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March Data

Mike Petty's March Scrapbook

In Cambridgeshire Crimes John Bell tells the story of the fungi poisonings in 1842.

In August 1842 Joseph and Margareeta Wilson arrived in March. Joseph had been a soldier held captive in France during the Napoleonic Wars. There he had met his French wife Margareeta. On arrival in March they went to the overseer of the poor and were given 6d for lodging.

They went to the boarding house of William Gimby and asked for a pan to prepare a mushroom stew. William’s wife pointed out that the fungi in question were not mushrooms but toadstools but Margareeta replied confidently that they were ‘champignons’ commonly eaten in  France.

The Gimby’s daughter, Rebecca, ate a saucerful of the stew and the Wilsons ate the remainder.

On the morning of the 20th the Wilsons were in a very bad way. Doctor Culledge attended and diagnosed fungi poisoning. The Wilsons both died on the 21st. That same day the coroner required the bodies to be inspected in situ. It was only then that the condition of Rebecca was discovered. Her parents had said that because she had eaten so little of the stew they were not concerned about her health. She died the next day.

Mike Petty’s Scrapbook

https://archive.org/details/MarchScrapbook1897To1990

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