Thomas Chamberlain

John Cox Newitt was a wealthy farmer who occupied a lodge at Wood Burcote, Towcester. On the night of Sunday 30th November 1873, he and a servant girl stayed home while the rest of the family went to church. At around 8pm, Thomas Chamberlain, a local shoemaker, entered the kitchen of the house armed with a cutlass and attacked the young girl. Newitt was alerted by the sound of the struggle and rushed into the kitchen whereupon Chamberlain let go of the servant and started to attack him instead. The girl was able to flee and raise the alarm. The police found Newitt's body hacked to pieces on the kitchen floor and Chamberlain, who was known to the servant girl, was quickly taken into custody and charged. He was hanged by William Calcraft in Northampton on the 31st March 1874.