The Power of the Internet:
I searched the Internet for William Palmer and came across a reference to a collection of criminal broadsides held by Kent State University in Ohio America on the web page www.library.kent.edu/speccoll/truecrime/broadsid.html .
The criminal broadsides were donated to the university by Albert I. and Helen O. Borowitz, are part of the Borowitz True Crime Collection. I found catalogue No. 79 Life, trial and execution of William Palmer. I e-mailed the university and the very next day received the following e-mail -
I have located the broadside of William Palmer that you asked about. Did you
want a copy of it sent to you? What kind of information are you looking for?

Justin B. Keiser
Graduate Student Assistant
Special Collections and Archives
KSU Library

Mr. Keiser kindly sent me a copy of the broadside that I did not know existed. This provided me with additional information as well as some lines of poetry which are included on this web site.

Pottery figurine in enamel colours with a gold title. Made by Staffordshire Potters in 1856.

4 Palmer Houses
Photograph D. Lewis
October 2003

Views of Palmer's Cabinet. Copyright Tamworth Castle Museum.

The Life and Crimes of William Palmer,
the Prince of Poisoners

Two part series made by Yorkshire Television

To be viewed in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Betheseda Street, Hanley Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DE.
Pottery 'souvenirs' made by Stoke potters in 1856. www.stoke.gov.uk/museums

William Palmer's house, enamel colours and gold. A typical Georgian house. Based on The Illustrated London News 24th May 1856

In Octiober 2003 I attended a meeting of the Landor Society, the local history group in Rugeley, and there I saw a fascinating collection of 4 Palmer houses owned by Mr. & mrs. Pope (see below). Each house had been coloured completely differently by the back-street potters and was different in colour to the example in the museum. Through a contact I had made, Mr. & Mrs.Pope now have a Palmer figurine to add to their collection.

In the autumn of 2002 Phyllis Higginson of the Tamworth Civic Society e-mailed me to say that Tamworth Castle had appointed a new Collections Officer, with a brief to audit and assess the collections of artefacts that the museum has stored in various places. In the early stages of this audit she discovered a wooden cabinet that was reputed to have belonged at one time to William Palmer. The pictures were taken in December 2002 (The pictures below are the copyright of Tamworth Castle Museum and are reproduced here with their kind permission.)

The contents of the cabinet in 2002 were as follows:
In the top compartment - baby feeder, metal miniature balance (metal rusted), 3 glass bottles with glass stopper, Grey Power, James' Powder, Dover's Powder, large glass jar with metal top Epsom salts, SOD Salts with glass stopper, unidentifiable glass bottle with glass stopper (this one has a leak and is stuck), Bicarbonate of Potash, a metal measure and a glass measure 10-60 ml.

In the front opening door - 5 Glass bottles with glass stoppers, 1 label illegible, Mindererus' spirit, Tincture of Myre, 1 unidentified with contents degraded into layers of varying colours, and 1 empty bottle with pepper coloured residue.

In the 4 drawers - Drawer 1: Brass measuring spoon, small glass bottle with cork, white substance (label illegible), small glass bottle cork broken off inside, cream substance (label illegible). Drawer 2: Drawer with loose powder under sliding lids labelled "Callcined Magnesia" and "Fine Turkey Rhubarb". Drawer 3: Drawer with two lead interiors, no labels, contents not identifiable. Drawer 4: Drawer with miniature glass mortar and pestle.

The Life and Crimes of William Palmer - The Video
Made by Yorkshire Television as a two part series and is available on VHS video. Written by Glenn Chandler, directed by Alan Dosser, it stars Keith Allen, Jayne Ashbourne and Chloe Newsome. It was filmed in 1998 and runs for 180 minutes. Well written and acted and generally historically accurate, it is good entertainment but does make the assumption that Palmer was a serial killer and guilty of every crime!

Palmer's Trial - The Video
A re-enactment by the CREATIVE ARTS THEATRE in association with
BERKSWICH HISTORY SOCIETY of the 1856 trial of Dr William Palmer
The Rugeley Poisoner. at the Shire Hall, Stafford, November 2000

Video, (on sale priced £10) duration 85 minutes,
of a play commissioned by the Berkswich History Society and written by Roy Butters. Copyright Video Recording Associates

The Courtrooms, Shire Hall, Stafford.
Inside the Shire Hall in Stafford's Market Square they have preserved the historic courtroom. In this very courtroom a grand jury found that Palmer had a case to answer for the willful murder of John Parsons Cook and his wife Annie but not for the murder of Walter his brother. He was not tried here as a new Act which was rushed through Parliament meant that they could switch the trial to London. Admission is free and the Shire Hall is open Monday and Friday 9.30 - 6.00, Tuesday to Thursday 9.30 - 5.00 and on Saturday 10.00 to 5.00 . The courtroom closes one hour before the Shire Hall.

For further information telephone the Shire hall on 01785 278345. See also Teaching Resource

A picture of the Courtroom in the Shire Hall, Stafford reproduced by kind permission Pauline Thomas Visual Arts & Crafts Development Officer.