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Thankyou so much for all your help, I will try and find her death cert and send for it

Very interesting comment from the judge. Women who murdered weren't looked upon with kindness in Victorian times (or perhaps any other time).

From what he says, it seems that she was driven to the edge of madness by her situation and the husband may have been to blame. To what degree, who knows.


Ozi

It made international news:

Searching for
Susannah Hyde murderer Oxfordshire:

http://www.trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18745570
The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893)
Thursday 26 May 1870


MURDER.
At the Oxford Assizes came on the the trial of Susannah Hyde, aged forty, a dressmaker, for the wilful murder of her child at Tetsworth, on the 9th November. On the morning in question the prisoner killed one of her children, a boy about three years of age by severing his head from his body with a razor, afterwards endeavouring to destroy herself. The prisoner had previously sent two of her children out of the house, and shut another child, a girl older than the deceased, in an adjoining room, and this girl, through a crack in the door, saw her brother murdered, but she managed to get out of the room, and, opening the front door, ran to the house of a neighbour.
When help arrived the child was dead, and the unfortunate woman found to be black in the face and almost dead from strangulation. It appeared that the prisoner, had had a quarrel with her husband, who charged her with unfaithfulness, and the circumstance induced her to commit the act. The unhappy woman pleaded guilty. Mr. Baron Martin said: "I am sorry to say that the law enforces upon me the duty of sentencing you to death; but as far, as lies in my power, that sentence will not be carried out.

If you put
Susannah Hyde murderer
in google, the first site that appears is:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1870/mar/22/commutation-of-capital-sen-tences
..... COMMUTATION OF CAPITAL SEN- TENCES.—QUESTION.HC Deb 22 March 1870 vol 200 cc420-2 420
§ SIR GEORGE JENKINSON said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he will state, for the information of this House, the grounds upon which he has, within the last week, as stated in the public papers, recommended the reprieve of three convicts sentenced to death, for murder, and the commutation of such sentences: First case, William Cunningham, who was lately sentenced to death by Lord Justice Clerk for the murder of a woman at Glasgow; second case, Susannah Hyde, who was lately sentenced to death for the wilful murder of her in- 421 fant child at Tetsworth; third case, Jacob Spinasa, who was convicted at the last Session of the Central Criminal Court, and sentenced to death for the wilful murder of Cecilia Aldridge? .....

The record of the son's death:

Deaths Dec 1869
Hyde George 3 Thame 3a 388

Births Mar 1867
Hyde George Henry Thame 3a 591

Don't know if the sentence was commuted?

HANSARD 1803–2005
Search: susannah hydeSearch for speeches by: Mr Harford Hyde, Lord Hyde, Mr Clarendon Hyde, Mr John Hyde

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1 result
COMMUTATION OF CAPITAL SEN- TENCES.—QUESTION.Sir George Jenkinson Commons — March 22, 1870
Justice Clerk for the murder of a woman at Glasgow; second case, Susannah Hyde, who was lately sentenced to death for the wilful murder of her in- fant child at Tetsworth; third case, Jacob Spinasa, who

Edward's household in 1871

Edward Hyde 48 - shoemaker
Louisa Hyde 15
Mary Hyde 13
Emily Hyde 11
Alice Hyde 9

Like most homicides, more tragic than exciting, I fear.

Today there might have been more resources available to a woman in that situation, but some still feel so trapped, or suffer from such mental illness, that they're unable to access them.


Oops, ditto, PollyPoppet. ;)

I wonder whether being "father's housekeeper" was something she would have chosen.

this looks like him in 1871

1871 census
Name Edward Hyde
Age 48
Estimated Year of Birth 1823
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Occupation
Address High Street
District Thame, Thame
Parish Tetsworth
Administrative County Oxfordshire
Birth Place Buckinghamshire
Birth County Buckinghamshire
in house
edward head 48 ( shoemaker ) married
louisa daughter 15 ( fathers housekeeper )
mary 13
alice 11
RG 10 / 1430

If you belong to a library in England, you should be able to look on its site and use your library card number to access newspapers.

This is the para about the murder.


"MURDER IN OXFORDSHIRE - A shocking murder has been perpetrated in the village of Tetsworth, near Thame, in Oxfordshire. A woman named Susannah Hyde, wife of a shoemaker, killed one of her children, a boy about three years of age, by nearly severing his head from his body with a razor, and afterwards endeavoured to destroy herself, first by attempting to cut her own throat, and then by trying to strangle herself with some pieces of twine. The woman had previously shut another child, a girl older than the deceased, in the next room, and the girl, through a crack in the door, saw her brother murdered and her mother's attempted suicide. Edward Hyde, the father of the deceased, said he had often heard his wife threaten to kill the children. A policeman said on the previous night he had heard the prisoner accuse her husband of having !eft her destitute; she aIso said she got her living by her own honest industry, adding, “You can't call it living, it's starvation!" The woman admitted to witness that she had killed the child, and said that she had meant to do so on the previous Sunday, but that her heart had failed her. A verdict of wilful murder against Susannah Hyde was returned." - The Morning Post

Julie Ann...you can join Lancashire Library no matter where you live and so have access to old newspapers..

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/borrower/join.asp

There are quite a few articles about Susannah and it would seem that she was given a reprieve from the death penalty by the Secretary of State and given a life sentence instead.

Linda x

sorry i see you already had that info

Thanks Polly, would love to know if she murdered someone. I have to pop out for a couple of hours but will get back as soon as I can, this is all very exciting

Possibly sentence commuted, and she died in prison?

Thanks I will see if I can get access to that newspaper. If that is our Susannah did it usually take that long to be hanged.. My computer is on a go slow at the moment

There's a little bit about it in this publication accessed through Lancs County Library Services.


The Morning Post (London, England), Friday, November 12, 1869; pg. 2; Issue 29931. 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II.


Ozi

Name: Susannah Hyde
Date of Trial: 2 Mar 1870
Trial Year: 1870
Location of Trial: Oxfordshire, England
Sentence: Death - to be hanged
Crime: Murder
Date of Execution or Release: See Image

No other info

Is it possible to find information on a trial for a Susannah Hyde. Trial took place on 2nd Mar 1870 Oxfordshire, she was tried for murder and sentenced to hang. Im not sure if this is the Susannah Im after. Our Susan or Susannah was born abt.1829 Oxfordshire, maiden name Betts, she married Edward Hyde. They are together on the 1861 censuse livining in Tetsworth, Oxfordshire Edward is 38 born Buckinghamshire. Susan is 32, occupation, dressmaker they have 3 daughters Louisa 5, Mary 4 and Emily 1, there is also a Susan Betts 12 a housekeeper. Susan is not showing on any other census with the family, but I have found a Susannah Hyde born Tetswork Oxfordhire on the 1871 occup dressmakeer in the Millbank Prison and in 1881 age 56 born 1825 Oxfordshire, married occup dressmaker in the Female Convick Prison Knaphill working. I think this maybe our Susan, but not sure of her conviction. Can someone please throw some light on this. Many thanks