Why a Booktrail?
1833: It was once criminally easy to bump off unwanted relatives.
The Inheritor’s Powder
What you need to know before your trail
Plumstead village, 2 November 1833. Wealthy landlord, George Bodle is taken violently ill. He dies within hours. When his wife, daughter and two maids are also taken ill, there is only one terrifying explanation . . . arsenic poisoning. Yet, while arsenic was readily available over the counter in the 1800s, poisoning was almost impossible to prove. As the evidence mounted up, a picture emerged of bitter family rivalries, brewing resentment, greed and ill-will. In this account of one of history’s most notorious poisonings, Sandra Hempel tells the story of the birth of toxicology – the science of poison – and of a mystery which gripped the nation
Locations
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Plumstead, London
“Though only ten miles from London Bridge, at the time of George Bodle’s death it remained isolated and largely untouched by the rapid industrialisation that was transforming much of the English landscape.”
This was a true story that actually happened and was indeed an account of one of history’s most notorious poisonings and more importantly, the story of the birth of toxicology.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Inheritor’s Powder
Destination/location: Plumstead, London Author/guide: Sandra Hempel Departure Time: 1833
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