Podcast Summary: "She Devil" Serial Poisoner of Victorian England

Podcast: After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Episode Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Anthony Delaney (A), Maddy Pelling (B)
Guest: Nat Doig (C) – Host of Weird in the Wade

Episode Overview

This episode explores the notorious case of Sarah Daisley, the so-called "Potten Poisoner" of Victorian England, accused of murdering two husbands and her infant son in the 1840s. The story is set against the backdrop of rural Bedfordshire, rife with societal judgment, gendered expectations, and the lurking presence of arsenic—dubbed the “inheritance powder” of the age. The conversation, rich in historical context and personality, probes the tangled roots of rumor, evidence, and misogyny surrounding Daisley’s case, questioning whether she was a cold-blooded killer or a tragic pawn in a patriarchal system.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Biggleswade and Potton

• Biggleswade:
  • Market town, 40 miles north of London, noted for its ordinariness and unsung, flat eastern Bedfordshire landscape (05:23–07:36).
  • "I think, actually, it's because of its ordinariness."
    — Nat Doig (06:32)
• Local folklore:
  • Potton – respected in the Regency, home to Sarah's prosperous family before a financial fall.

2. Sarah Daisley’s Background

• Born into a respectable, well-off family; her father was a wig-maker/hairdresser, and her uncle ran a large tailoring business (09:58–10:53).
• Family's misfortune led to a loss of social standing, putting Sarah in a precarious position between classes.

3. Seamstress Work and Social Scrutiny

• Sarah worked as freelance seamstress, often entering clients' houses unchaperoned—a breach of social norms, especially for a woman with ‘middle-class’ expectations.
• "Because she's got this kind of middle class birth, they carry on judging her as if she's a middle class girl or woman. And so they're like, 'This is terrible that she's going around... mending men's shirts and she's married.'"
  — Nat (13:35)

4. Marriages and Suspicion

• First Husband – Simeon Mead (14:51–16:36)

  • Farm laborer; married when Sarah was 20.
  • Marriage marked by Simeon's alcoholism and some violence towards Sarah.
  • Sarah depicted as both moral (resisting giving him money for drink) and disobedient.

• Birth of Jonah

  • Busy, communal household; many locals present at key moments (18:12–19:38).

• Simeon’s Death (19:45–21:56)

  • Sudden, strange illness: swollen tongue/jaw (suggested Quincy/tonsillar abscess).
  • "A young girl... ran out of the house... because his tongue had swollen up so much it had dislocated his jaw."
    — Nat (20:36)
  • Body exhumed years later; no arsenic found, probable natural causes.

• Second Husband – William Daisley (27:32–29:59)

  • Married just four months after Simeon's death.
  • Sarah quickly marries her friend Elizabeth’s son, William Daisley—raising local suspicions.
  • Shortly after, infant Jonah dies (described as a sickly child by most, except William’s mother).

• William’s Illness & Death

  • At first, their marriage appears happy. By autumn 1842, tension grows: William forbids Sarah from attending the Michaelmas fair, leading to a violent quarrel (30:59).
  • Reports emerge of Sarah wishing William dead; she withdraws typical wifely care.
  • William’s death occurs after further illness; both Sarah and William’s mother refuse an autopsy (32:55–33:29).

5. Third Prospective Marriage and Escalation

• Sarah becomes engaged to George Waldock very soon after William’s death, prompting community gossip and teasing (34:03–35:23).
• "Not again, babe. Come on."
  — Maddy (34:40)
• George calls off the wedding after local rumors, leading to a magistrate inquiry.

6. Flight and Arrest

• Facing suspicion, Sarah runs off to London with young Samuel Steppings (her only plausible route for survival outside the village), but is quickly tracked down by former Met officer Edwin Blunden (37:46–38:08).
• While awaiting return, news arrives that William’s exhumation has revealed arsenic in his body—triggering her arrest.

7. The Murder Trial and Evidence (41:18–47:39)

• The Case
  • Trial focuses solely on William’s death, as there’s no arsenic evidence for Simeon or enough for Jonah.
  • Witnesses provide circumstantial, mostly gossip-based testimony.
    • Ann Mead claims to see Sarah prepare pills and “crushing up” powders.
    • Testimony introduces confusion over when/if Sarah bought arsenic; arsenic was commonly sold for domestic uses.
    • Disputed scene: William’s brothers claim seeing Sarah add white powder to his tea; another servant contests this.
• Circumstantial, Fragile Evidence
  • “The evidence... really does build toward it looking quite suspicious for Sarah. But there is still nothing definitely... that she definitely put on purpose arsenic in William’s tea or beer.”
    — Nat (45:39)
  • Judge Alderson, known for opposing capital punishment, stresses 'reasonable doubt' and urges Sarah to confess (for possible transportation, not hanging).
  • "He begs Sarah to confess because if she confesses, he can say that she's contrite and maybe send her to Australia... But she's absolutely adamant that she didn't do it."
    — Nat (46:06)

8. Legacy, Rumors, and Reflections (49:51–50:42)

• Sarah is remembered locally—especially in Potton—through ghost stories and her notorious reputation, lingering for nearly 200 years.
• "One of the ways that she was remembered locally was through ghost stories... haunting her cottage... and also the Checkers pub."
  — Nat (49:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sarah's Social Position:
  "She seems to be falling in between both of them to a certain extent and almost getting the worst of both worlds..."
  — Anthony (14:12)

• On Whispers and Misogyny:
  "This smacks of misogyny to me... There is no evidence that she has done that, really, other than the whispers."
  — Maddy (35:23)

• On the Evidence:
  "The evidence at the trial really does build towards it looking quite suspicious for Sarah. But there is still nothing definitely, that's saying she definitely put on purpose arsenic in William's tea or beer."
  — Nat (45:39)

• Guilty or Not Guilty?
  "I think she did it."
  — Anthony (46:56)
  "I think not guilty. I'm back in the game."
  — Maddy (47:49)

• On Accident vs. Agency:
  "...Actually it would be in some ways better if she had poisoned William because then at least she had some agency... But at the same time, I'm really not sure."
  — Nat (47:51)

Important Timestamps

• [02:03] – Introduction to Sarah Daisley and the case's Victorian/International context
• [05:14] – Introduction of guest Nat Doig; orientation to Biggleswade
• [08:14] – The heart of the Daisley story: Arsenic, notoriety, and the role of gender/class
• [14:51] – First marriage to Simeon Mead — violence, class, and reputation
• [19:45] – Details of Simeon's bizarre death and retrospective medical speculation
• [27:32] – Second marriage unfolds with rapid remarriage and death of son Jonah
• [29:59] – Death of William Daisley amidst escalating societal suspicion
• [34:36] – Engagement to George Waldock and the breaking point for local tolerance
• [37:46] – Sarah escapes to London but is swiftly apprehended
• [41:18] – Overview of the trial and scrutinization of (flimsy) evidence
• [45:39] – Summations: Could the evidence hold up? Was Sarah victim or villain?
• [49:51] – Sarah Daisley's folklore legacy, ghost stories, and community remembrance.

Final Reflection

The tale of Sarah Daisley remains unresolved—a fascinating tangle of 19th-century social norms, gender and class anxieties, and tragic domestic misfortune. While modern listeners may never know for sure if she was truly guilty, her notoriety as “Britain’s first female serial killer” lives on, haunted by a swirl of rumor, injustice, and storytelling that persists to the present.

Guest Recommendation:
For further exploration, Nat Doig’s own podcast Weird in the Wade includes a three-episode deep-dive into the Potton Poisoner case and the ghost stories that still echo in Bedfordshire.

(Advertisements, intros, and sponsor reads have been omitted from this summary.)