The Murder of Anna Maria

Exmoor, 1858. In the isolated village of Simonsbath on Exmoor, the death of a six-year-old child by her father's hand shocked the small community. The story of Anna Maria Burgess and the Wheal Eliza mine has since taken its place among the myths and legends of Exmoor. The story has been told many times and, as with any story that has been told and retold as this one has been over the years, there are conflicting accounts and differences of opinion. So what really happened? What is the true version? With the help of parish records, newspaper archives, contemporary reports of the murder and of the trial, and Ancestry.com, I have tried to piece together an accurate picture of the events that led to the deaths of Anna Maria and of William Burgess. There are still gaps, and it is not possible to verify all reports. Newspapers then, as now, were selective with the facts and each reporter put his own spin on the story. When a story fires the imagination as this one did, there will always be errors and inconsistencies, so it is doubtful the whole truth of the matter will ever be known; but it is my hope that this account might come close to it.