Murder of Maria Marten
Why did Maria Marten never return from the Red Barn?
4.4 (24)
42 mins
Discover the shocking murder of Maria Marten, whose disappearance, secret burial beneath the Red Barn, and stepmother Anne Marten’s recurring dreams turned a local crime into a sensational 19th-century obsession. Uncover how William Corder’s elaborate lies, Maria’s eventual discovery, his dramatic trial and execution transformed the case into one of the earliest true-crime spectacles.
Ep 1:
Maria Marten and Foxy Corder
Meet Maria Marten, a Suffolk woman shaped by poverty and betrayal, and William "Foxy" Corder, the charming liar whose thefts and promises would soon entangle her fate.
Ep 2:
A Elopement and a Gunshot
A sickly baby vanishes without burial, and William lures Maria to the Red Barn with a marriage promise that ends in a gunshot and a shallow grave.
Ep 3:
The Nightmare, the Spike, and an Arrest
William's excuses about an Isle of Wight marriage crumble as Anne's haunting dreams push Thomas to dig—uncovering Maria's body and unmasking a bigamous killer.
Ep 4:
Trial, Gallows, and the Ghoulish Aftermath
Corder's sensational trial, botched hanging, and grisly post-mortem dissection turned Maria's murder into Victorian Britain's first true-crime media circus.
Discussions (5)
Donald
Level 9 · 1 day agoWilliam sold rope sections. True crime merch started early.
Gerry
Level 4 · 1 day agoCalling this the invention of true crime is a stretch. Broadside ballads about murders predate this by centuries. This was just the first one to go properly viral.
Eddie
Level 2 · 1 day agoMaria covering for the guy who stole from her and then he killed her for it. The audacity of that man never ceases to amaze me.
