly manner. Corder once fraudulently sold his father's pigs, although his father had settled the matter without involving the law, but Corder had not changed his behaviour. He later obtained money by passing a forged cheque for £ 93 and had helped local thief Samuel "Beauty" Smith steal a pig from a neighbouring village. When Smith
550-474: A changing room and a WC with plumbing. The refurbished machine is now displayed at the beach. On 14 January 1878, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated an early version of the telephone to the queen, placing calls to Cowes, Southampton, and London. These were the first publicly-witnessed long-distance telephone calls in the UK . The queen tried the device and considered the process to be "quite extraordinary" although
660-431: A hold over him, and that his theft of the money sent by her child's father had been a source of tension between them. Corder then gave his own version of the events. He admitted to being in the barn with Marten, but said that he had left after they argued. He claimed that he heard a pistol shot while he was walking away, and that he ran back to the barn to find her dead with one of his pistols beside her. Corder pleaded with
770-556: A melodramatic version of the murder after the execution, a precursor of the Newgate novels which quickly became best-sellers. The Red Barn Murder was a popular subject, along with the story of Jack Sheppard and other highwaymen, thieves and murderers, for penny gaffs , cheap plays performed in the back rooms of public houses. James Catnach sold more than a million broadsides ( sensationalist single sheet newspapers) which gave details of Corder's confession and execution, and included
880-521: A mile from the cottage. This was the last time that she was seen alive. Corder also disappeared, but later turned up and claimed that Marten was in Ipswich, or some other place nearby, and that he could not yet bring her back as his wife for fear of provoking the anger of his friends and relatives. The pressure on Corder to produce his wife eventually forced him to leave the area. He wrote letters to Marten's family claiming that they were married and living on
990-573: A new wave of migrations from continental Europe, linked to the Bell Beaker Culture . Bell beaker migrants are typically thought to have introduced metal-working to Britain marking the beginning of the Bronze Age . Evidence of early Bronze Age occupation on the Isle of Wight include distinctive bell beaker pots, flint tools, occupation sites and finds of bronze weapons and tools, occurring either individually or in hoard deposits such as
1100-578: A pastry shop window. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but Corder had certainly received replies for his advertisement in The Times , a number of which can be found in Curtis' account of the case. b. The account of the case bound in Corder's tanned skin is held at Moyse's Hall Museum and contains a hand-written account of a witticism on the inside cover: on the night of the execution, during
1210-424: A performance of Macbeth at Drury Lane, when the line "Is execution done on Cawdor?" was spoken, a man shouted from the gallery "Yes! – He was hung this morning at Bury" c. Accounts of how many were sold vary but are consistently quoted as either 1,160,000 or 1,600,000. Catnach claimed it had sold over 1,650,000. d. In November 2007 a report of a fire that nearly destroyed Marten's cottage
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#17327917893601320-453: A replacement. The main village is situated around Polstead Green and the Hill, although Polstead also comprises several hamlets including Polstead Heath, Hadleigh Heath, Bower House Tye, Bell's Corner, Mill Street and Whitestreet Green. The village has one pub, the 17th century Cock Inn, a community shop and post office and a playing field. The playing field hosts an annual music festival around
1430-399: A sentimental ballad supposedly written by Corder himself (though more likely to have been the work of Catnach or somebody in his employ). It was one of at least five ballads about the crime that appeared directly following the execution. Many different versions of the events were set down and distributed due to the excitement around the trial and the public demand for entertainments based on
1540-598: A sign on the shed now marks the approximate place where it stood, although her name is given to Marten's Lane in the village. Pottery models and sketches were sold and songs were composed, including one quoted in the Vaughan Williams opera Hugh the Drover and Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus . Corder's skeleton was put on display in a glass case in the West Suffolk Hospital, and apparently
1650-677: A single Member of Parliament until 2024. The Isle of Wight constituency covered the entire island, with 138,300 permanent residents in 2011 , being one of the most populated constituencies in the United Kingdom (more than 50% above the English average). In 2011 following passage of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act , the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
1760-400: A unique character. The highest point on the island is St Boniface Down in the south east, which at 241 m (791 ft) is a marilyn . The most notable habitats on the rest of the island are probably the soft cliffs and sea ledges, which are scenic features, important for wildlife, and internationally protected. The island has three principal rivers. The River Medina flows north into
1870-411: A watch before him by which he was 'minuting' the boiling of some eggs. Lea took Corder to one side and informed him of the charges, but he denied all knowledge of both Marten and the crime. A search of the house uncovered a pair of pistols supposedly bought on the day of the murder; some letters from a Mr. Gardener, which may have contained warnings about the discovery of the crime; and a passport from
1980-577: Is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county. Since the abolition of its two borough councils and restructuring of the Isle of Wight County Council into the new Isle of Wight Council in 1995, it has been administered by a single tier Island Council which has the same powers as a unitary authority in England. There have been small regionalist movements: the Vectis National Party and
2090-427: Is an original made by Child of Bungay as a tool for the study of Corder's phrenology. Several copies of Corder's death mask were made and replicas are held at Moyse's Hall Museum and in the dungeons of Norwich Castle . His widow advertised for sale the glasses he purportedly wore at the trial and a snuff box with Marten's likeness. Artefacts from the trial, some of which were in Corder's possession, are also held at
2200-415: Is just; I deserve my fate; and, may God have mercy on my soul. Corder's body was cut down after an hour by the hangman, John Foxton , who claimed his trousers and stockings according to his rights. The body was taken back to the courtroom at Shire Hall, where it was slit open along the abdomen to expose the muscles. The crowds were allowed to file past until six o'clock, when the doors were shut. According to
2310-487: Is now commemorated by a sign located near to the grave site, and by Marten's Lane which adjoins Water Lane and Mill Street. The church dates from the 12th century and features some very early English-made bricks. The tower, which is 14th-century, is the only one in Suffolk which still has its original spire, although Pevsner says the spire is later than the tower. The tower at one time contained six bells. The interior of
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#17327917893602420-610: Is now the site of the Marconi Monument. In 1898 the first paid wireless telegram (called a "Marconigram") was sent from this station, and the island was for some time the home of the National Wireless Museum near Ryde. Queen Victoria died at Osborne House on 22 January 1901 at 81. During the Second World War , the island was frequently bombed. With its proximity to German-occupied France,
2530-591: Is reflected in the current residents' genetic makeup. As the Iron Age began, tin value likely dropped sharply, greatly changing the Isle of Wight's economy. Trade, however, continued, as evidenced by the local abundance of European Iron Age coins. Julius Caesar reported that the Belgae took the Isle of Wight in about 85 BC and recognised the culture of this general region as "Belgic" but made no reference to Vectis. The Roman historian Suetonius mentions that
2640-550: Is situated on a small tributary stream of the River Stour . In 2011 the parish had a population of 851. The name Polstead is derived from "Place by a pool" There are still two large ponds in the village. The village was the site of the Red Barn Murder in 1827. The victim Maria Marten was re-buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, but her gravestone was subsequently entirely removed by souvenir hunters. Marten
2750-513: Is the Longstone at Mottistone , the remains of an early Neolithic long barrow . Initially constructed with two standing stones at the entrance, only one remains upright today. The site would have likely served as a communal tomb and ritual site for nearby farming communities. A Neolithic mortuary enclosure has also been identified on Tennyson Down near Freshwater . From c. 4,400 – c. 4,200 years ago Britain experienced
2860-574: Is unknown. However, sites and fossils of the same age range in Europe are often attributed to Homo heidelbergensis or early populations of Neanderthals . A Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian flint assemblage, consisting of 50 handaxes and debitage, has been recovered from Great Pan Farm in the Medina Valley near Newport. Gravel sequences at the site have been dated to the MIS 3 interstadial during
2970-561: The Albion Country Band recorded a song in 1971 entitled "Murder of Maria Marten" on their album No Roses . A part of the song is performed by Florence Pugh in the 2018 television dramatisation of John le Carré 's The Little Drummer Girl . a. Moore's first name is occasionally reported as Maria but an inscription in Corder's journal and later reports make it clear she was called Mary. The initial newspaper reports said that she had seen Corder's advertisement in
3080-417: The Isle of Wight , and he gave various excuses for her lack of communication: she was unwell, she had hurt her hand or the letter must have been lost. Suspicion continued to grow, and Marten's stepmother began talking of dreams that Maria had been murdered and buried in the Red Barn. On 19 April 1828, she persuaded her husband to go to the Red Barn and dig in one of the grain storage bins. He quickly uncovered
3190-540: The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire until 1974, when it was made a ceremonial county in its own right. The island no longer has administrative links to Hampshire. However, the two counties continue to share their police force and fire and rescue service , and the island's Anglican churches belong to the Diocese of Portsmouth (originally Winchester ). A combined local authority with Portsmouth and Southampton
3300-563: The Morning Herald and 53 from The Sunday Times that he never picked up. These letters were subsequently published by George Foster in 1828. Lea managed to gain entry under the pretext that he wished to board his daughter there, and he surprised Corder in the parlour. Thomas Hardy noted the Dorset County Chronicle ' s report of his capture: …in parlour with 4 ladies at breakfast, in dressing gown & had
3410-461: The Norwich and Bury Post , over 5,000 people queued to see the body. The following day, the dissection and post-mortem were carried out in front of an audience of students from Cambridge University and physicians. Reports circulated around Bury St Edmunds that a "galvanic battery" had been brought from Cambridge, and it is likely that the group experimented with galvanism on the body; a battery
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3520-556: The Palmerston Forts , The Needles Batteries , and Fort Victoria , because of fears about possible French invasion. The future Queen Victoria spent childhood holidays on the island and became fond of it. When she became queen, she made Osborne House her winter home. Subsequently, the island became a fashionable holiday resort for many, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson , Julia Margaret Cameron , and Charles Dickens (who wrote much of David Copperfield there), as well as
3630-743: The Seven Years' War , the island was a staging post for British troops departing on expeditions against the French coast, such as the Raid on Rochefort . During 1759, with a planned French invasion imminent , a large force of soldiers was stationed there. The French called off their invasion following the Battle of Quiberon Bay . In the spring of 1817, the twenty-one year old John Keats spent time in Carisbrooke and Shanklin, where he found inspiration in
3740-644: The Solent , the Eastern Yar flows roughly northeast to Bembridge Harbour, and the Western Yar flows the short distance from Freshwater Bay to a relatively large estuary at Yarmouth . Without human intervention the sea might well have split the island into three: at the west end where a bank of pebbles separates Freshwater Bay from the marshy backwaters of the Western Yar east of Freshwater, and at
3850-407: The Solent . It is the largest and second-most populous island in England. Referred to as "The Island" by residents, the Isle of Wight has resorts that have been popular holiday destinations since Victorian times . It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland , and chines . The island is historically part of Hampshire . The island is designated
3960-559: The last glacial period ( c. 50,000 years ago). These tools are associated with the late Neanderthal occupation, and evidence of late Neanderthal presence is seen across Britain at this time. No significant evidence of Upper Palaeolithic activity exists on the Isle of Wight. This period is associated with the expansion and establishment of populations of modern human ( Homo sapiens ) hunter-gatherers in Europe, beginning around 45,000 years ago. However, evidence of late Upper Palaeolithic activity has been found at nearby sites on
4070-669: The summer solstice called "Polstice". In the 19th century a two-day fair was held on Polstead Green. Polstead is famous for its cherries and lends its name to a variety, the Polstead Black. In recent years more Polstead Black cherry trees have been planted in and around the village, as these trees had declined in numbers. Bower House Tye is a hamlet near the A1071 road within the parish. There are five Listed buildings: Bower House, Brewery Farmhouse, Holly Cottage, Holmwood Cottages 1 and 2 en The Bower Close. A Baptist chapel
4180-782: The 5th and 6th centuries saw groups of Germanic -speaking peoples from Northern Europe crossing the English Channel and gradually set about conquering the region. During the Early Middle Ages , the island was settled by Jutes as the heathen kingdom of the Wihtwara . In Asser ’s Life of Alfred , he states that the West Saxon kings Cerdic and Cynric granted lordship of Wight to two brothers, Stuf and Wihtgar, said to be of Jutish and Gothic origin and cousins of Cynric. The brothers then set about exterminating
4290-783: The 7th century BC, during the Late Iron Age , the Isle of Wight, like the rest of Great Britain, was occupied by the Celtic Britons , in the form of the Durotriges tribe, as attested by finds of their coins, for example, the South Wight Hoard, and the Shalfleet Hoard. The island was known as Ynys Weith in Brittonic Celtic . Southeastern Britain experienced significant immigration, which
4400-668: The Board demanded it be removed before the film was passed. In the U.S., scenes emphasising Maria's pregnancy, and featuring the words slut and wench were cut, and the scene of her burial shortened. Virginia and Ohio made further cuts to the versions they approved for distribution. Polstead Polstead is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk , England. The village lies 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Nayland , 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Hadleigh and 9 miles (14 km) north of Colchester . It
4510-515: The Farmer's Daughter" and "Hanging Fire", a BBC Monday Play by Lisa Evans broadcast in 1990 telling the story of the events leading up to the murder as seen through the eyes of Marten's sister Ann. Christopher Bond wrote The Mysterie of Maria Marten and the Murder in the Red Barn in 1991, a melodramatic stage version with some political and folk-tale elements. The folk singer Shirley Collins and
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4620-473: The French ambassador, evidence which suggested that Corder may have been preparing to flee. Corder was taken back to Suffolk, where he was tried at Shire Hall , Bury St Edmunds . The trial started on 7 August 1828, having been put back several days because of the interest which the case had generated. The hotels in Bury St Edmunds began to fill up from as early as 21 July, and admittance to the court
4730-470: The French painter Berthe Morisot and members of European royalty. Until the queen's example, the island had been rural, with most people employed in farming, fishing, or boat-building. The boom in tourism, spurred by growing wealth and leisure time and by Victoria's presence, led to the significant urban development of the island's coastal resorts. As one report summarises, "The Queen's regular presence on
4840-745: The Isle of Wight Party; but they have attracted little support at elections. The Isle of Wight is situated between the Solent and the English Channel , is roughly rhomboid in shape, and covers an area of 150 sq mi (380 km ). Slightly more than half, mainly in the west, is designated as the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The island has 100 sq mi (258 km ) of farmland, 20 sq mi (52 km ) of developed areas, and 57 miles (92 km) of coastline. Its landscapes are diverse, leading to its oft-quoted description as "England in miniature". In June 2019
4950-426: The Isle of Wight is found close to Priory Bay . More than 300 acheulean handaxes have been recovered from the beach and cliff slopes, originating from a sequence of Pleistocene gravels dating approximately to MIS 11 - MIS 9 (424,000–374,000 years ago). Reworked and abraded artefacts found at the site may be considerably older however, closer to 500,000 years old. The identity of the hominids who produced these tools
5060-472: The Isle were known as Wihtware . During Pleistocene glacial periods sea levels were lower than at present, and the area that today forms the Solent was part of the valley of the now extinct Solent River . The river flowed eastward from Dorset, following the course of the modern Solent strait. The river travelled east of the Isle of Wight before flowing southwest towards the major Channel River system. At these times, extensive gravel terraces associated with
5170-531: The Lord God Almighty, of his infinite goodness, have mercy on your soul! Corder spent the next three days in prison agonising over whether to confess to the crime and make a clean breast of his sins before God. He finally confessed after entreaties from his wife, several meetings with the prison chaplain and pleas from both his warder and John Orridge, the governor of the prison. Corder strongly denied stabbing Marten, claiming that he had shot her in
5280-469: The Martens' cottage excited particular interest. The barn was stripped for souvenirs , down to the planks being removed from the sides, broken up and sold as toothpicks. It was slated to be demolished after the trial, but it was left standing and eventually burned down in 1842. Even Marten's gravestone in the churchyard of St Mary's, Polstead, was eventually chipped away to nothing by souvenir hunters; only
5390-727: The Red Barn (1935) starring Tod Slaughter , and the BBC drama Maria Marten (1980), with Pippa Guard in the title role. The story has been dramatised for radio a number of times, including two radio dramas by Slaughter (one broadcast on the BBC Regional Programme in 1934, and one broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1939), a fictionalised account of the murder produced in 1953 for the CBS radio series Crime Classics , entitled "The Killing Story of William Corder and
5500-411: The Red Barn, from where he proposed that they elope to Ipswich . He claimed that he had heard rumours that the parish officers were going to prosecute Marten for having bastard children. Corder initially suggested that they elope on the evening of Wednesday, 16 May 1827, but later decided to delay until the following evening. On 17 May, he was again delayed; his brother falling ill is mentioned as
5610-460: The Solent River and the forerunners of the island's modern rivers were deposited. During warmer interglacial periods, silts, beach gravels, clays, and muds of marine and estuarine origin were deposited due to higher sea levels, suggesting similar marine or estuary conditions to those experienced today. The earliest clear evidence of Lower Palaeolithic archaic human occupation on what is now
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#17327917893605720-511: The account of the stepmother's dreams rather far-fetched. The folk song "Maria Martin" or "The Murder of Maria Martin" ( Roud 215 ) tells the story of the murder. The Lincolnshire folk singer Joseph Taylor sang a fragment of the song to Percy Grainger in 1908. Grainger recorded the performance on a wax cylinder , which has been digitised and can be heard via the British Library Sound Archive website. Taylor sings
5830-452: The barn the next year. Corder was located in London , where he had married. He was returned to Suffolk and found guilty of murder in a well-publicised trial. In 1828, he was hanged at Bury St Edmunds in an execution witnessed by a huge crowd. The story provoked numerous newspaper articles, songs and plays. The village where the crime had taken place became a tourist attraction and the barn
5940-478: The church contains two brasses , one of which is of a priest and bears a date of 1460. Next to the churchyard is Polstead Hall, rebuilt in the Georgian style in about 1819. In the grounds of the hall are the remains of the " Gospel Oak ", which finally collapsed in 1953, but which is believed to have been the tree under which Saint Cedd preached to the heathen Anglo-Saxons . A new oak tree has been planted as
6050-405: The confusion, the wounds to her body suggested that she had been shot. The indictment charged Corder with "murdering Maria Marten, by feloniously and wilfully shooting her with a pistol through the body, and likewise stabbing her with a dagger." To avoid any chance of a mistrial , Corder was indicted on nine charges, including one of forgery. Marten's stepmother was called to give evidence of
6160-477: The corpse. Evidence was uncovered to implicate Corder in the crime: his green handkerchief was discovered around the body's neck. Corder was easily discovered, as Ayres, the constable in Polstead, was able to obtain his old address from a friend. Ayres was assisted by James Lea, an officer of the London police who later led the investigation into " Spring-heeled Jack ". They tracked Corder to Everley Grove House,
6270-466: The countryside and coast, and worked on his long poem Endymion . In the mid-1840s, potato blight was first found in the UK on the island, having arrived from Belgium. It was later transmitted to Ireland. In the 1860s, what remains in real terms the most expensive ever government spending project saw fortifications built on the island and in the Solent, as well as elsewhere along the south coast, including
6380-481: The day of the murder over the possibility of the burial site being discovered. In 1967, Donald McCormick wrote The Red Barn Mystery , which brought out a connection between Corder and forger and serial killer Thomas Griffiths Wainewright when the former was in London. According to McCormick, Caroline Palmer, an actress who was appearing frequently in a melodrama based on the Red Barn case and had been researching
6490-590: The early Holocene the Solent flooded, submerging the site. From c. 6,000 years ago migrations of farming populations to Britain from northwest Europe brought the onset of the Neolithic , largely replacing and assimilating previous mesolithic hunter-gatherer populations. On the Isle of Wight neolithic occupation is attested to by flint tool finds, pottery and monuments. The Isle of Wight's neolithic communities were agriculturalists, farming livestock and crops. The Isle of Wight's most recognisable neolithic site
6600-563: The events of the day of Maria's disappearance and her later dreams. Thomas Marten then told the court how he had dug up his daughter, and Maria's 10-year-old brother George revealed that he had seen Corder with a loaded pistol before the alleged murder and had later seen him walking from the barn with a pickaxe . Lea gave evidence concerning Corder's arrest and the objects found during the search of his house. The prosecution suggested that Corder had never wanted to marry Maria Marten, but that her knowledge of some of his criminal dealings had given her
6710-406: The eye after they argued. On 11 August 1828, Corder was taken to the gallows in Bury St Edmunds, apparently too weak to stand without support. He was hanged shortly before noon in front of a large crowd; one newspaper claimed that there were 7,000 spectators, another as many as 20,000. At the prompting of Orridge, just before the hood was drawn over his head, Corder said: I am guilty; my sentence
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#17327917893606820-469: The famous Arreton hoard. Highly visible evidence of early Bronze Age activity on the Isle of Wight comes in the form of the barrow monuments present across the island's chalk downland. It is likely these barrows were high-status burial sites, and often occur in 'cemeteries' a notable example being Five Barrows near Brook. Bronze Age Britain had large tin reserves in Cornwall and Devon areas, which
6930-425: The farm with his mother. Corder wished to keep his relationship with Marten a secret, but she gave birth to their child in 1827 at age 25 and was apparently keen that she and Corder should marry. The child died (later reports suggested that he/she may have been murdered), but Corder apparently still intended to marry Marten. That summer, in the presence of Marten's stepmother, Ann, Corder suggested that she meet him at
7040-541: The following lyrics, to the tune of Dives and Lazarus : Several other versions of the song were recorded, including one from Billy List of Brundish , Suffolk, which can also be heard on the British Library Sound Archive website. These recordings appear to be based on popular versions printed on broadsides in the mid-19th century. Public fascination continued into the 20th century with five film versions, including Maria Marten, or The Murder in
7150-505: The front line of conflicts through the ages, having faced the Spanish Armada and weathered the Battle of Britain . Being rural for most of its history, its Victorian fashionability and the growing affordability of holidays led to significant urban development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The island was historically a part of Hampshire, but became a separate administrative county in 1890. It had continued to share
7260-427: The island Wit. The modern Welsh name is Ynys Wyth ( ynys meaning island). These are all variants of the same name, possibly sharing a Celtic origin with Welsh gwaith 'work', a cognate of both Latin vectis ("lever," or literally "the act of lifting") and Old English wiht ("weight"). It may mean 'place of the division,' since the island divides the two arms of the Solent. In Old English , inhabitants of
7370-427: The island helped put the Isle of Wight 'on the map' as a Victorian holiday and wellness destination ... and her former residence Osborne House is now one of the most visited attractions on the island." While on the island, the queen used a bathing machine that could be wheeled into the water on Osborne Beach; inside the small wooden hut, she could undress and then bathe, without being visible to others. Her machine had
7480-455: The island hosted observation stations, transmitters, and the RAF radar station at Ventnor . Adolf Hitler personally suggested an invasion of the Isle of Wight as a supplementary operation for Operation Sealion , and the possibility of an invasion was incorporated into Fuhrer Directive 16. Field Marshal Alan Brooke , in charge of defending the UK during 1940, was sceptical about being able to hold
7590-400: The island in the face of an invasion, instead considering that British forces would retreat to the western side of the island rather than commit forces against what might be a diversionary landing. In the end no invasion of the island was carried out as German naval commanders feared any invasion force might be cut off by British naval forces, particularly Royal Navy submarines. The island was
7700-562: The island was captured by the commander Vespasian . The Romans built no towns on the island, but the remains of at least seven Roman villas have been found, indicating the prosperity of local agriculture. First-century exports were principally hides, enslaved people, hunting dogs, grain, cattle, silver, gold, and iron. There are indications that the island had vast trading links, with a port at Bouldnor , evidence of Bronze Age tin trading, and finds of Late Iron Age coins. Starting in AD 449,
7810-604: The island was under the control of the English Crown and its Lordship a royal appointment. The island continued to be attacked from the continent: it was raided in 1374 by the fleet of Castile and in 1377 by French raiders who burned several towns, including Newtown . Under Henry VIII , who developed the Royal Navy and its Portsmouth base, the island was fortified at Yarmouth , Cowes, East Cowes, and Sandown . The French invasion on 21 July 1545 (famous for
7920-478: The island's Solent coastline has yielded an internationally significant mesolithic archaeological site. The Bouldnor Cliff site exhibits evidence of seasonal occupation by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers dating to c. 6050 BC . Finds include flint tools, burnt flint, worked timbers, wooden platforms, and pits. The worked wood shows evidence of splitting large planks from oak trunks, interpreted as being intended for use as dug-out canoes. DNA analysis of sediments at
8030-683: The island's second-largest ferry company, Red Funnel . Tourism is the largest industry on the island. The oldest records that give a name for the Isle of Wight are from the Roman Empire. It was called Vectis or Vecta in Latin and Iktis or Ouiktis in Greek. Latin Vecta, Old English Wiht, and Old Welsh Gueid and Guith were recorded from the Anglo-Saxon period. The Domesday Book called
8140-541: The jury to give him the benefit of the doubt, but after they retired, it took them only thirty-five minutes to return with a guilty verdict. Baron Alexander sentenced Corder to hang and afterwards be dissected : That you be taken back to the prison from whence you came, and that you be taken from thence, on Monday next, to a place of Execution, and that you there be hanged by the Neck until you are Dead; and that your body shall afterwards be dissected and anatomized ; and may
8250-663: The mainland, notably Hengistbury Head in Dorset, dating to just before the onset of the Holocene and the end of the last glacial period c. 11,700 years ago. Evidence of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer occupation on the island is generally found along the river valleys, particularly along the Solent coastline of the island and in the former catchment of the western Yar. Other key terrestrial sites are found at Newtown Creek, Werrar, and Wootton-Quarr. A submerged escarpment 11 metres (36 feet) below sea level off Bouldnor Cliff on
8360-444: The manufacture of flying boats , hovercraft , and Britain's space rockets . The island hosts annual music festivals, including the Isle of Wight Festival , which in 1970 was the largest rock music event ever held. It has well-conserved wildlife and some of Europe's richest cliffs and quarries of dinosaur fossils . The island has played an essential part in the defence of the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth and has been near
8470-415: The murder, concluded that Corder may have not killed Marten, but that a local gypsy woman might have been the killer. However, McCormick's research has been brought into question on other police- and crime-related stories, and this information has not been generally accepted. The case had all the elements to ignite a fervent popular interest: the wicked squire and the poor girl, the proverbial murder scene,
8580-416: The murder, making it hard for modern readers to discern fact from melodramatic embellishment. Good official records exist from the trial, and the best record of the events surrounding the case is generally considered to be that of James Curtis , a journalist who spent time with Corder and two weeks in Polstead interviewing those concerned. He was apparently so connected with the case that a newspaper artist who
8690-538: The murder. The plays of the Victorian era tended to portray Corder as a cold-blooded monster and Marten as the innocent whom he preyed upon; her reputation and her children by other fathers were airbrushed out, and Corder was made into an older man. Charles Dickens published an account of the murder in his magazine All the Year Round after initially rejecting it because he felt the story to be too well known and
8800-675: The museum. Corder's skin was tanned by surgeon George Creed and used to bind an account of the murder . This is also on display at Moyse's Hall Museum. Corder's skeleton was reassembled, exhibited and used as a teaching aid in the West Suffolk Hospital . The skeleton was put on display in the Hunterian Museum in the Royal College of Surgeons of England , where it hung beside that of Jonathan Wild . In 2004, Corder's bones were removed and cremated . After
8910-478: The native Britons , either killing them or driving them into exile. According to Bede , in 685, Wight was invaded by King Cædwalla of Wessex , who attempted to violently replace the Jutish inhabitants with his own followers. In 686, the native King Arwald was killed in battle, and the island became the last part of English lands to be converted to Christianity . It suffered especially from Viking raids and
9020-409: The neighbourhood had already resulted in two children. One child – belonging to Corder's older brother Thomas – died as an infant, but the other, Thomas Henry, was still alive at the time Corder met Marten. Thomas Henry's father, Peter Matthews, did not marry Marten but regularly sent money to provide for the child. Corder (born c. 1803) was the son of a local farmer and had a reputation as something of
9130-475: The public for showing good sense in aligning themselves against Corder, who entered a plea of not guilty. Marten's exact cause of death could not be established. It was thought that a sharp instrument had been plunged into her eye socket, possibly Corder's short sword, but this wound could have been caused by her father's spade when he was exhuming the body. Strangulation could not be ruled out, as Corder's handkerchief had been discovered around her neck; to add to
9240-399: The reason in some sources, although most claim that all his brothers were dead by this time. On Friday, 18 May, Corder appeared at the Martens' cottage during the day and, according to Ann, told her stepdaughter that they had to leave at once, as he had heard that the local constable had obtained a warrant to prosecute her (no warrant had been obtained, but it is not known if Corder was lying or
9350-469: The remains of his daughter buried in a sack. She was badly decomposed but still identifiable. An inquest was carried out at the Cock Inn at Polstead (which still stands today), where Marten was formally identified by her sister (also named Ann) from some physical characteristics. Her hair and some clothing were recognisable, and she was known to be missing a tooth which was also absent from the jawbone of
9460-680: The sinking of the Mary Rose on the 19th) was repulsed by local militia . On 1 May 1647, Swedish and English ships clashed in a brief skirmish off the island , ending in the Swedish fleet being able to escape. During the English Civil War , King Charles I fled to the Isle of Wight, believing he would receive sympathy from Governor Robert Hammond . Still, Hammond imprisoned the king in Carisbrooke Castle. During
9570-636: The site yielded wheat DNA, not found in Britain until 2,000 years after the occupation at Bouldnor Cliff. It has been suggested this is evidence of wide-reaching trade in Mesolithic Europe; however, the contemporaneity of the wheat with the Mesolithic occupation has been contested. Owing to lower sea levels during the mesolithic the hunter-gatherer site was located on a river bank surrounded by wetlands and woodland. As sea levels rose throughout
9680-451: The skull to be given a Christian burial in an attempt to lift the supposed curse. Interest in the case did not quickly fade. The play Maria Marten, or The Murder in the Red Barn existed in various anonymous versions; it was a sensational hit throughout the mid-19th century and may have been the most performed play of the time. Victorian fairground peep shows were forced to add extra apertures for their viewers when exhibiting their shows of
9790-595: The sound was "rather faint". She later asked to buy the equipment that was used, but Bell offered to make "a set of telephones" specifically for her. The world's first radio station was set up by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897, during her reign, at the Needles Battery , at the western tip of the island. A 168-foot (51 m) high mast was erected near the Royal Needles Hotel as part of an experiment on communicating with ships at sea. That location
9900-626: The starting point for one of the earlier Operation Pluto pipelines to feed fuel to Europe after the Normandy landings . The Needles Battery was used to develop and test the Black Arrow and Black Knight space rockets, which were subsequently launched from Woomera , Australia. The Isle of Wight Festival was a large rock festival near Afton Down , West Wight, in August 1970, following two smaller concerts in 1968 and 1969. The 1970 show
10010-421: The supernatural element of the stepmother's prophetic dreams, the detective work by Ayres and Lea (who later became the single character "Pharos Lee" in stage versions of the events) and Corder's new life which was the result of a lonely hearts advertisement. As a consequence, the case created its own small industry. Plays were being performed while Corder was still awaiting trial, and an anonymous author published
10120-408: The trial, doubts were raised about both the story of Ann Marten's dreams and the fate of Corder and Maria Marten's child. Ann was only a year older than Maria, and it was suggested that she and Corder had been having an affair and that the two had planned the murder to dispose of Maria so that it could continue without hindrance. Ann's dreams had started only a few days after Corder married Moore, and it
10230-569: The whole island was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve , recognising the sustainable relationships between its residents and the local environment. West Wight is predominantly rural, with dramatic coastlines dominated by the chalk downland ridge, running across the whole island and ending in the Needles stacks. The southwestern quarter is commonly referred to as the Back of the Wight , and has
10340-481: Was asked to produce a picture of the accused man drew a likeness of Curtis instead of Corder. Pieces of the rope which was used to hang Corder sold for a guinea each. Part of his scalp with an ear still attached was displayed in a shop on Oxford Street . A lock of Marten's hair sold for two guineas. Polstead became a tourist venue, with visitors travelling from as far afield as Ireland; Curtis estimated that 200,000 people visited Polstead in 1828 alone. The Red Barn and
10450-410: Was attached to Corder's limbs to demonstrate the contraction of the muscles. The sternum was opened and the internal organs examined. There was some discussion as to whether the cause of death was suffocation ; it was reported that Corder's chest was seen to rise and fall for several minutes after he had dropped, and it was thought probable that pressure on the spinal cord had killed him. The skeleton
10560-557: Was by ticket only because of the large numbers who wanted to view the trial. Despite this, the judge and court officials still had to push their way bodily through the crowds that had gathered around the door. The judge was the Chief Baron of the Exchequer , William Alexander, who was unhappy with the coverage given to the case by the press "to the manifest detriment of the prisoner at the bar." The Times , nevertheless, congratulated
10670-407: Was considered as part of a regional devolution package but was subsequently rejected by the UK government in 2018. The quickest public transport link to the mainland is the hovercraft ( Hovertravel ) from Ryde to Southsea . Three vehicle ferries and two catamaran services cross the Solent to Southampton , Lymington , and Portsmouth via the island's largest ferry operator, Wightlink , and
10780-557: Was erected in Hadleigh Heath in 1801 and was removed to Polstead in 1849. A primitive Methodist chapel was erected in Polstead Heath in 1838. [REDACTED] Media related to Polstead at Wikimedia Commons Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( /waɪt/ WYTE ) is an island, English county and unitary authority in the English Channel , 2 to 5 miles (3 to 8 kilometres) off the coast of Hampshire , across
10890-400: Was mistaken). Marten was worried that she could not leave in broad daylight, but Corder told her that she should dress in men's clothing so as to avert suspicion, and he would carry her things to the Red Barn and change before they continued on to Ipswich. Shortly after Corder left the Martens' cottage, Marten set out to meet him at the Red Barn, which was situated on Barnfield Hill, about half
11000-595: Was necessary to smelt bronze . At that time, the sea level was much lower, and carts of tin were brought across the Solent at low tide for export, possibly on the Ferriby Boats . Anthony Snodgrass suggests that a shortage of tin, as a part of the Bronze Age Collapse and trade disruptions in the Mediterranean around 1300 BC, forced metalworkers to seek an alternative to bronze. From
11110-517: Was often used as a winter base by Viking raiders when they could not reach Normandy. Later, both Earl Tostig and his brother Harold Godwinson (who became King Harold II) held manors on the island. The Norman Conquest of 1066 created the position of Lord of the Isle of Wight ; the island was given by William the Conqueror to his kinsman William FitzOsbern . Carisbrooke Priory and the fort of Carisbrooke Castle were then founded. Allegiance
11220-547: Was on the front page of the East Anglian Daily Times . Firefighters saved 80% of the thatched roof at Marten's former home after a chimney fire threatened the "iconic Suffolk cottage", now run as a bed and breakfast . e. In Britain the script was submitted to the British Board of Film Censors who passed it on the condition that the execution scene was cut. The scene was filmed anyway, but
11330-633: Was one of the last public performances by Jimi Hendrix and attracted somewhere between 600,000 and 700,000 attendees. The festival was revived in 2002 in a different format and is now an annual event. On 26 October 2020, an oil tanker, the Nave Andromeda, suspected to have been hijacked by Nigerian stowaways, was stormed southeast of the island by the Special Boat Service . Seven people believed to be Nigerians seeking UK asylum were handed over to Hampshire Police. The island had
11440-456: Was questioned by the local constable over the theft, he made a prophetic statement concerning Corder: "I'll be damned if he will not be hung some of these days." Corder had been sent to London in disgrace after his fraudulent sale of the pigs, but he was recalled to Polstead when his brother Thomas drowned attempting to cross a frozen pond. Corder's father and three brothers all died within eighteen months of each other and only he remained to run
11550-412: Was rigged with a mechanism that made its arm point to the collection box when approached. Eventually, the skull was removed by Dr. John Kilner, who wanted to add it to his extensive collection of Red Barn memorabilia. After a series of unfortunate events, Kilner became convinced that the skull was cursed and handed it on to a friend named Hopkins. Further disasters plagued both men, and they finally paid for
11660-432: Was stripped by souvenir hunters. Plays, ballads and songs about the murder remained popular throughout the next century and continue to be performed today. Maria Marten (born 24 July 1801) was the daughter of Thomas Marten, a molecatcher from Polstead , Suffolk . In March 1826, when she was aged 24, Marten formed a relationship with 22-year-old William Corder. Marten was an attractive woman and relationships with men from
11770-505: Was suggested that jealousy was the motive for revealing the body's resting place and that the dreams were a simple subterfuge . Further rumours circulated about the death of Corder and Marten's child. Both claimed that they had taken their dead child to be buried in Sudbury , but no records of this could be discovered and no trace was found of the child's burial site. In his written confession, Corder admitted that he and Marten had argued on
11880-549: Was sworn to FitzOsbern rather than the king; the Lordship was subsequently granted to the de Redvers family by Henry I after his succession in 1100. For nearly 200 years the island was a semi-independent feudal fiefdom, with the de Redvers family ruling from Carisbrooke. The final private owner was the Countess Isabella de Fortibus , who, on her deathbed in 1293, was persuaded to sell it to Edward I . Subsequently,
11990-459: Was to be reassembled after the dissection and it was not possible to examine the brain, so the surgeons contented themselves with a phrenological examination of Corder's skull. The skull was asserted to be profoundly developed in the areas of "secretiveness, acquisitiveness, destructiveness, philoprogenitiveness , and imitativeness" with little evidence of "benevolence or veneration". The bust of Corder held by Moyse's Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds
12100-519: Was to have changed this, but this was deferred to no earlier than October 2022 by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 . Thus the single constituency remained for the 2015 , 2017 and 2019 general elections. However, two separate constituencies, Isle of Wight East and Isle of Wight West were created for the island under the 2022 review, and were first contested in the 2024 general election . The Isle of Wight
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