The builders working on Sir David Attenborough’s home were taken by surprise when they unearthed a human skull during renovations, ultimately helping to unravel a long-standing murder case from the Victorian era.
In 2009, the renowned natural historian purchased a property in London. The discovery occurred a year later in October, as renovations were underway.
The ensuing police investigation revealed the skull belonged to a woman murdered in 1879, shedding light on a historical mystery referred to as the ‘Barnes mystery.’
The victim, Julia Martha Thomas, was murdered by her housemaid over a century ago. Following the skull’s discovery, the coroner concluded the cause of death was unlawful killing, citing asphyxiation and a head injury.
Julia Martha Thomas, who had lived in the house, had hired an Irish immigrant, Kate Webster, as her domestic servant. Webster had previously worked as a cleaner for a nearby resident, which is how she came to Thomas’s attention.
Initially unaware of Webster’s criminal background of petty theft, Thomas soon began to notice issues.
Webster’s employment was initially terminated on February 28, less than a month after she started.
However, Webster convinced Thomas to let her stay for three more days, a decision that would prove fatal. On March 2, a confrontation over Webster’s work performance led to the tragic events of that day.
Webster admitted to killing her employer, explaining: “She had a heavy fall, and I became agitated at what had occurred, lost all control of myself, and to prevent her screaming and getting me into trouble, I caught her by the throat. In the struggle, she was choked, and I threw her on the floor.”
Allegations circulated that Webster disposed of the body in a gruesome manner, with some claiming she distributed body fat as lard to a local pub and neighbors.
While she did not confess to this, Webster admitted to dismembering the body, boiling it in the laundry copper, and burning the bones in the fireplace.
The belief was that she disposed of the remaining parts, including the head, in the River Thames.
However, after 131 years, the mystery was concluded when Thomas’ skull was discovered in the garden of a famous British broadcaster’s newly designed landscape.