'She Devil' Serial Poisoner of Victorian England

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sarah Dazley was one of the most infamous women in the world for a moment in 1843 when she was accused of poisoning not one but two former husbands. Our guest today is Nat Doig - creator of the podcast Weird in the Wade - a podcast about all that's weird and wonderful in/around the town of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, we're your host's Anthony Delaney and Maddie Pelling.
0:03.7	And if you would like After Dark myths, misdeeds and the paranormal, ad free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:11.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries with top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.
0:20.7	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe. top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.
0:24.8	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:35.2	Today we're diving into a 19th century murder investigation that shocked Britain the case of the potten poisoner Sarah Daisley.
0:38.8	Sarah was a young seamstress in a sleepy village in Bedfordshire who saw her first husband,
0:43.4	her infant son and her second husband all die in swift succession. It was death after death after
0:49.2	death. When Sarah attempted to remarry just six weeks after her second husband's funeral,
0:54.1	the local whispers spiraled into a national scandal, pointing to one particular culprit,
0:59.5	arsenic. Sarah was branded as a wicked woman who had defied all human decency to claim her
1:06.0	freedom. But was she really a cold-blooded killer or a tragic victim of a miscarriage of justice?
1:12.8	Today we're exploring this brutal case of poison, patriarchy and the legacy of Britain's first female serial killer.
1:19.9	Welcome to After Dark.
1:24.7	Moonlight shines down on the crooked roof of the golden eagle in Biggleswade. It's a cozy place,
1:32.1	serving up its higglety-piggledy charm to weary travellers on the Great North Road. But tonight is
1:38.7	different, because tonight, underneath its sloping roof, Sarah Daisley has been installed.
1:45.7	A baying mob had followed her to the doors of the Golden Eagle, and she is wide awake now.
1:51.5	She lies in bed beside another woman sent by the police to watch over her.
1:56.1	As the night draws on, Sarah asks about executions and whether judges
2:02.2	hanged people much these days.
2:05.4	At last, she falls silent.
	...

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