Amelia Dyer Who Started Baby Farming Murdering the Babies in Her Care
Victorian England was a harsh place for women of all classes
Many true crime writers talk about prolific serial killers, such as Harold Shipman with two hundred kills and Samuel Little with ninety-three. None, though, were as prolific as this historical serial killer — a killer who was a woman and had a total estimated at four hundred, all babies.
Amelia Elizabeth Dyer
Amelia Elizabeth Dyer was born in 1837 in Pyle, a small village east of Bristol. She was the youngest of five children. Her mother had a mental illness caused by typhus. She was prone to fits and confused behaviour; Amelia cared for her. Many have said that the young Amelia learned to fake mental illness in later life watching her mother.
In 1848, her mother died and she moved in with her Aunt. Under her guidance, she started an apprenticeship in corset making. She also learned to read and write and was said to love literature and poetry.
At eighteen, Amelia married fifty-nine-year-old George Thomas. Both lied about their ages on the wedding day to reduce the age gap. They had a daughter together. The marriage lasted until George passed away in 1869. Amelia found herself in need of an income. She went to…
