THIS IS FINDON - John Porter and the Prince of Poisoners

A likeness constructed of the infamous Doctor William Palmer. This was created from his death mask.

The message Porter delivered from the surgery was to a certain racehorse trainer, Mr Saunders. The cryptic message carried that morning read "Cook is dead". It must be pointed out that John Parsons Cook and the doctor were joint owners of a number of racehorses.

Obviously John Porter was not to know that that John Parsons Cook had returned from the Shrewsbury races with the doctor and had stayed in Room 10 at the Talbot Arms in Rugeley — an inn directly opposite the doctor's house. Cook started to have convulsions after their race meeting together. This went on for a few days before Cook finally took to his deathbed. He died an agonising death in Room 10.

Palmer then persuaded another local 82-year-old doctor to sign the death certificate — without a post mortem. He then called in John Porter to deliver the message to his trainer and that is Findon's link with the Rugeley poisoner.

John Porter duly rode back to the family home on the day in question and having dismounted he related the morning's events to his father. He mentioned that Cook was dead. The young man soon returned south to take up his employment again in Findon. He related that his father had remarked at the time to him how strange it was that so many people associated with the doctor were now deceased.

In hindsight, his father's suspicions of foul play had not been unfounded. John Parsons Cook had won a substantial amount of money just prior to his untimely death and the doctor was already on his way to London with Cook's Betting Book to illicitly obtain the winnings.

Doctor William Palmer was arrested for the murder of John Parsons Cook in 1856. It was to be one of the largest murder trials of the 19th century and was the first ever court case in this country for murder by strychnine.

At the time rumours abounded that he could have also been responsible for a total of fourteen deaths. Those included on the grim list were: Annie his wife, Walter his brother, Mrs Thornton his mother-in-law, and his four children Elizabeth, Henry, Frank and John. The others were a number of people from whom he had borrowed money.

Cook's father-in-law brought the doctor's downfall when he became suspicious and demanded a post mortem. The doctor pulled out every stop in an endeavour to prevent this. At the last minute he attempted to bribe the potboy carrying the vital organs from Cook's body to the horse drawn coach for transit. The potboy was to drop the box in the street and make sure the contents spill out before they could be examined.

In a botched post-mortem, no strychnine was found in Cook's body. Nevertheless, it was claimed that he had died of symptoms that could have been caused by strychnine.

Henry Padwick the owner of Downs House figured in the resulting court case. Palmer had fraudulently obtained £3,000 from the Findon solicitor with a forged signature. When Padwick endeavoured to retrieve his money, the truth was revealed. This incident happened sometime before the court case but nevertheless, the prosecution used the incident to demonstrate the doctor's shady chiropractor.

The doctor was heavily in debt and was guilty of attempted bribery, fraud and forgery. Even though it was hardly a crime — he was also overly fond of the female sex. His gambling on the horses did not go down well either with the public but he maintained his innocence of the murder of John Parsons Cook right up to the end.

On Monday January 21st 1856 the racehorses in the doctor's stud were auctioned by Messrs. Tattersall. Henry Padwick of Findon appeared on the scene once more and purchased a bay yearling colt for 230 guineas plus a brown yearling filly for 250 guineas at this dispersal sale. The horses were transported south to Findon to be set through their paces by Padwick's trainer, William Goater. It was later commented by the young John Porter that the horses turned out to be pretty poor specimens.

Around 30,000 people witnessed 31-year-old William Palmer publicly executed and swing from the gallows outside Stafford gaol at precisely 8.00 a.m. on Saturday June 14th 1856 for the murder of John Parsons Cook. The doctor was forever more to be known as "The Rugeley Poisoner" and "The Prince of Poisoners". His effigy took its place in Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors in London for some 127 years.

That is the end of the connection of John Porter of Findon and the Prince of Poisoners — and also that of Henry Padwick's experiences of dealing with the infamous Doctor William Palmer.

Continue if you would like to read more about Henry Padwick's time in Findon and also the Derby winner, Hermit...... Henry Padwick's New Stables.