Diss Family History Group

The story of an unsolved 1902 murder in the Suffolk village of Peasenhall.

(Rose Annie Harsent)

This meeting report and further information is the result of an extremely interesting talk given to the Diss Family History Group by Nick Woods and has stimulated several members to do some research into this.

Booklet (in .pdf) of the pages below

• Introduction and Meeting Report
• Who was the victim?
• Who was the main suspect?
• More information and comments
• The lawyers:
  1. Sir Ernest Wild, William Gardiner’s defence counsel
  2. Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, prosecuting counsel
• Newspaper clippings:
  1. VILLAGE MYSTERY.
     The Morning Leader, London, Thursday, 5th June 1902, page 3
  2. THE SUFFOLK MURDER MYSTERY.
     The Nottingham Evening Post, Friday, 6th June, 1902, page 3
  3. ACCUSED IN COURT.
     Evening Telegraph, Friday, 20th June, 1902, page 2
  4. CHARGES OF MURDER.
     Evening Herald (Plymouth), Thursday, 3rd July, 1902, page 3
  5. GARDINER COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.
     Devon and Exeter Gazette, Friday, 4th July, 1902, page 14
  6. THE SUFFOLK VILLAGE MYSTERY.
     The Gloucestershire Echo, Friday, 4th July, 1902, page 1
  7. SUFFOLK VILLAGE TRAGEDY.
     Leicester Journal, & General Advertiser, Friday, 11th July, 1902, page 6
  8. ALLEGED CONTEMPT OF COURT.
     Leicester Mercury, Wednesday, 3rd September, 1902, page 4
  9. THE WAXWORKS’ CONTEMPT.
     Evening Despatch (Birmingham), Thursday, 4th September, 1902, page 5
  10. DETENTION OF UNTRIED PRISONERS.
      The Echo (Gloucester), Wednesday, 5th November, 1902, page 4
  11. CHARGE OF MURDER AGAINST A SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.
      Grimsby Evening Telegraph, Thursday, 6th November, 1902, page 4
  12. GARDINER ON HIS TRIAL.
      The Citizen (Gloucester), Thursday, 6th Nov 1902, page 1
  13. RESUMED HEARING TO-DAY.
      Evening Post (Nottingham), Friday, 7th November 1902, page 5
  14. A SENSATIONAL INCIDENT - JUDGE REBUKES A WITNESS.
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday, 8 November, 1902,·Page 3
  15. CASE FOR THE DEFENCE.
      Evening Post (Nottingham), Saturday, 8th November, 1902, page 4
  16. JUDGE'S SUMMING UP - THE JURY'S DECISION.
      Devon and Exeter Gazette, Tuesday, 11th November, 1902, page 10
  17. OPENING OF THE RE-TRIAL
      Cheshire Daily Echo, Thursday, 22nd January 1903, page 4
  18. TO-DAY'S HEARING. (Second day)
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Thursday, 22nd January, 1903, page 3
  19. THE RE-TRIAL OF GARDINER - THIRD DAY.
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday, 23rd January, 1903, page 3
  20. DEFENCE FUND.
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Tuesday, 27th January 1903, page 2
  21. GARDINER RELEASED - A SECRET DEPARTURE FROM GAOL.
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday, 30th January, 1903, page 2
  22. STRANGE SEQUEL TO THE PEASENHALL CASE.
      Coventry Evening Telegraph, Friday, 13th February, 1903, page 3
• Conclusions
• Events timeline