An account of the red barn murder (a summary).
Author Paul Vivas, c1998.

Thomas and Grace Marten lived in Polstead, Suffolk. Thomas was the village mole catcher come general 
gamekeeper. On 24 July 1802 their first child, Maria was born. In 1809 at the age of 7 she was sent 
to work as a domestic for a local clergyman, a position from which she was dismissed in 1817. Whilst
Maria was away her mother died and Thomas married another Suffolk woman called Anne. 

Maria's stepmother wasn't much older than herself and the two didn't get on very well. Anne was 
particularly jealous of the attention Maria received from the menfolk of the village. so it came as 
no surprise when, in 1820, she gave birth to an illegitimate child fathered by Thomas CORDER, son of 
a wealthy Polstead farmer. Marriage was unthinkable, in view of the difference in social status, but 
the Corders offered to support the child. However, it died within a couple of weeks.. 

Within a few weeks of losing the child, Maria was sleeping with Peter MATHEWS, brother of the lady 
of the manor, who would take her off on frolics to London and Ipswich. Soon Maria was pregnant again 
and Mathews provided an allowance of £5/- a quarter for Thomas Henry's maintenance before disappearing 
from Maria's life.

After various other liaisons, Maria struck up a relationship with William CORDER, Thomas's brother. 
William was a notorious gambler and drinker and when in December 1825, his father, James, died William 
and his three brothers were left to run the farm. William's relationship with Maria was kept somewhat
secret but she soon became pregnant again. William went to see Thomas and Anne Marten and asked them 
to keep things quiet, promising to marry Maria.

She was sent off to Sudbury until after the baby was born. Maria returned to Polstead but kept the 
baby from public view until it died in mysterious circumstances. On Friday 18th May 1827, William 
arrived at the Marten's cottage and told them Maria should meet him in the Red barn around noon
because he wanted to take her away to marry her. He advised that she should dress as a boy to hide 
her identity from the villagers.

William then disappeared from the village, returning later to tell Thomas and Anne that Maria was in 
Ipswich waiting for their licence to get married. On various occasions afterwards William would turn 
up and tell the Martens how happy Maria was . He later sent a letter telling them that he and Maria 
had decided to move to the Isle of Wight. Meanwhile Anne kept telling her husband that she was sure 
something was wrong and she had dreams that Maria's body was in one of the stalls in the Red Barn. 

At last he agreed to search and indeed found her body there on 19th April 1828. Her heart had been 
punctured and she had been shot in the neck. Her handkerchief was tied tightly round her neck as if 
to strangle her. Meanwhile William CORDER had married another woman, one Mary MOORE whom he had met 
as a result of placing an advertisement in the "Morning Herald" and "Sunday Times". They set up home 
at Grove House, Ealing Lane, Brentford (Middlesex).

Constable John BAALHAM of Polstead, having searched William's rooms and found a pistol case, two small 
pistols, powder flask and balls, went to London and arrested CORDER. He was tried, found guilty and 
executed at Bury St Edmunds on 11 August 1828 before a vast crowd. Shortly before he had written a 
full confession.

The Red Barn burnt down only 15 years after the murder and there is now just a memorial plaque on 
the village church.