Memorial card for Mary Hannah Taylor, from the estate of M. Franklin. Manchester, Great Britain, 1862.

Memorial card for Mary Hannah Taylor, Hannah Maria Taylor, and William Robert Taylor, three children murdered by their father, 16 May 1862. Printed by Windsor, London. Lettered In Memory of Mary Hannah Taylor, aged 12 yrs. Hannah Maria Taylor, 8 yrs. William Robert Taylor, 5 years. The Three Children who were Destroyed by Their Parents at Britannia Buildings, Strangeways, Manchester, On Friday, May 16, 1862, And were interned at Harpurhey Cemetry May 19, and four lines of verse. Embossed Windsor.

Bequeathed by M. J. Franklin

This English memorial card from 1862, is dedicated to the memory of three children from Strangeways, Manchester, who were murdered by their parents. The murder of the three children prompted a public outpouring of grief, primarily in Manchester but also elsewhere in the UK. Local and national newspapers reported on the case and subsequent trial and hanging of the children’s father. Particular interest was paid to the children’s funeral, which was paid for by a public subscription organised by Mr B. Lee, a local businessman. People flocked to the streets on the day of the funeral, with police being posted along the funeral route to control the crowds. It is not known who commissioned the memorial card but it is likely that it was printed by an entrepreneurial businessman on a stock blank card in anticipation of or as a response to public demand.
Mourning cards were generally printed with the relevant information by a local printer on stock blanks. Cards were also available part­printed, with space left for handwritten additions and it was not unheard of for undertakers to hand out part­printed cards –also printed with a credit line detailing the undertakers name and address – free of charge. Stock blanks came in different designs with varying levels of embellishment. The production of the embossed cards was dominated by London­based embossing specialists such as Joseph Mansell, J.T. Wood, and John Windsor, the publisher of the stock blank used for the Taylor Children’s memorial card.

Death was highly visible in Victorian culture. It was a time for communal feeling, studied response and ritual. People were encouraged to give public expression to their grief, and an industry of mourning dress and mementoes provided visible reminders of the dead.

This memorial card commemorates three children who were killed by their parents. The private catastrophe caused a public outpouring of communal feeling, and people packed the court room during the murder trail. The inscription suggests that it was printed for general consumption.

E.1509-1987