Sarah Wathen

Sarah Wathen, lady's maid to Mrs Hammond, 18 Brunswick Square. 

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It is so comforting to have people interested in the truth of my tragic story. A story that so far has no end, but still is very sad. 

There seems to be no record of my date or place of birth or whether I was married or single. But strangely what happened on and after the fatal night of Saturday, August 16th 1845 was spread as a scandal in newspapers the length and breadth of these Isles. I became notorious for just a few months. 

How you judge me is up to you, but please understand that giving birth illegitimately and continuing as a servant would have been impossible in those days. What would you have done in similar circumstances? 

I was lonely, worried and four months with child when the Hammonds at No 18 Brunswick Square employed me. I had come with a recommendation from the employ of Rev E Trower where I had worked for 18 months. It was hell trying to carry on working and conceal my pain, keeping my lady’s rooms clean and tidy as well as dressing her and caring for her clothes. I did write to Ned asking for help but no-one, not even during the investigation, asked about him or indeed who fathered my child. Many questions were not posed and there was no sympathy or support from my fellow servants. 

I was in total agony when the baby was born. According to the evidence given at the inquest two days later at the Kerrison Arms (now the Southern Belle) by the post mortem surgeon Mr Furner, my baby daughter had knife wounds around the neck and she was not still born. Were all the questions asked and all the answers checked? Of course, with the evidence they were given, the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder and I was committed to Lewes Gaol for trial at the next Assizes. 

At the trial, six months later, in 1846, the murder charge was dismissed as no sound evidence was found that my baby had been alive and not still born. I was still sentenced to twelve months hard labour in prison for concealing the birth. After a while the hard labour was reversed after careful consideration by the powers that be. There was a lot of expensive legal intervention! I was in a poor state of health by then anyway. Who paid for the legal support? 

I am sure you are curious as to what happened to me when I came out of gaol with no money, no job, no friends or family and a ruined reputation. My records have been deeply buried but I PLEAD of you to keep looking. I could find no way out of my dreadful situation. Whichever way I planned I would have ended up in the gutter or sea. I was not a wicked person but just a victim of circumstance. I want my whole story to be told. 

Thank you for listening.

Goodbye, Sarah