During the first week of December in 1858, the body of a six-year-old girl was recovered from the 300-foot shaft of the abandoned Wheal Eliza Mine near Simonsbath.
It brought to an end a long, painstaking search for the girl and crystalised one of Exmoor’s most tragic murder cases.
Anna Maria Burgess had been murdered by her father, William Burgess, who admitted to killing her in order to save money on her upbringing and instead spend it on alcohol.
He was convicted and sentenced on 20th December 1858 and hanged on 7th January 1859.
Anna was buried in an unmarked grave at St Luke’s Church in Simonsbath.
A few elements of the story are disputed, but below is the gist of it based on various sources.
Burgess, a labourer, lived locally with his wife and three children, Tom, Emma and Anna.
His alcoholism, and his devious attempts to fuel it, would come to dominate his life.
After spending all his money on alcohol during a secret trip to Wales, he managed to hoodwink local vicar William Thornton in…
