S5 Ep42: Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Serial Killer

In the industrial villages of 19th-century England, death was common—but not this common. Over two decades, Mary Ann Cotton married, buried, and moved on with chilling regularity as children, husbands, and relatives died from what doctors called “gastric fever.” Only when forensic chemistry advanced—and one parish officer heard her say too much—did her pattern come into focus.

You can listen to S5 Ep42: Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Serial Killer online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

S5 Ep42: Mary Ann Cotton: Britain’s First Serial Killer is an episode from Crimes of the Centuries.

This episode is 48:48 long.

This episode was published on Jan 19, 2026.

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