Edith Thompson (1893-1923)
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Edith Thompson was a housewife and milliner. She was
executed on 9 January 1923 because her lover, Frederick Bywaters, murdered
her husband Percy. She has an entry in the
Dictionary of National Biography. Their trial took place between 6-11 December 1922. Both were found guilty, the Crown "proving" her complicity through her surviving love letters to Frederick Bywaters. Innocent of murder, Mrs. Thompson was hanged for adultery. You can read more about her trial here. Both were hanged at the same time on the morning of 9 January 1923, she at Holloway and he at Pentonville. Originally buried in the burial ground at Holloway Prison, her remains were removed to Brookwood (along with three other women executed at Holloway between 1903 and 1954) in 1971. The removal was necessary due to the complete rebuilding of the prison. Her permanent memorial in plot 117 was placed there in October 1993 by a number of interested parties.
Edith and Percy Thompson, September 1922 |
The following links give further information about Edith Thompson:
Wikipedia entry for Edith Thompson
Criminal Justice: The True Story of Edith Thompson by Rene Weis.
Brookwood Cemetery Society's page on Mrs Thompson
"Another Life"
- a film about Mrs Thompson's life, and a video clip from the film.
Glades House, Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey
GU24 0BL
Tel: (01483) 472222
Fax: (01483) 472223
Email:
enquiries@brookwoodcemetery.com