401: The First Forensic Hanging w/ Summer Strevens

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Erik Rivenes

True Crime, History, Education

4.7 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The First Forensic Hanging: The Toxic Truth That Killed Mary Blandy by Summer Strevens tells the story of Mary Blandy, executed in 1752 for poisoning her father Frances Blandy with arsenic. Her trial was the first in Britain to use toxicology as evidence in an arsenic poisoning case, marking a turning point in forensic history. Drawing on period newspapers and court records, Strevens unpacks the trial, the intense public fascination, and the shadowy role of Blandy’s lover, Captain William Cranstoun, whose influence and possible manipulation may have led her down the path to the gallows. More about the book on the author's website: https://www.summerstrevens.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:31.1	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup. Welcome, everyone to another episode of the Most Notorious Podcast. I'm Eric Rivenis.
1:39.2	Great to have you with me. Well, my guest today is direct from the UK, Summer Strevins. She has had a lifelong interest in historical research. She has written numerous books of historical interest,
1:46.9	including York, Murder and Crime, the Yorkshire Witch, the life and trial of Mary Bateman,
1:54.9	and burned at the stake, the life and death of Mary Channing. And she joins me to talk about her most recent book.
2:03.0	It is called The First Forensic Hanging, The Toxic Truth That Killed Mary Blandy.
2:11.2	Great to have you on the show.
2:13.3	Thank you for coming on.
2:15.5	Thank you very much, Eric.
2:16.9	Thank you very much for inviting me.
2:19.2	Yeah.
	...

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