Rare Period Framed Memorial Card - Murder Of Joseph Wood & His Son By Robert Charter In Pickering 1872
- FREE UK SHIPPING WITH ALL ORDERS
- INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE PROCEED TO CHECKOUT FOR SHIPPING QUOTES
A Rare And Quite Explicit Period Framed Memorial Card Concerning The Murder Of Joseph Wood & His Son By Robert Charter Near Pickering In 1872.
The Card Reads:
”In Memory of JOSEPH WOOD & SON, Who were brutally Murdered by Robert Charter, at Cropton-lane Farm, near Pickering, May 17th, 1872.”
There is a further poem towards the bottom which reads:
“No one to help them—no one to save,
No one but Heaven to point out their grave,
The poor man and boy who had done him no harm,
Were murdered by Charter, at Cropton-lane Farm.”
The murder committed by Robert Charter on May 17, 1872, in Cropton, North Yorkshire, stands as one of the most gruesome crimes of the Victorian era.
Joseph Wood, a local farmer, and eight-year-old Joseph Thompson, the son of Wood’s late housekeeper, vanished from Cropton Lane Farm on May 17, 1872. Robert Charter, who worked on the farm, claimed they had left early that morning. Suspicion arose when Charter produced a letter, purportedly from Wood, stating he and the boy had gone abroad. The letter was not in Wood’s handwriting and bore a Liverpool postmark, raising doubts among locals. Despite these concerns, no immediate investigation occurred.
It wasn’t until November 1872 that a search was conducted, leading to the discovery of Wood’s dismembered remains buried in a field. Charter confessed to killing Wood during an argument but claimed he did not intend to murder him. Regarding the boy, Charter stated he never saw him after the incident but believed pigs on the farm had consumed his body, as bones were later found in manure spread on the fields.
Charter was arrested and charged with the murders. The case shocked the community, not only because of the brutal nature of the crimes but also due to the initial delay in investigation. The trial garnered significant attention, highlighting issues of rural justice and the challenges of forensic investigation in the 19th century.
Robert Charter, surprisingly, was not publicly executed for the 1872 Cropton Lane Farm murders. Following his arrest and trial, he was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder. Consequently, he received a prison sentence instead of capital punishment. This verdict was likely influenced by his claim that he did not intend to kill Joseph Wood and by the absence of definitive evidence regarding the death of the boy, Joseph Thompson.
Condition is good, commensurate with age and use. Structurally sound. Some age related discolouration, but good overall condition. Broken glass but easily replaced, but I feel the crack diagonally across the card itself adds to the devastation of the item.
Measures 38cm x 33cm
Weighs 1200 grams