Tomorrow morning (6th August) at 10am on BBC1, there will be a broadcast of Murder, Mystery and My Family (S4Ep9) examining the infamous case of Martha Brown, resident of Birdsmoorgate and the last woman to be publicly hanged in Dorset.

In the early hours of the 6th of July 1856, Martha Brown, a resident of Birdsmoorgate in rural Dorset, called on her neighbour begging for help. She believed her husband John had been attacked by his vicious horse and was lying in a critical condition in their home.

When Martha returned with assistance, John was found dead having succumbed to multiple head wounds. After a hasty investigation, Martha was charged and convicted of the murder of her husband. She continued to maintain her innocence, but on 9 August 1856, she was executed at Dorchester Prison.

Now, over 160 years later, sisters Fran and Irene, relatives of Martha Brown, have been researching the case. They are keen to separate fact from fiction, as the story of Martha famously inspired Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, a tale in which Tess is executed for the murder of her husband.

Top criminal barristers Sasha Wass QC and Jeremy Dein QC re-examine and review the hasty investigation, consider the pathological evidence, and undertake a psychological evaluation of Martha and John’s relationship. Will they be able to prove that Martha Brown was wrongly convicted? Watch and find out!

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