science

Christiana Edmunds

Christiana Edmunds is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Christiana Edmunds rather than just read about it. In short: Christiana Edmunds (3 October 1828 – 19 September 1907) was an English murderer, popularly known as the "Chocolate Cream Killer", who carried out a series of poisonings in Brighton during the early 1870s. Edmunds purchased confectionery from a local shop and laced the sweets with strychnine before returning them to be sold to unsuspecting members of the public.

Key takeaways

Christiana Edmunds belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Christiana Edmunds to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Christiana Edmunds from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Christiana Edmunds (3 October 1828 – 19 September 1907) was an English murderer, popularly known as the "Chocolate Cream Killer", who carried out a series of poisonings in Brighton during the early 1870s. Edmunds purchased confectionery from a local shop and laced the sweets with strychnine before returning them to be sold to unsuspecting members of the public. Her actions resulted in several people becoming seriously ill, and at least one death. Arrested and put on trial, Edmunds was initially sentenced to death. However, this was later commuted to life imprisonment. She spent the rest of her life at the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, dying there in 1907.

Poisoning spree Christiana Edmunds was born in Margate, Kent, and was the eldest child of William Edmunds, an architect who designed the local Holy Trinity Church and Margate Lighthouse. Her mother was Ann Christiana Burn, the sister of John Southerden Burn and daughter of a Royal Marines captain. Edmunds had a privileged upbringing and was privately educated, but was diagnosed with hysteria in her early twenties. It was while she was living with her widowed mother in Brighton in the late 1860s that Edmunds became involved with the local doctor, Charles Beard. The nature of their relationship remains a source of controversy but in September 1870, Edmunds poisoned Beard's wife by giving her a poisoned chocolate cream. Mrs Beard recovered from the resulting violent illness. Dr Beard said later that he suspected Edmunds had poisoned his wife at that time, but did not act on his suspicion due to a lack of proof and a concern over the taint of scandal. In 1871, Edmunds began obtaining chocolate creams from the local confectioner, John Maynard. She took them home, laced them with strychnine, and returned them to the vendor. Maynard then sold them to the public, not knowing that they had been poisoned. Initially Edmunds obtained the strychnine from a local chemist, Isaac Garrett, on the pretence that she needed it to poison stray cats. In an attempt to cover her tracks, she began paying young boys to purchase it for her. By this time, several people in Brighton had become ill after eating the chocolates, but no one had connected the illnesses with what the victims had eaten. However, in June 1871, 4-year-old Sidney Albert Barker, on holiday with his family, died as a result of eating chocolates from Maynard's shop. The Brighton coroner, David Black, ruled the death accidental. It was later confirmed that this was the only death caused by Edmunds. Edmunds increased her poisoning campaign, and began sending parcels of chocolates to prominent persons, including Mrs Beard, who again became violently ill. By this time, the police had connected the poisonings with the chocolates. Edmunds sent parcels to herself, claiming that she, too, was a victim of the poisoner, in the hope that this would deflect suspicion from her and on to Maynard. At this point, Dr Beard informed the police of his suspicions, which resulted in Edmunds being arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Mrs Beard and the murder of Sidney Barker. After committal hearings, it was decided to move the case from Lewes to the Old Bailey. During Edmunds's trial, which began in January 1872, her mother testified that both sides of their family had a history of mental illness. Dr Beard claimed that he and Edmunds never had a sexual relationship, but that instead it was merely a series of letters sent by her to him, and mild flirtations. Edmunds was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life imprisonment due to her mental state. She spent the rest of her life in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, dying there in 1907.

In popular culture The 1939, novel The Black Spectacles by John Dickson Carr is based on the Edmunds case. The case featured as an episode of the 1970 six-part ITV series Wicked Women with Edmunds played by Anna Massey. The Great Chocolate Murders, by John Fletcher, is a drama based on the events of the case, first broadcast by the BBC on Saturday 4 March 2006. It features Sîan Thomas, Chris Donnelly, Jennifer Hill, Dorien Thomas and Brendan Charleson, and was directed by Kate McAll. The case formed the basis of a puppet show, The Sorrowful Tale of Sleeping Sydney, by Daisy Jordan

References

Further reading Clarke, Kate (ed.). Trial of Christiana Edmunds. Notable British Trials. Mango Books. ISBN 9781914277252. Jones, Kaye (30 April 2016). The Case of the Chocolate Cream Killer: The poisonous passion of Christiana Edmunds. Pen & Sword History. ISBN 978-1781593752. Stratmann, Linda (22 March 2016). "Chapter 16: Matrimonial Causes". The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder. Yale University Press. pp. 217–232. ISBN 978-0300204735.

External links Biography of Christiana Edmunds Christiana Edmunds Kaye Jones's Author Website and collection of information on Christiana Edmunds

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Christiana Edmunds

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Christiana Edmunds claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Christiana Edmunds before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Christiana Edmunds ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Christiana Edmunds

In research: Christiana Edmunds appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Christiana Edmunds in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Christiana Edmunds is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1828 births, 1907 deaths, British female murderers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Christiana Edmunds outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Christiana Edmunds in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Christiana Edmunds means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Christiana Edmunds in simple terms?

Why does Christiana Edmunds matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Christiana Edmunds?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Christiana Edmunds.