The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith
The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith

Author: Douglas MacGowan

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Published: 2021-09-01

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 0857902725

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Discover the true story of Victorian Scotland's trial of the century. It was a case that rocked Victorian society. Emile L'Angelier was a working-class immigrant from the Channel Islands who began a clandestine affair with prominent Glasgow socialite Madeleine Smith. Six weeks after Emile threatened to show Madeleine's father their passionate letters, on 23 March 1857, he was found dead from arsenic poisoning. The evidence against Madeleine seemed overwhelming as she went to trial for murdering her lover. Douglas MacGowan's vivid account reads by turns like a thriller, a love story and a courtroom drama. He quotes extensively from contemporary sources, notably the pathology reports, the trial testimony and the infamous correspondence between Madeleine and Emile, whose explicit content so shocked Victorian sensibilities. Ultimately it is up to the reader to judge Madeleine's guilt or innocence.

Madeleine Smith on Trial
Madeleine Smith on Trial

Author: Brian Jenkins

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2019-07-05

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1476678405

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 In 1855, Glasgow socialite Madeleine Smith began a flirtation with Pierre L'Angelier, a handsome clerk--for her a mere diversion. But L'Angelier sought social mobility. Their class disparity gave her control of the intrigue but when the relationship turned sexual, the power imbalance shifted. The Scots recognized irregular unions in certain cases. L'Angelier considered Smith his wife, a part she at first discreetly played. When he refused to step aside and allow her a more socially acceptable marriage, his removal became necessary. Smith's sensational murder trial captivated both Britain and America. Despite compelling evidence of guilt, various factors led to her acquittal--her class and gender, the peculiarities of Scottish law--and many believed the case went to trial only because the Crown feared blatant confirmation that justice was not blind.

The Case of Madeleine Smith
The Case of Madeleine Smith

Author: Rick Geary

Publisher: Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13:

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A scandalous secret affair in 19th Scotland between an upper class woman and a gentleman of lower standing ends in his murder by poison...

Murder and Morality in Victorian Britain
Murder and Morality in Victorian Britain

Author: Eleanor Gordon

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2010-03-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780719077685

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This book explores the life of Madeleine Smith, who in 1857 was tried for poisoning her secret lover. As well as charting the course of this illicit relationship and Madeleine’s subsequent trial, the authors draw on a wide range of sources to pursue themes such as the nature of gender relations and the extent of women’s social and commercial activities, and to bring vividly to life the world of the mid-Victorian middle class.The book contains new discoveries about Madeleine’s long and colorful life after the trial which confirm the view that it is only in fiction that the bad end unhappily. The book will be of interest to academic social historians, but the fascination of its subject matter and the way in which much rich material is used to evoke a vivid sense of time and place, will also promote a wider interest among a more general readership.