The history of every city has at least a few strange cases, which remain unsolved for centuries. London, with its fascinating and rich history, is a leader in terms of the number of mysterious events. Here, you can hear legends about a disappearing train, creepy tales about local witches, stories about terrible epidemics and other information that will make your blood run cold. One of them is the story of a maidservant who disappeared and then returned to her own home. Strange things also happened during the court proceedings of that case. Elizabeth Canning is considered the most mysterious figure in London’s history. What was that woman like and why did she get into such a situation? Learn more at londonka.
Who is Elizabeth Canning?
Elizabeth Canning was born to a carpenter’s family in London on September 17, 1734. The family had many children and lived quite poorly, although they owned two rooms. The situation worsened after the death of Elizabeth’s father in 1751. The mother had to live with the children in one room. Elizabeth didn’t get a proper education. The girl studied at the writing school for only a few months. For this reason, she began working as a maid at about the age of 15. All the owners of the houses where Elizabeth worked spoke very well of her and considered the girl quite shy and honest.
Mysterious disappearance
The main event that turned the ordinary maid into the greatest mystery in the history of London happened on January 1, 1753. Elizabeth Canning was spending time with her family that day. She was going to stay at her aunt and uncle’s house and then go shopping with her mother. However, the girl decided to leave in the evening and headed to the house of the carpenter Edward Lyon, where she had lived for about six months. So, at 9 p.m. she left her relatives’ house. Elizabeth was accompanied for a while and was left alone for the rest of the way. It was already late, but the girl didn’t get to Edward Lyon’s house yet. Therefore, he went to her mother’s house. Later, people started searching, but they resulted in only the testimony of several witnesses. Those people claimed that around the time the girl disappeared, they heard a woman’s scream.
On January 29, 1753, an exhausted Elizabeth Canning came to her mother’s house. The girl was in a terrible condition. She could hardly speak and was dressed only in a nightgown and petticoat. Elizabeth had a bloody rag on her head covering the damaged ear. The girl said that she was robbed and beaten by two men that day. Later, she ended up in an unknown place, and later, she was taken to a house, where an old woman offered the girl to engage in prostitution. After refusing, Elizabeth was locked in the attic, where she spent some time subsisting on bread and water. She managed to escape through an open window in almost a month. The girl also remembered the name she heard in that house. It turned out that it belonged to the organiser of prostitution Susannah Wells. Taking into account all of the above, the mother took the girl to the London authorities.
Trial
That story gained enormous popularity in London. Many newspapers wrote about the case and public opinion was divided into two clans, defenders of the girl and, on the contrary, supporters of Susannah Wells. At first, everything was quite transparent and clear. The authorities seized Susannah Wells’ and her house, as well as Mary Squires, whom Elizabeth recognized during the investigation. There was enough evidence and the criminals had been found guilty. However, the Lord Mayor of the City of London and the judge of the First Instance started his own investigation, which resulted in the arrest of Elizabeth Canning. She was sentenced to one month in prison and seven years in exile for perjury, while the named criminals were acquitted. That’s how quickly and inexplicably everything ended up. That case still remains a mystery.