Welcome to Criminalea, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with I-Heart Radio. The story begins when a young ship's steward named Frederick Freddie Bywaters became involved with a married woman named Edith Thompson.

They had known each other growing up in the same London suburb as her husband Percy Thompson.

The families all grew up together and Freddie was in the same class at school as one of Edith's brothers.

At the age of 13, he joined the British Merchant Navy. It was generally

considered that Freddie would marry Edith's sister, Avis, but life doesn't always work out the way you think it will.

He ended up being executed for Percy's murder, and so did Edith.

But did the murderous duo deserve it? Historians now suggest maybe she wasn't any more than a witness to the event.

Let's look at whether or not Freddie and Edith were partners in crime or if Edith faced a wrongful

and unfortunate death for adultery. Welcome to Criminalia. I'm Maria Tremarki.

And I'm Holly Fry. She was born Edith Grady and grew up imagining a life for herself

different from the one that working class women were expected to live in early 20th century

England. She was born in the East London suburb of Manor Park on Christmas Day in 1893,

the eldest of five children.

She was

talented in mathematics and as soon as she was able she headed into London for work

where she joined the wholesale milliners firm of Carlton and Pryor.

She began as a bookkeeper, but quickly rose within the ranks to become the firm's chief buyer.

Most often she spent her evenings with friends,

visiting West End theaters and restaurants.

Biographer Laura Thompson, who is no relation,

said of her ambition, quote,

she was a sort of so-called ordinary woman who wanted to be extraordinary.

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