Season 33 Play 2 – The Murder of Maria Marten or The Red Barn by Brian J. Burton
Directed by
Cast
Thomas Marten – an honest rustic in the vale of years – Mr. Roland Coombs
Tim Bobbin – a simple rustic – Mr. David Scottow
Johnny Badger – a young man in love with Maria – Mr. David Crossley
Pharos Lee – an officer of the Law – Mr. Robin Martin
Maria Marten – daughter of Thomas Marten – Mistress Jo Jefferson
Mrs. Marten – his wife – Mistress Mary Newton
Anne Marten – his younger daughter – Mistress Kay Brown
Meg Bobbin – Tim’s sister – Mistress Ann Crossley
Nell Hatfield – a gipsy woman – Mistress Renee Bailey
Petra Andrews – a gypsy – Mistress Frances Leedham
Rosa Post – a gypsy – Mistress Tina Cross
Carmen James – a gypsy – Mistress Helen Breen
Alice Rumble – Corder’s maid – Mistress Martine Illingworth
Synopsis
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Directors Notes
It is obvious that the true story of Maria Marten could not, and certainly would not have complied with the prim sense of morality which the Victorians adopted; so, as they covered up their table legs, for the sake of decency, Maria was also covered, and portrayed as the sweet innocent, seduced and villainously done to death at William Corder’s hand.
Few trials for murder have so stirred the country as did that of William Corder who shot and stabbed his paramour, Maria Marten. It was the year 1827 when Maria’s eventful life was cut short. She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Marten, good looking but wayward. She had already given birth to two illegitmate children when she bore William’s child which shortly afterwards died, but there is not the least evidence in support of the allegation that he conspired to murder it. Maria’s first lover was Thomas Corder the elder brother of William. He was drowned and his child also died. Her second lover was ‘an independent gentleman of Woking’ whose name was sedulously guarded at the trial. His child lived for many years in Colchester, and actually collected a form of royalty from strolling players
who performed the story of his mother’s murder!
Corder’s own skin actually bound the report of the infamous case, and can be viewed today at Moyes Hall Museum, Bury St. Edmunds. His headless skeleton was placed on public exhibition in London and is today used by medical students at the West Suffolk Hospital.
The ancient crime was once again brought to the public’s attention as recently as nineteen seventy one, when the old Corder home and grounds which still include the notorious Red Barn were put up for auction with a reserve price of £30,000. There were no takers!
