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Murder at the Priory
Of all the classic murders of the past, the mysterious poisoning of handsome, up-and-coming young barrister Charles Bravo at The Priory, Balham, in 1876 has aroused perhaps the greatest speculation. Now, at last, the solution that makes perfect sense is decisively revealed in this gripping and meticulously researched account.
There were four central characters in the drama: Charles Bravo; his wife Florence, a beautiful young woman in possession of a considerable fortune; James Gully, a much respected doctor who was old enough to be Florence's grandfather and with whom she had an adulterous affair; and, finally, Florence's enigmatic companion, Jane Cox, through whom Florence met the ill-fated Charles.
One April night Charles Bravo swallowed enough antimony to 'kill a horse', and his subsequent agonising death resulted in an inquest whose scandalous revelations shocked the nation and left witnesses with their reputations in shreds. The eventual outcome of the inquiry was a verdict that Charles had indeed been murdered, but that there was insufficient evidence to fix the guilt. Now the authors of 'The Murder at the Priory' have re-examined contemporary transcripts and newspaper accounts, birth registers and census records, and the files of the Metropolitan Police and the Treasury - and in doing so have unearthed new evidence with which to expose the killer.
The result is an eminently satisfying solution to what, in the words of H R F Keating, 'can well claim to be the most mysterious follow-up to 'Perfect Murder: A Century of Unsolved Homicides' by Bernard Taylor and Stephen Knight, which won the 1987 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for Non-Fiction.
There were four central characters in the drama: Charles Bravo; his wife Florence, a beautiful young woman in possession of a considerable fortune; James Gully, a much respected doctor who was old enough to be Florence's grandfather and with whom she had an adulterous affair; and, finally, Florence's enigmatic companion, Jane Cox, through whom Florence met the ill-fated Charles.
One April night Charles Bravo swallowed enough antimony to 'kill a horse', and his subsequent agonising death resulted in an inquest whose scandalous revelations shocked the nation and left witnesses with their reputations in shreds. The eventual outcome of the inquiry was a verdict that Charles had indeed been murdered, but that there was insufficient evidence to fix the guilt. Now the authors of 'The Murder at the Priory' have re-examined contemporary transcripts and newspaper accounts, birth registers and census records, and the files of the Metropolitan Police and the Treasury - and in doing so have unearthed new evidence with which to expose the killer.
The result is an eminently satisfying solution to what, in the words of H R F Keating, 'can well claim to be the most mysterious follow-up to 'Perfect Murder: A Century of Unsolved Homicides' by Bernard Taylor and Stephen Knight, which won the 1987 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for Non-Fiction.
- GenresTrue Crime
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 1988
28 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Taylor
104 books93 followersBernard Taylor was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and now lives in London. Following active service in Egypt in the Royal Air Force, he studied Fine Arts in Swindon, then at Chelsea School of Art and Birmingham University. On graduation he worked as a teacher, painter and book illustrator before going as a teacher to the United States. While there, he took up acting and writing and continued with both after his return to England. He has published ten novels under his own name, including The Godsend (1976), which was adapted for a major film, and Sweetheart, Sweetheart (1977), which Charles L. Grant has hailed as one of the finest ghost stories ever written. He has also written novels under the pseudonym Jess Foley, as well as several works of nonfiction. He has won awards for his true crime writing and also for his work as a playwright. It was during his year as resident playwright at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch that he wrote The Godsend. There Must Be Evil, his latest true crime study, is to be published in England in September.
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March 16, 2018
'Murder at the Priory' is a compelling account of a case that has puzzled people for over 100 years ... but the authors, after much painstaking and diligent research, produce evidence to reveal what probably did happen way back in 1876.
As a bookseller I had handled very many copies of Yseult Bridges 1956 book 'How Charles Bravo Died' but I never did read the book and Charles Bravo was not a name with which I was familiar; the only thing I gathered was that he died under suspicious circumstances. And it was not until recently when I stumbled across a copy of 'Murder at the Priory' that I decided I would see what all the fuss was about - the Bridges' book was everywhere at the time because it became a book club selection.
Reading the book was certainly worthwhile for, if I am to believe Bernard Taylor and Kate Clarke (and why shouldn't I?), I am in no doubt what exactly happened to Bravo, even if, at times, the phrase 'conspiracy theory' springs to mind.
The four main characters in the drama are Charles Bravo, an up and coming young lawyer; his wife Florence, a beautiful young woman in possession of a fortune; James Gully, a much respected doctor who was old enough to be Florence's grandfather and with whom she had an adulterous affair; Jane Cox, Florence's companion who introduced Charles to Florence.
At age 19, Florence, née Campbell, had originally married 21-year-old Alexander Louis Ricardo, an officer in the Grenadier Guards, in September 1864 but the marriage was not as successful as it might have been. Alexander was a drinking man and often the couple were living beyond their means, especially when Alexander retired from the army. Temporary separation followed during which an unwell Florence came into contact with 62-year-old Dr Gully and it would seem that eventually an affair began.
Gully was certainly instrumental in advising Florence about the state of her marriage and even suggested what action she should take on a permanent basis. But Florence tried to show some loyalty to her husband and made various attempts to make their marriage work. However, Alexander died on 19 April 1871 and no official cause of death was given; the rapid deterioration of his health was put down to his alcoholic excesses. Florence, whose planned deed of separation had not then become effective, was therefore left a rich widow as Lady Ricardo had endowed some £40,000 on the couple when they married.
Enter the Bravos and Jane Cox. The latter, whose husband had died and left her in a desperate predicament, had gravitated to the former's residence in London and she took advice, and a loan, from Joseph Bravo so as to secure her future. Having bought a property and subsequently let it, she landed on her feet when, having met Florence while she, Mrs Cox, was working as a governess, she moved in with Florence as her companion in August 1872. Her starting salary was an astonishing £80 per year when the usual salary for a companion was about £30 per year.
Meanwhile Florence had been enjoying herself with Dr Gully, sometimes travelling abroad together, which they did once more in the late summer of 1873, leaving Mrs Cox in charge back at The Priory, into which Florence had moved. Unfortunately on their return Florence discovered that she was pregnant and Dr Gully performed an abortion on her. During this traumatic period, Florence relied heavily on Mrs Cox and later she claimed that she owed her life to her companion.
The affair with Dr Gully continued before Mrs Cox introduced Florence to Charles Bravo in December 1874. And it was not too long before the couple decided to marry, despite the objections by Mrs Bravo, who was persuaded by her husband that their future daughter-in-law was a good choice for Charles. And so the marriage went ahead on 7 December 1875.
Thereafter Mrs Cox often took centre stage in the household, Dr Gully was given his marching orders and Florence and Charles briefly lived a relatively happy life, even though Florence suffered a miscarriage. However, Charles fell ill and surprisingly died on 21 April 1876 and it was subsequently discovered that he had swallowed enough antimony to 'kill a horse'. Who had administered the poison?
And that is the mystery that surrounded this incident. An inquest was held but it was inconclusive so a second inquest was held and although the poisoning was confirmed, attribution to any person or persons was not forthcoming and the death remained a mystery.
The authors of this book now reveal what they say happened and their research has been immaculate and painstaking, so much so that they are able to refer to much of the Yseult Bridges' book as 'nonsense' and also to pour scorn on a follow up book John Williams' 'Suddenly at the Priory' (1957), which they say is equally misleading. So, who did kill Charles Bravo?
... this book, which at times reads like a true 'Whodunnit?', reveals all.
As a bookseller I had handled very many copies of Yseult Bridges 1956 book 'How Charles Bravo Died' but I never did read the book and Charles Bravo was not a name with which I was familiar; the only thing I gathered was that he died under suspicious circumstances. And it was not until recently when I stumbled across a copy of 'Murder at the Priory' that I decided I would see what all the fuss was about - the Bridges' book was everywhere at the time because it became a book club selection.
Reading the book was certainly worthwhile for, if I am to believe Bernard Taylor and Kate Clarke (and why shouldn't I?), I am in no doubt what exactly happened to Bravo, even if, at times, the phrase 'conspiracy theory' springs to mind.
The four main characters in the drama are Charles Bravo, an up and coming young lawyer; his wife Florence, a beautiful young woman in possession of a fortune; James Gully, a much respected doctor who was old enough to be Florence's grandfather and with whom she had an adulterous affair; Jane Cox, Florence's companion who introduced Charles to Florence.
At age 19, Florence, née Campbell, had originally married 21-year-old Alexander Louis Ricardo, an officer in the Grenadier Guards, in September 1864 but the marriage was not as successful as it might have been. Alexander was a drinking man and often the couple were living beyond their means, especially when Alexander retired from the army. Temporary separation followed during which an unwell Florence came into contact with 62-year-old Dr Gully and it would seem that eventually an affair began.
Gully was certainly instrumental in advising Florence about the state of her marriage and even suggested what action she should take on a permanent basis. But Florence tried to show some loyalty to her husband and made various attempts to make their marriage work. However, Alexander died on 19 April 1871 and no official cause of death was given; the rapid deterioration of his health was put down to his alcoholic excesses. Florence, whose planned deed of separation had not then become effective, was therefore left a rich widow as Lady Ricardo had endowed some £40,000 on the couple when they married.
Enter the Bravos and Jane Cox. The latter, whose husband had died and left her in a desperate predicament, had gravitated to the former's residence in London and she took advice, and a loan, from Joseph Bravo so as to secure her future. Having bought a property and subsequently let it, she landed on her feet when, having met Florence while she, Mrs Cox, was working as a governess, she moved in with Florence as her companion in August 1872. Her starting salary was an astonishing £80 per year when the usual salary for a companion was about £30 per year.
Meanwhile Florence had been enjoying herself with Dr Gully, sometimes travelling abroad together, which they did once more in the late summer of 1873, leaving Mrs Cox in charge back at The Priory, into which Florence had moved. Unfortunately on their return Florence discovered that she was pregnant and Dr Gully performed an abortion on her. During this traumatic period, Florence relied heavily on Mrs Cox and later she claimed that she owed her life to her companion.
The affair with Dr Gully continued before Mrs Cox introduced Florence to Charles Bravo in December 1874. And it was not too long before the couple decided to marry, despite the objections by Mrs Bravo, who was persuaded by her husband that their future daughter-in-law was a good choice for Charles. And so the marriage went ahead on 7 December 1875.
Thereafter Mrs Cox often took centre stage in the household, Dr Gully was given his marching orders and Florence and Charles briefly lived a relatively happy life, even though Florence suffered a miscarriage. However, Charles fell ill and surprisingly died on 21 April 1876 and it was subsequently discovered that he had swallowed enough antimony to 'kill a horse'. Who had administered the poison?
And that is the mystery that surrounded this incident. An inquest was held but it was inconclusive so a second inquest was held and although the poisoning was confirmed, attribution to any person or persons was not forthcoming and the death remained a mystery.
The authors of this book now reveal what they say happened and their research has been immaculate and painstaking, so much so that they are able to refer to much of the Yseult Bridges' book as 'nonsense' and also to pour scorn on a follow up book John Williams' 'Suddenly at the Priory' (1957), which they say is equally misleading. So, who did kill Charles Bravo?
... this book, which at times reads like a true 'Whodunnit?', reveals all.
Displaying 1 of 1 review