ABSTRACT
Infanticide was the most common type of homicide committed by women. A case of infanticide was normally proven in court through the presence of a number of elements, as determined by the 1624 Infanticide Act. These included the woman hiding her pregnancy, which was possible in a conservative society where women wore garments designed to hide their figures; failing to make preparation for the arrival of a child, such as acquiring linens and infant clothing; giving birth in seclusion and then hiding the body with a design to keep the birth and death a secret; and the presence of trauma upon the body of the deceased child, as determined by a coroner’s inquest. Most “murdering mothers” (like Alice Shepheard discussed in Chapter 3) were single, young, poor, servant women, whose pregnancy would be a source of shame to her family and might render her ineligible for marriage. When infanticide was committed by a married woman, this was usually because of abandonment or because of a cruel, lazy husband who failed to provide for her and her other children. Many elements of Mary Philmore’s crime were, therefore, quite unusual in that Mary was married to a good husband and father, who provided financial and emotional support for his family. It is interesting that although Mary exhibited signs of mental distress, the author clearly has little sympathy for her moment of madness despite the common acceptance in court of a defence of non compis mentis (a person of unsound mind). In early modern England, a mother killing her own child was simply too heinous and unnatural an act to be forgiven, and, regardless of Mary’s mental condition, she had to be removed from society to restore balance and allow the community to heal.
