Mary Ball (poisoner)
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c. 1818
Mary Ball | |
|---|---|
 a broadside published after the execution | |
| Born | Mary Wright c. 1818 Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 9 August 1849 (aged 31) Coventry, Warwickshire, England |
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Resting place | Coventry Gaol |
| Occupation | Housewife |
| Known for | last person to be executed in Coventry |
Criminal status | executed |
| Spouse |
Thomas Ball
(m. 1838; died 1849) |
| Motive | unhappy marriage |
| Criminal charge | murder |
| Penalty | death |
| Details | |
| Victims | Thomas Ball |
| Date | 20 May 1849 |
Mary Ball (c. 28 June 1818 – 9 August 1849) was an English housewife from Nuneaton, Warwickshire who poisoned her husband with arsenic. She was hanged in Cuckoo Lane, outside Coventry Gaol, before a crowd of about twenty thousand. She was the last person to be publicly executed in Coventry.[1][2][3][4]
A plaque on the former County Hall in Coventry marks the nearby site of her execution.
A historical account of the life, death and trail of Mary, The Life, Trial and Hanging of Mary Ball,[5] was written by her great-great grandson Robert Muscutt. A novelised account of Mary's life, The Defiance of Mary Ball, was written by the same author.
A musical concept album presenting a fictionalised account of Mary's story called "Mary Ball - The Musical Concept Album", was released in August 2024 by composers Ben Fellows and Richard Barnfather.[6]
