Madeleine Smith

Dates: 
born 29 March 1835, died 1928

Madeleine was the oldest child of well-to-do architect James Smith and his wife Janet. They lived at 7, Blythswood Square, Glasgow, and also had a country residence, "Rowaleyn", near Helensburgh.

In early 1855, she met Pierre Emile L'Angelier, an apprentice nurseryman who originally came from the Channel Islands, and they began a secret affair, with Madelien promising to marry him. Madeleine's parents did not approve of him as a suitor due to his financial prospects and social background and, unaware of her engagement to L'Angelier, her parents found a suitable husband for her - William Harper Minnoch.

In February 1857, Madeleine agreed to marry Minnoch, and asked L'Angelier to return her letters. He refused and threatened to publish her letters if she didn't marry him.

In the early morning of 23 March 1857, Pierre Emile L'Angelier died of arsenic poisoning. Madeleine's letters were discovered at his lodgings and the police also discovered that she had recently purchased arsenic. Madeleine was charged with his murder. After a sensational and notorious case, in which some of the letters were read out in Court, the jury returned a verdict of "not proven".

After her release Madeleine moved to London, where in 1861 she married George Wardle, William Morris' business manager. They had two children before divorcing in 1890 when Madeleine subsequently moved to New York where, it is believed, she lived under the name Lena Wardle Sheehy and died in 1928 (although there are questions around this).

Sources
Madeleine Smith - Undiscovered Scotland
Undiscovered Scotland website
Madeleine Smith - Wikipedia
Wikipedia entry