THE Westbury Area Family History Group will welcome Sally Hendry this Thursday, 23rd November, for a talk entitled ‘Villain or Victim”.
Sally will talk about Rebecca Smith, who was the last woman to be hanged for infanticide of her own child.
Rebecca was born and lived in Bratton, then moved to Westbury. She was hanged in 1849 at Devizes jail after being found guilty of killing eight of her 11 children by feeding them arsenic. Her tragic story made national news at the time. Sally will unpick Rebecca’s story and explore her life and the times in which she lived.
The Westbury Area Family History Group meets every fourth Thursday of the month at 7.15pm in the foyer of Westbury’s Methodist Church. The branch has regular interesting and informative talks and discussions by members and guest speakers on all aspects of family history and general history.
