Amelia Dyer (1837-1896) committed horrific crimes that brought to light a dark underworld, and changed the way British society viewed childcare. Her crimes underscored the need for adoption reform and child protection. For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we highlight the stories of iconic women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month we’re talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
This month, we're talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Encyclopedia Womannica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Sundus Hassan, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejada. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
If you’re tuning in for the first time, here’s the deal. Every weekday, we’re telling the stories of women from around the world and throughout history who you may not know about, but should. Each month is themed.
This month, we’re talking about Troublemakers. We’re covering stories from across the spectrum, from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word. All of the women we’re covering had a major impact on the societies in which they lived.
Women, just like men, have played good and bad roles in human history. To gloss over women who we may find less than inspiring is to accept a diminished and inaccurate place in the historical record.
Today’s episode is about a villain. If you’re listening with young children you may want to sit this one out.
We’re talking about a woman whose horrific crimes brought to light a dark underworld, and changed the way British society viewed childcare. Her crimes brought attention to the need for adoption reform and child protection.
Today, we’re talking about the “Ogress of Reading:” Amelia Dyer.
Amelia was born the youngest of five children in a small village near Bristol in 1837. Her father was a shoemaker, and her mother suffered from mental illness, caused by typhus. At an early age, Amelia was tasked with caring for her mother. But the family faced one hardship after another. Amelia’s older sister died in 1841, and in 1845, her younger sister died in infancy. Not long after, Amelia’s mother died, in 1848.
It was a difficult childhood. And at the age of 24, not long after her father died, Amelia moved away from her remaining family to marry 59-year-old George Thomas. They had a child soon after.
Amelia studied nursing and midwifery. But early on, she learned of an easier way to make money-- she started using her own lodgings to house young, unmarried, pregnant women who were unsure what to do with their babies.
At the time, there was high stigma around single mothers, and little support for women to raise children on their own: according to The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, fathers of children born out of wedlock were not obligated to support their children financially. In the public eye, single mothers were often labeled as “immoral” and were unable to find work to support themselves or their children.
As a result, many unmarried mothers would leave their babies behind, for a fee. It was a practice called “baby farming.”
Depending on the situation of the mother, and the status of the person taking the child, the fee could vary. Once the baby had been handed off, it wasn’t unusual for mothers to lose contact-- and it wasn’t unusual for the baby to die soon after money had exchanged hands.
This was the business Amelia stepped into. In 1869, her husband George died, leaving Amelia widowed and in need of support. That same year, she began advertising-- falsely-- in local papers. She claimed she was a married woman looking to adopt a child into a nice country home. Instead, once Amelia had a child, she would let it die and send out an ad for another. She continued her business for ten years without getting caught. In order to keep her business secret, she moved often. During that time, she got remarried, had two more children of her own, and left her second husband.
In 1879, her luck ran out. A local doctor reported the unusual number of infant deaths in her care, and Amelia was sentenced… to six months of hard labor. Afterwards, she was admitted to a string of mental hospitals and asylums, though historians believe she may have feigned mental illness in order to keep a low profile after getting caught.
Part of the reason Amelia’s crimes went undetected and her punishment was so light was due to the attitude around children that allowed for practices like baby farming to exist. Infant mortality rates were incredibly high, as well.
In fact, the response to Amelia’s high mortality rate was so laissez-faire, she returned to nursing after her release. And soon afterwards, she returned to baby farming.
In 1895, Amelia began sending out ads again. Since she was reported by a doctor, she decided to forgo getting death certificates for these children and resorted to disposing of the bodies herself in the River Thames.
On March 30th, 1896, a package containing one of these bodies was found in the river and brought to the police. White edging tape had been used to kill the baby. Detectives deciphered an address from the packaging and traced it back to a “Mrs. Thomas,” Amelia’s married name and one of her aliases. There, the detectives found plenty of evidence to link Amelia to the murder, most importantly white edging tape identitical to the tape found in the package, and advertisements offering housing for babies in newspapers across the country.
Amelia was arrested on April 4th, 1896. In the following weeks, the Thames and Kennett rivers were dredged and officials found six more bodies with identical white tape.
At the trial, Amelia pleaded insanity. But, on May 22, 1896, Amelia was sentenced to death at the Old Bailey criminal court in London. The jury took just five minutes to find her guilty of the murder of an infant. Though, few people doubted she was responsible for many more deaths.
Eyewitness testimonies reported as many as six babies entering her home each daye. And estimates attribute anywhere from 200-400-plus deaths to her, making Amelia one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
Amelia was hanged at Newgate Prison on Wednesday, June 10th, 1896. She was 59 years old.
After Amelia’s case broke, it was major news. It gave more visibility to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which at that point had only been around for twelve years. And, it pushed organizations to pursue stricter adoption and child protection laws.
All month, we’re talking about complex women who were villains and troublemakers in their own times.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!