19. Jane Toppan

Lucy Worsley looks at the crimes of women from the 19th and early 20th centuries from a contemporary, feminist perspective.In this episode, we hear the story of Cloe, a black enslaved teenager who lives with the Carothers family, Andrew, Mary and their 11 children, on their farm ...  Show more

Lucy Worsley is back with a new series of Lady Killers, where true crime meets history - with a twist. This time Lucy heads to Dorset to explore the life of Martha Brown, a victim of domestic violence, accused of murdering her husband John in 1856. Martha’s story goes on to inspi ...  Show more

Jane Toppan was born in Massachusetts in 1857. She attended the Cambridge Nursing School, and established a successful private nursing career in Boston. Said to be cheerful, funny and excellent with her patients, nothing about "Jolly Jane" suggested she could be "the most notorio ...  Show more

The week Fi and Jane are joined by historian, presenter and Chief Curator to Historic Royal Palaces, Lucy Worsley.Jane regales them with the story of the time Henry VIII had a chat with her on his wedding day and Fi finds out which Hollywood A-Lister Lucy's television thinks she ...  Show more

When Jane Toppan began training to be a nurse at Cambridge Hospital in 1885, she was bright, eager, and well-liked by her peers and seemed to form easy bonds with the oldest and most vulnerable patients. What no one knew at the time was, once Jane managed to get time alone wit ...

Considered among the first (and certainly the most prolific) American female serial killers and so-called angels of mercy, Jane Toppan’s killing spree went unnoticed for more than fifteen years, as she transitioned from one hospital to another, leaving an unprecedented trail o ...