Today's case took place in Devon, England and has inspired murder mysteries by the likes of Charles Dickens. We will be looking at Constance Kent, who she was, and why she committed this crime in 1860.

Her Family

Constance was born on the 5th of February 1844 in Devon, England. Her parents were Samuel Saville Kent and Mary Ann Kent. The couple had ten children but five died at a young age. After Mary Ann gave birth to their tenth child she went insane.

Not long after this, Samuel hired Mary Drewe Pratt as a governess and housekeeper, but they fell in love.

After the death of his wife Mary Ann, Samuel got married to Mary Drewe and they had three more children. While she was pregnant with their fourth child their youngest, Francis, was murdered.

The Crime

On the 29th of June 1860, Francis was put to bed in the nursemaid's room. Elizabeth Gough was the nursemaid at the time and in the middle of the night, she woke up to find he was gone. She just assumed that he was with his mother and went back to sleep.

However, when she awoke again she realised he was still missing. By 8am she had alerted the family and there was a search underway to find the young boy.

After an hour of searching a local farmer and shoemaker checked the disused servant toilet. When they lifted the lid they found a blanket covered in blood. They had found Francis' body.

When they picked his body up to move him his head almost fell off and his mouth appeared to be black as if he had been suffocated. 

At first, the main suspect was the nursemaid Elizabeth Gough. The local Superintendent believed that the child could not go missing without her knowing. His theory was that she was with her lover when Francis woke up and disturbed them, so they suffocated him and mutilated the body to hide the true cause of death.

Jonathon Whicher. Image credit: Wikipedia

Eventually, Scotland Yard joined the investigation and sent Detective Inspector Jonathon Whicher. He didn't agree with the Superintendent and suspected 16-year-old Constance. His theory was that she was jealous of the younger children, which made her commit the crime.

When she was put in front of magistrates there was not enough evidence to charge her, so Elizabeth Gough was charged with the murder.

The Confession

Constance spent time abroad at a convent in Brittany, and when she returned in 1863 she went to Brighton and joined a religious retreat. It was there that she confessed on April 25th 1865. She told Reverend Arthur Wagner that she murdered her stepbrother. She handed a noted over to the magistrates when she confessed to them. It stated:

"I, Constance Emile Kent, alone and unaided on the night of the 29th of June 1860, murdered at Road Hill House, Wiltshire one Francis Saville Kent. Before the deed, no one knew of my intention, nor after of my guilt; no one assisted me in the crime, nor in my evasion of discovery."

She said she murdered him because he was her stepmothers favourite, and she wasn't happy she had replaced her mother. 

Constance Kent. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Even after her admission of guilt people did not believe her, as parts of her story didn't match the facts. She said she had used a razor to kill the boy, but the wounds were caused by a knife. Francis also weighed 35 pounds and Constance said that she held him in one arm as she climbed out of the house before she killed him. She also said she thought the child was not dead, but he had almost been decapitated. 

Even though there were many anomalies in her stories, they were never brought up in court and she pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to death initially, but it was commuted to life because of her age at the time of the murder.

She spent 20 years in prison and was released at 41 years old. She moved to Australia to join her brother William and changed her name to Emily Kent. She lived in Australia until she died in 1944. She lived to be 100 years old and never recanted. 

Final Thoughts

Some believe that she never committed the murder and she was possibly covering for her brother or father.

William was equally resentful of their stepmother and at the time of the murder, he was 15 years old, and he would have been more capable of the murder. Some also believe her father could have been the killer, as he was a known adulterer and could've been sleeping with the nursemaid.

I think it is very possible she was covering for someone else the whole time. However, I am not sure why she decided to do it. The one thing that surprised me was that she never recanted even after her brother and father passed away.

What do you think of this case? Who do you think did it? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Today's post is slightly different! Think of it as a break from the spooky and macabre for us all!

You may have seen YouTubers and bloggers completing their own version of the Vogue's 73 Questions, and today it is my turn! I find it so hard to talk about myself so I hope you enjoy this! 😂

I have been tagged by the lovely Naomi and Ashlee, so please go and check out their posts too! They are amazing!

Let us begin!

1. What is your usual Starbucks order? 

Hmm, I never go to Starbucks! However, If I go to a cafe I tend to just have tea. How very British of me!

2. What does your workstation look like right now? 

Quite tidy for a change! Haha. I have a rainbow mug with my pens in it, a sloth stuffed toy next to my monitor, an owl lamp, and my current notebook. I need it to be tidy to feel productive.

3. All-time favourite food? 

I say this all the time but if you really were what you ate I would be a cheeseburger!

4. Favourite author? 

I have always loved reading Jane Austen books, and they are my go-to for holidays. 

5. What do you think of open relationships? 

Not my cup of tea, but I know there are people out there that are in open relationships. As long as all the parties involved are happy then I don't see any issues with it.

6. What is your favourite video game? 

I don't know if it would be classed as a video game, but my favourite game ever is World of Warcraft! Played it for 10 years and I plan on going back for the vanilla servers soon.

7. Guilty pleasure treat? 

I love watching corny romance films from the '90s. I remember watching She's All That, Never Been Kissed,  and even Josie and the Pussycats.

8. Favourite movie? 

10 Things I Hate About You is my all-time favourite. I could watch it over and over and never get bored. In fact, I may watch it now!

9. Favourite book? 

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I always pack it when I go on holiday. 

10. Twitter or Instagram? 

Twitter hands down. For the longest time, I didn't use it because I had no idea how it worked. It is now my favourite way to connect with people. 

11. Desktop or laptop? 

Desktop. For some reason, I feel I get way more done when I work on my desktop. When I used my partner's laptop I never get anything done! 

12. Best advice you’ve ever received? 

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I always try to keep out of the drama and not be negative. I'm not perfect by any means but I try my best to stick to this advice. 

13. What project are you working on right now? 

 I am working on a few things but my blog is my main project, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

14. Favourite colour? 

I love the colour green! Sometimes I wish I had green eyes. 

15. Did you get good grades at school? 

I did well at school, but I would never call myself super intelligent. I left school with good grades and finished college with good grades too.

16. Dream job? 

I would say my dream job would be a criminal profiler. If you couldn't tell by my blog content I am slightly interested in true crime and the people that commit the crimes.

17. Played any sports? 

I have played many in the past but don't anymore. I really enjoyed playing netball at school but also played football and rugby.

18. Do you have a degree? 

No, and I do regret not going to University to get a degree. However, I can always do one part-time via the Open University, which I plan on doing very soon.

19. Nationality? 

British!

20. What is your favourite kind of blog post to do? 

I like to do blog posts about true crime, especially the ones that require research so I am learning about as I write!

21. What do you like to collect? 

I collect fridge magnets and Funko figures with my partner. 

22. Describe yourself in three words

Sarcastic. Empathetic. Silly.

23. If you were a rapper what would your rapper name be? 

Not a clue! I have tried to think of something, but I am at a loss.

24. Who was the last person you DMed? 

It was my makeup artist for my wedding. Which I am freaking out about haha.

25. What’s on the top of your wishlist right now? 

I'd say a new pair of skate shoes if I think materialistic. Honestly, I don't have anything else in mind.

26. Hogwarts house? 

After doing the test I am a Slytherin. 🐍

27. How many tattoos do you have? 

As I write this I have three, but I am planning a sleeve to hopefully have completed next year.

28. What are you most grateful for this year? 

My family, friends and fiance. They are all supportive and accept me for who I am. That is all I want and I am happy.

29. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this month? 

We had our engagement photo shoot and my wedding dress fitting! 

30. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you today? 

I have had a pretty chilled out day, but maybe the fact it is a lot cooler than it has been this week!

31. What’s the best thing ever? 

Just being happy.

32. Favourite season? 

Autumn. I love the colours, wearing jumpers, and cooler weather. I am not a fan of the heat.

33. Favourite holiday? 

Halloween! I love horror movies and anything scary, so this holiday is my favourite. I haven't dressed up for a long time but I have thought about trying out face paints.

34. Which fictional character do you relate to most? 

I'm not so sure about this, to be honest. I relate to a lot of fictional characters, but maybe Daria would be the one I would say I relate to the most.

35. Do you like surprises? 

Noooooo. NO, no, no. I freak out at the thought of it haha.

37. What’s a surprise that made you cry? 

Surprises don't really make me cry, which I know sounds bad. I freak out mostly.

38. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given anyone? 

I tend to get my fiance surprises every now and then because I want to. I have a terrible memory but I think getting him a Funko Pop of CM Punk was the best. They are hard to get hold of and it took a long time online to get haha. He was so happy when I got it for him. 

39. Do you like muffins? 

They are okay, but I wouldn't say they are my favourite.

40. Do you cook often? 

I cook a bit, but I am more of a baker if I am honest.

41. What’s your favourite dessert? 

I love a good apple crumble with a ton of custard! 

42. Is there a dessert you don’t like? 

I don't like sticky toffee pudding at all. I just don't like sticky desserts...

43. Cake or pie? 

Cake! It's my biggest weakness.

44. What’s your least favourite food?

I don't like red meat and steak would be my least favourite food. 

45. What’s your favourite condiment?

Salad cream is 100% my favourite condiment. Could have it on anything!

46. It’s 4am on a Saturday night, what would you eat?

Biscuits. I can never get enough of them.

47. If you could teach a college class what would it be called? 

Procrastinating 101. 🤣

48. Best animated film? 

Who Framed Roger Rabbit and I found out they are planning another one! 

49. What has a guy done or said to impress you? 

My memory always fails me with questions like this. I don't think anyone has tried to impress me before.

50. The best thing to do on a first date? 

Do something fun you'll both enjoy and make sure you are still able to chat and get to know one another. My fiance and I went to play crazy golf and it was nice!

51. The worst thing to do on a first date?

Probably putting your date in an awkward situation. The worst dates I have had is when someone I just met has taken to me to a friends BBQ or their home for a coffee. It's far too soon and it made me feel super uncomfortable.

52. What’s the funniest pick-up line a guy could use on a girl? 

"Did you sit on a pile of sugar? Cos you have a sweet ass!" Cracks me up every time I hear it.

53. Best comic book character? 

My all-time favourite is Spiderman! 

54. What are three things that are always in your purse? 

Body spray, true crime books and a selection of pens.

55. Favourite drink? 

A good old fashioned cup of tea! 

56. If you could play a historical character who would it be? 

I am so bad at this kind of thing! I have no idea who I would be. 🙁

57. Kittens or puppies?

Both. I love them equally, so I feel bad picking just one. 

58. Favourite sushi roll? 

Not a fan of sushi. I have tried it before and it wasn't something I enjoyed.

59. What kind of lipstick do you use? 

I don't use it because I have really tiny lips, but I have tried to use it and it frustrates me. I recently bought a NYX lipstick, so we will see how it goes!

60. What kind of foundation do you use? 

I love full coverage! With my oily skin, I have started to use Estee Lauder Double Wear and it's amazing!

61. Blow-dry or air dry?

Blow-dry if I am going out, but I let it air dry if I am spending the day inside because it does my hair good to not be blow-dried every day. 

62. Who is your fashion icon? 

I don't have one. I am never on-trend or fashionable! Haha.

63. Favourite Disney character?

Copper the Hound in Fox and the Hound. His little howl melts my heart.

64. What are you doing tomorrow?

No idea! I don't tend to plan much on a Sunday, so based on my usual Sundays I will be writing, eating and drinking tea.

65. Movie you laughed the hardest through?

White Chicks comes straight to mind because I just remember Terry Crews raving with a whistle and glow sticks. That film was great!

66. A movie that made you cry? 

There are so many. It wasn't a movie, but Stranger Things 3 had me blubbering.

67. If you could sing a duet with someone who would it be? 

I am obsessed with Billie Eilish right now, but I can't sing so it would be awful on my part haha.

68. If your life was a song what would the title be? 

I've been thinking about this so much and I cannot think of anything. I suck!

69. What’s your favourite animal? 

I love pretty much all animals and it would be impossible to pick one single favourite. To list a few I like bears, anteaters, koalas, aardvarks, and giraffes.

70. Favourite illustrator? 

I don't know any illustrators. Sorry! 😕

71. The person you want to have coffee with? 

My grandmother because she passed away when I was a baby. I would love to meet her and get to know her. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if she was in my life, as my father always tells me stories about her.

72. A country you wish to visit? 

Canada is a country I have always wanted to visit and I finally get to see it in September! 

73. Best way to decompress?

To be on my own and watch something interesting or read.

My Nominations

I would like to nominate the following awesome bloggers to do complete this! They are as follows: 

1. Jackie
2. Charli
3. Tamra
4. Lauren
5. Millie 
6. Chloe
7. What's in my Wonderland

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! It took a long time to answer this because I suck at talking about myself! I can't wait to see my nominations do their own!

So, in today's post, we will be talking about the murders committed by spree killer Anthony Arkwright in August 1988.

Attention! The content of this article or section may seem obscene or offensive to some readers.

Childhood

From a young age, Arkwright didn't have what you would call a normal upbringing. As a child, he was abandoned with his 5 siblings by his mother and lived in care and children's home. His father was a miner, but there were rumours that he was the product of incest between his mother and grandfather. 

He would eventually turn to a life of crime and was given a 30-month youth custody sentence for burglary and disorder. He also started to boast that he would become famous like Jack the Ripper and Peter Sutcliffe.

The Crimes

Wath upon Dearne Town Centre. Image credit: SE4300 @ Geograph

Friday, August 26th 1988

At 21 years old he was working at a scrapyard in Mexborough, but due to problems with his attendance, he was fired. When he was fired it triggered the beginning of his 56-hour killing spree.

The spree began on August 26th at 16:30 and he started by visiting his grandfathers' allotment. He attacked him with a knife and stabbed him in the neck. In the attack, he severed an artery which knocked him unconscious almost instantly. 

While he was out cold Arkwright grabbed an axe and a lump hammer and hit him over the head and shattered his skull. He hid the body in a shed.

Afterwards, he went to local pubs in the area, drank and started to hint about his crime, such as "it's been murder on the allotment."

Saturday, August 27th 1988

The second murder took place at 3am on the 27th of August. He entered the home of his neighbour, Raymond Ford. Ford was an unemployed teacher that was bullied by Arkwright, and when he burgled items from his flat he reported him to the police.

Arkwright wanted revenge.

He entered Ford's flat completely naked at 3am wearing only a devil mask, stabbed Ford 250 times all over his body breaking several ribs. He also appeared to be gutted and dismembered in a way that resembled Jack the Ripper.

The police arrested Arkwright for burgling Ford's flat, but his body would not be found for another 3 days.

Sunday, August 28th 1988

A similar scene was found at Denman Road in Wath on the 28th of August. Marcus Law lived on Denman Road in a bungalow and was in a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident. After the police released him Arkwright went out drinking again.

In the early hours, Arkwright entered the bungalow and stabbed Marcus 70 times. What he did after this was absolutely despicable, and I have not provided the full description of the injuries because of that. 

He stuffed cigarettes in his mouth, ears and eye sockets after trying to gut him. He said he did this because Marcus always 'scrounged' cigarettes off others. When he left the bungalow he bumped into Marcus' mother and commented on her son's suicide while smirking.

When she visited her son's bungalow she found him dead.

The Arrest and Trial

The police started talking to neighbours and went to speak to Ford, as he had reported Arkwright for burglary prior to the murder. However, when they got there they discovered his dead body and realised they were now dealing with a double murder.

Arkwright was arrested and admitted to killing 4 people. He was suspected of murdering his grandfather's housekeeper, Elsa Konradaite. However, this was not proven and was never taken to court.

The police found all of the remaining bodies and he made up another to gain control of the situation. This resulted in more searches being done in lakes and drainage ditches. 

While awaiting trial Arkwright smeared human excrement on the walls in an attempt to prove he was insane and was angry that he was not getting the attention he expected. He was transferred to a Rampton Secure Hospital for further observation but was deemed fit to stand trial.

Sheffield Crown Court. Image credit: Bencherlite

He stood trial at Sheffield Crown Court in 1988 and was found guilty and given life with a recommendation to serve 25 years.

His case was reviewed in 1998 and he was given a full life sentence and is one of the few prisoners that are deemed too dangerous to be released, which includes the likes of Ian Brady and Rose West.

He decided to appeal the decision but it was rejected as the whole life tariff was deemed lawful. 

Final Thoughts

Allegedly a psychiatrist said that he was the "sanest person in the building" when he was at Rampton. Which means he must have known what he was doing at the time of the murders. 

It also seems to be about revenge for him, and what he did to those people was disgusting I'm sure we can all agree based on the descriptions. I'm sorry I left a lot of it out, but it did not feel right to share the specifics of what happened to the victims. I hope you understand. In my opinion, based on what I have read, he does not deserve to be released from prison. 

What are your thoughts on Anthony Arkwright and the crimes he committed? Let me know in the comments.

Erzsébet Báthory is one of the first female serial killers in history and was also the inspiration for Lady Gaga's character in American Horror Story. 

Her trial records were found in the 1720s and ever since she has become known as the first sadomasochist. So, today we are going to look at her life, her marriage and her crimes.

Attention! The content of this article or section may seem obscene or offensive to some readers.

Childhood

Erzsébet Báthory was born on the 7th of August 1560 to Baron George VI Báthory and Baroness Anna Báthory. She was born in the Kingdom of Hungary, which is now known as Slovakia and Romania. She was born into one of the most powerful clans in Europe, and her parents spared no expense when it came to their daughter.

They made sure she had the finest education money could buy. Erzsébet was able to speak Hungarian, Slovak, Greek, Latin and German.

As a child, she suffered from seizures which were possibly caused by epilepsy but back then the illness was called Falling Sickness. They would treat this by rubbing the blood of a non-sufferer onto the lips of the sick. It is thought that she suffered from this because her parents were cousins and the incest within their clan.

It is also thought the crimes she committed later in life could have been a desperate attempt to cure her illness, but there is no proof of this.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

When she was a child she witnessed a lot of violence, so much so she became used to it. She once witnessed a man guilty of theft be sewn into to stomach of a horse, and she laughed at the sight of it. 

Thanks to her education Erzsébet was a smart woman but she was also very beautiful. Like most aristocratic women she had a high, white forehead which she most likely plucked her hairline to achieve.

At 10 years of age, she was engaged to marry 15-year-old Ferenc Nádasdy,  the son of another powerful family. During their engagement, Erzsébet moved to the Nádasdy palace and started to learn how to run their estate.

During their engagement, a rumour was spread that she gave birth to a child. The father was allegedly a young peasant boy and the child was given away to a friend of the Báthory clan. After the affair her fiance had the boy castrated and thrown into a pack of wild dogs. Again this has not been proven, but Erzsébet gained a reputation for being promiscuous and her fiance for his violence. 

Married Life

At 14 years old Erzsébet married her fiance on the 8th of May 1574. They had their wedding in front of 4,500 guests and the celebrations lasted 3 days.

As her social standing was higher than Ferenc her new husband, she refused to change her last name. For a while when they got married she spent a lot of time at Nádasdy castle alone while Ferenc was studying in Vienna. 

As a wedding gift, she was given a secluded castle called Castle Csejthe which would be the place she committed most of her crimes.

Image credit: Jacomoman78 at Wikimedia Commons

Ferenc left to go to battle, which meant the couple didn't have their first child until 10 years after they got married. He loved war and after The Long War, he was given the name The Black Knight of Hungary because of his cruelty. During the war, he was known to play catch with the severed heads of his enemies.

The Long War was draining the countries wealth, but Erzsébet was not affected at all thanks to all the Ottoman treasures that she received from Ferenc. The King also borrowed money from her.

The Torture Begins

The couple may have spent a lot of time apart, but they found the time to bond over torturing young servant girls. 

Both had their fair share of violence, Erzsébet punished people when in charge of hundreds of peasants, and Ference when he served in the war. Nádasdy taught his wife different ways she could torture people, and he even bought her a clawed glove to slash at the servants' skin.

Eventually, in 1601, Erzsébet found another partner in crime called Anna Darvolya. Rumours began to spread that she was a witch and when she came to the castle Erzsébet became increasingly cruel. People say that Nádasdy may have taught her how to torture, but Darvolya taught her how to kill.

Servant girls started to die at an alarming rate at the Nádasdy-Báthory household. It didn't make anyone suspicious because back then servants were deemed as disposable. The law protected the nobles and meant that servants had no rights.

Erzsébet started to feel invincible and that she was above the law. The King of Hungary was in her debt and owed her an amount that would have been impossible to pay back. 

However, some people did start to become suspicious of her and the amount of servants dying of Cholera or unknown mysterious causes. She was questioned by one pastor after a sermon, but she stormed out in disgust at the accusations. 

The pastor threatened to exhume the body of a servant girl that died recently to see the cause of her death, but Nádasdy managed to stop this happening. Unfortunately, Nádasdy would not be there forever and would die in 1604.

Images credit: Wikimedia Commons

When he passed away Erzsébet became more violent. What the couple had shared as a hobby became an obsession for her. She would take young girls from local towns and leave their bodies for the wolves when she was done. She even gathered a new group to help her with the torture.

The abuse usually started with a simple mistake, and to punish them she would punch, slap, and mutilate them. They would sever fingers and take chunks from their faces. The torture would continue in the torture chambers.

What happened in the torture chambers was truly horrific. They would beat the servants, force them to eat human flesh, cut off their fingers with shears, and lash them. It got t the point where she couldn't go a day without torturing someone. 

It is rumoured she would bathe in the blood of the victims to preserve her beauty, but this has never been proven to be a fact. 

At first, she had her pick of girls in the towns, and parents would willingly sell their daughters to her. This would change when families started to hide their daughters when she came to town. This meant she was running out of people to kill.

To solve this problem she would create a finishing school for young girls, and noble parents paid to send their daughters there. Not only did she have extra income but she had the girls to satisfy her urges. However, she didn't think this through as their parents would ask how their children were.

Her downfall would follow not long after opening the school, as when the parents asked if their children were okay, she told them that one girl had become jealous and murdered the others girls. 

People were very suspicious of this story and eventually the king decided to move against Erzsébet.

The Arrest and Trial

It is believed that Erzsébet was caught in the act when investigators went to the castle in December 1610. They found one girl dead and mutilated and 2 others dying near the doors. They also heard screaming which led them to a torture chamber and her torture squad.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

She claimed that she was innocent but was arrested the next day. Many people speculated as to how many girls lost their lives, but they could not give a definite number. The numbers ranged from 30 - 650 deaths.

Two of her accomplices were given the death sentence and one was put in jail. Erzsébet was thrown into her own blood-drenched castle and imprisoned there for life. As a result of this, the king didn't have to pay the debt he owed her.

Erzsébet died on August 22nd 1614 after saying her hands were cold. She laid down and sang a song before passing away. She was then buried in holy ground but was moved to the Báthory family crypt when people complained. However, when the crypt was opened in 1995 her body was not found there.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, I think that some of the stories have been exaggerated as time has gone by. There are a lot of rumours about her and what she did, but there is little to no proof that they happened. 

That being said, she was obviously a bloodthirsty woman that was obsessed with inflicting pain. I also find it strange she only chose to harm young girls and not men. 

The things she did to those poor girls were horrific and the fact it was a way she bonded with her husband was crazy to me. I know there were many couples that committed crimes together, but it always shocks me.

What do you think of this case? Do you think there is any truth to her possibly killing 600 or more people? Let me know in the comments.