One of the most infamous crimes in English history, the murder in the Red Barn is a tale of betrayal, jealousy, and heartbreak. In 1827, Maria Marten was lured to a remote barn in Polstead, Suffolk by her lover William Corder, under the guise of eloping together. Instead, Corder shot Marten in a fit of rage and buried her body beneath the floorboards of the barn.
The murder went undiscovered for almost a year, until a mysterious letter led authorities to the grisly scene. Corder was arrested and tried for the crime, ultimately being found guilty and sentenced to death. The case captivated the public, with newspapers dubbing it the “Murder in the Red Barn” and drawing comparisons to popular melodramas of the time.
The story of Maria Marten’s tragic demise has since been immortalized in ballads, plays, and books, ensuring that the murder in the Red Barn remains a morbidly fascinating piece of history.
Image by Ai Junkie
