The Surgery and the "Rugeley Poisoner"
A Palmer Exhibition is now on show - call in

 
William Palmer's wife Anne Thorton was the illegitimate daughter of Lieutenant Colonel William Brookes and Mary Thornton. Brookes was a wealthy East Indian Army Officer who, having retired in 1820 with a healthy pension, returned to England where he bought several properties in Stafford including the Noah's Ark. Mary Thornton, who became his housekeeper and mistress, was a dreadful, illiterate woman with good looks but a vile temper. Mary was regularly drunk and arguing with the Colonel, cursing him for never having married her and blaming him for driving her to drink. It was claimed that, when she was in one of her rages, Mary would attack the Colonel with whatever she could lay her hands on. He would often resort to hiding in one of the local hostelries, including the Noah's Arms which he owned, to escape from her but she would merely track him down to continue cursing him. Eventually in 1834 Colonel Brookes put a pistol to his head and shot himself.

The Surgery 2001
A photograph of the Surgery, the oldest building in Stafford, taken in April 2001 by D. Lewis.

 
As owner of the property Mary Thornton (Palmer's mother-in-law) would legally have been
the licensee of the Noah's Ark from 1834 until her death in January 1849.
After the death of Colonel Brookes, Mary's drinking became worse and shortly, because of her drinking,
Annie her daughter was made a Ward in Chancery and sent to live with one of her guardians
Charles Dawson at his house at Abbots Bromley some 12 miles from Stafford.
It was whilst living and attending school there that Annie met William Palmer.
On the 6th January 1849, Mary was found in the street stretched out straight,
she was in a state of delirium due, yet again, to an excess of alcohol.
Palmer had her taken to his house where she died twelve days later
on January 18th 1849 aged fifty. Mary was buried at Rugeley on January 22nd 1849.
Gossips later claimed that Palmer murdered his mother-in-law.

Mary had had a serious drink problem for most of her adult life
but what we will never know is -
Did drink cause her death or did Palmer's poison "help" her on her way?

Noah's Ark Pub

A picture of the Noah's Ark (now the Surgery), scanned from the Staffordshire Arts and Museum Service Exhibitions, Events & Information Guide. Original the property of The William Salt Library

Information and design
by D. Lewis)

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