The Grisly Murder of Sweet Fanny Adams
by A detailed account of the 19th century murder of eight year-old Fanny Adams. The murder that shocked and appalled a nation, still remains the most vicious and barbaric crime ever perpetrated against a child in British history. Includes the origin of the sayings "Sweet FA" and "Sweet Fanny Adams".
On the evening of Fanny’s death an angry crowd had gathered at Alton Police Station, after news had reached the close-knit community that a twenty nine year-old man by the name of Frederick Baker had been arrested for the murder of the little girl.
The local police were stretched to the limit as they struggled to keep order while the accused “ran the gauntlet” through the baying crowd into the police station, handcuffed to Superintendent William Cheyney.
A subsequent body-search of Baker conducted in the police station revealed two knives; one of which contained fresh blood stains.
On the Monday following the arrest, a search was conducted at Baker’s place of employment, and in the desk used by Baker a macabre piece of evidence was discovered. On the page of Baker’s diary, dated 24th August, one simple entry had been written, “Killed a young girl. It was fine and hot”.
The trial of Frederick Baker began on the 5th December at Winchester County Assizes, where Baker pleaded not guilty to the murder of Fanny Adams.
Baker’s defence counsel contested Minnie Warner’s identification of his client – forcing the distraught girl to give evidence in a public court of law. He also maintained that the two knives found in the possession of his client were far too small to have inflicted such injuries as those suffered by the murder victim.
Part-way through the proceedings, for some inexplicable reason, Baker’s defence counsel advised him to plead insanity on the grounds that three other members of his family had suffered from mental illness. This advice was to be the downfall of the accused, making a complete mockery of the claim that he was innocent. Why would an innocent man plead insanity?
It took the jury a mere fifteen minutes to announce their verdict…’Guilty as charged’. Baker was led away to the cells to await his fate.
On the cold Christmas Eve morning of 1867, Frederick Baker was led from the condemned cell at Winchester Gaol to the public scaffold outside the prison gates; and in front of an estimated crowd of 5,000 people, he was hanged for the murder of Fanny Adams!
However, this was not the last that would be heard of Fanny Adams.
In 1869 the British Royal Navy introduced tasteless tins of mutton stew as “convenience” rations for the ordinary ratings. The seamen being so appalled at the quality of the food joked, somewhat callously, that the stew could only be the butchered remains of “Sweet Fanny Adams”.
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