Radlett murder

The Radlett murder, also known as the Elstree murder, was a murder in Radlett, Hertfordshire, England, in 1823. The victim, William Weare, was killed in Radlett and the body disposed of in a pond in Elstree. The crime gained a great deal of attention and was the subject of numerous books and stage plays. It is commemorated by the rhyme:

They cut his throat from ear to ear,
His head they battered in.
His name was Mr William Weare,
He lived in Lyons Inn.

William Weare was a solicitor of Lyon's Inn and a gambler. His killer was John Thurtell (1794–1824), a sports promoter, amateur boxer, a former Royal Marine officer and a son of the Mayor of Norwich. Thurtell owed Weare a gambling debt of £300, an immense sum at the time (equivalent to £24,500 in 2015),. Thurtell believed Weare had cheated him of the money. Whatever the truth, when Weare demanded payment Thurtell murdered him rather than pay up. He invited Weare to join him and his friends - Joseph Hunt, a tavern landlord, and William Probert, a former convict and alcohol merchant - for a weekend of gambling at Probert's cottage at the site of Oaks Close off Gills Hill Lane (subsequently popularly known as Murder Lane), Radlett. On 24 October 1823 they journeyed from London in Thurtell's horse-drawn gig, but Weare was killed in a dark lane just short of their destination.

Thurtell shot Weare in the face with a flintlock muff pistol, but this failed to kill him. Weare escaped from the carriage but did not get far before Thurtell caught him. As Weare lay injured, Thurtell slit his throat with a knife before driving the pistol into his head with such force that his brains were dashed over the ground. Assisted by Hunt and Probert he hid the corpse in a pond near the cottage. This hiding place was judged too unsafe for Probert, however, and the body was moved to another pond in Elstree. By this time both weapons had been found, as Thurtell had left them on the road. The pistol was one of a pair, the other still in Thurtell's possession. The culprits were identified and caught. Hunt himself led the authorities to the body.

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