The ‘Corned Beef Killer’ Ethel Major | Murder in a Lincolnshire Village

Описание: In May 1934, Arthur Major, a lorry driver from Kirkby-on-Bain in Lincolnshire, fell violently ill after eating a simple meal of corned beef in his home. Within forty-eight hours, he was dead.

What initially appeared to be a sudden medical episode became a criminal investigation when strychnine was discovered in his body — nearly three times the fatal dose. The funeral was halted. A neighbour’s dog, which had eaten scraps from the same meal, had also died under similar circumstances.

Attention soon turned inward — to Arthur’s wife, Ethel Major.

This episode examines the full historical record of the case: the deteriorating marriage, the disputed love letters, the missing key to a locked poison box, the forensic findings, and the trial at the Lincoln Assizes in October 1934. Convicted on circumstantial evidence, Ethel Major was executed at Hull Prison on 19 December 1934.

Was the evidence decisive — or was suspicion transformed into certainty?

CHAPTERS

Chapter 1 — The Death at Kirkby-on-Bain (May 1934)
The sudden illness, halted funeral, and forensic discovery of strychnine.

Chapter 2 — Motive & Access
Marital breakdown, alleged affair letters, and the missing key to a poison box.

Chapter 3 — Trial at Lincoln Assizes
The prosecution case, circumstantial evidence, and the guilty verdict.

Chapter 4 — Execution & Historical Debate
Appeal dismissed, execution at Hull Prison, and the enduring questions surrounding motive and proof.

Crime Palace presents historical true crime through documented evidence, courtroom records, and archival sources — without dramatization or speculation beyond the record.