Rhoda Butty (1853 - 1904) - The First Murder in Living Memory
by Chris Phillips
When Rhoda Butty was shot dead at her home in Back Hill on 23rd July 1904 the city of Ely was deeply shocked by what was described in the press as the first murder in living memory in the town.
Rhoda had been born Rhoda Willson in 1853. Her mother, Mary Willson, who lived at the Waterside end of Ship Lane, was a single woman at the time but a few weeks after her daughter's birth she married on 6th August a widower, John Goodbody, who worked as a drover. The ceremony took place at Holy Trinity, Ely and from that time on Rhoda was known as Rhoda Goodbody and it would seem highly likely that John was her father. On Christmas Day in the same year she was baptised at St Mary's parish church. There was nothing unusual in her childhood except perhaps that her father was often away from home because of his work. She would have received very little by way of formal education and like so many girls of her background she went 'into service'. She is recorded, aged 18, on the 1871 census return working as a general servant in the home of William, an auctioneer and County Bailiff, and Annie Speechley in Chiefs Lane.
In 1876 she married John Butty at St Mary's church on 17th November. John, often known as Jack, who lived on Cambridge Road at the time of his marriage was a bricklayer's labourer and about two years his wife's junior. Rhoda signed the register as 'Willson' – an interesting reminder that her parents' marriage had not legitimised her in terms of the law. She gave her occupation as 'servant'. By the time of the 1881 census John and Rhoda had moved to live in a cottage at the bottom of Back Hill on the corner with Broad Street. They had had two children – Hugh born in 1877 and named for his paternal grandfather and Edward born in 1880. Later came Emma Elizabeth, Thomas and Florence May born in 1883, 1886 and 1895 respectively. Some of the children's school admission records are on-line. A boy, Albert, born in 1888 died in 1890.
In 1876 she married John Butty at St Mary's church on 17th November. John, often known as Jack, who lived on Cambridge Road at the time of his marriage was a bricklayer's labourer and about two years his wife's junior. Rhoda signed the register as 'Willson' – an interesting reminder that her parents' marriage had not legitimised her in terms of the law. She gave her occupation as 'servant'. By the time of the 1881 census John and Rhoda had moved to live in a cottage at the bottom of Back Hill on the corner with Broad Street. They had had two children – Hugh born in 1877 and named for his paternal grandfather and Edward born in 1880. Later came Emma Elizabeth, Thomas and Florence May born in 1883, 1886 and 1895 respectively. Some of the children's school admission records are on-line. A boy, Albert, born in 1888 died in 1890.
Life continued for the family through the 1890s and into the new century but then events moved rapidly. Hugh married Ada Kiddy in March 1902 but then on 10th April John Butty died aged only 47 leaving Rhoda a widow. A year later Edward married Mary Ann Hackett in St Neots and in the spring of 1904 Emma Elizabeth married William Braun and moved to Tottenham. This left only the two youngest children at home with their mother and so the stage was set for the chain of events that would lead to Rhoda's death.
In the spring of 1901 a recently married couple, Richard and Alma Ankin, were living in the cottage next door to and just up the hill from the Buttys; Richard was a bricklayer. The two families got on well enough until an incident on Christmas Eve 1903 soured the relationship. Emma Butty was expecting a telegram from her fiancé and Alma Ankin had offered to take it in but the telegram boy would not leave it with her and Richard would not let his wife fetch Emma home to get it for herself. When Emma showed up and remonstrated with Alma, Richard intervened and said “Let her stop at home and take her telegrams in herself.” After that Rhoda and Alma were not on speaking terms and tempers remained frayed. On 23rd May 1904 which was the Whit Monday Bank Holiday, apparently egged on by neighbours, the two women 'had words' and Mrs Ankin sent for her husband who was in the nearby Rifleman public house. In Broad Street he came face to face with Tom and Ted Butty and a fight ensued which resulted in Richard being taken to hospital in Cambridge with a broken ankle. On his return to Ely he went to the police and Thomas and Edward were summoned before the Ely Petty Sessions. The magistrates, however, decided that there was fault on both sides and no further action was taken. Ankin took the verdict badly and later was overheard saying that he had every intention of putting “Tom Butty's light out”. Matters were not helped when Rhoda took to taunting her neighbour over the failure of his case. Thus it was that between a quarter to eight and eight o'clock on the morning of Saturday, 23rd July when Rhoda Butty was drawing water from the tap in the yard that the two families shared that Richard appeared on the scene with a loaded gun. Whether any word passed between the two of them is not known but Ankin raised the gun and fired both barrels at Rhoda. Tom Butty, alarmed by the noise ran out of his house into the yard to find his mother mortally wounded. She called out “Oh Tom, Tom, he's shot me” but the boy seeing that Ankin's gun was now turned on him ran back into his own house and then out onto the street where he found his cousin William Cross. As the two met there was the sound of another gunshot - Richard Ankin had hurried back into his own house, reloaded his gun and shot himself. Tom and his cousin then returned to where his mother lay and William picked her up and put her into a chair in her own kitchen while Tom ran to find the police and the doctor. But when help arrived both Rhoda and Richard Ankin were already dead.
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The police quickly secured the premises and because there was no public mortuary in Ely the bodies remained in Back Hill. Within a short space of time a large crowd had gathered outside the cottages to discuss “the occurrence or to gaze awe-stricken at the houses which contained the evidence of the fearful results of mad passion” as the Cambridge Independent Press put it. By afternoon an enterprising local photographer had already taken pictures of the back yard and had produced postcards which “commanded a ready sale”.
The Inquest into the two deaths took place in what was then known as the Shire Hall (now the Sessions House) on the Monday after the tragedy and was presided over by the Coroner Mr G. Martin Hall. The press reported every detail, including the gruesome medical reports, of the case with the best-written article, which added a photograph of the cottages, appearing in the Cambridge Independent Press on 29th July. Despite some discrepancies in the evidence given by the main witnesses the jury was able to agree that Rhoda had been murdered by Richard Ankin and that he had then taken his own life during temporary insanity. The following day Richard was buried in Ely Cemetery in grave no. D777. No announcement of the time of the interment was made and so only a few members of the public turned up to hear the Vicar of Holy Trinity conduct the graveside service. The polished oak coffin with its brass fittings was brought to the grave on a handbier and followed there by Alma Ankin, two of Richard's brothers and a handful of other relatives. There had been no service in church. |
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On Wednesday Rhoda's funeral took place and she was laid to rest in grave no. D764 – only a few yards away from the man who had murdered her. Thomas Hamilton, Holy Trinity's curate, conducted the service and the oak coffin was conveyed to the cemetery in a hearse and was followed by three mourning coaches containing Rhoda's immediate family and other relatives.
How the two families fared in later years is beyond the scope of this article but suffice it to say that while the Ankin family remained mainly Ely-based the Buttys scattered to different parts of the country. In 1911 only Hugh and his young family were still living in the city while Tom Butty had gone as far as County Durham where at least for a time he worked in the coal industry. It must have been hard for any of those involved in the tragedy of Rhoda's death – and indeed that of Richard Ankin – ever to have properly settled down again.
How the two families fared in later years is beyond the scope of this article but suffice it to say that while the Ankin family remained mainly Ely-based the Buttys scattered to different parts of the country. In 1911 only Hugh and his young family were still living in the city while Tom Butty had gone as far as County Durham where at least for a time he worked in the coal industry. It must have been hard for any of those involved in the tragedy of Rhoda's death – and indeed that of Richard Ankin – ever to have properly settled down again.
