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Thread: Elizabeth Peers murdered in 1905

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    Newbie lizziepeers's Avatar
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    Smile Elizabeth Peers murdered in 1905

    Hello Liverpool! I was very happy to discover this super website and have since sent it on to all my family and friends that have connections with Liverpool.
    I have been seaching the web for some years trying to find out about my Great Aunt Elizabeth Peers who lived in Wendell Street and was murdered aged 10. Just last night I came across a writer called Tom Slemen whose article (paragraph below) gave me the following information:


    "For years I received reports of a little girl in beret, cloak and kilt who haunted the alleyways of Smithdown Road, and finally decided to find out who she was. I knew the ghost always went to ground in Wendell Street and Toxteth Park Cemetery, and I spent months sifting through records at the Central Library until I found a murder case in which the victim matched the description of the ghost and had connections with the places she haunted. Late one evening around Halloween in1905, a 10-year-old girl named Elizabeth Peers was sent on an errand from her home at 64 Wendell Street (off Smithdown Road) to a butcher?s shop on Lodge Lane. She wore a tam-o?-shanter beret, a cape, and a kilt ? and she never returned from the trip. On the next morning her body was found in an alleyway behind Cullen Street ? she?d been raped and strangled. Her killer was never brought to justice and Lizzie Peers was buried in Toxteth Park Cemetery after a funeral service attended by 30,000 people. I believe the man who murdered Lizzie also assaulted and killed 7-year-old Madge Kirby of Kensington a few years later; once again the killer was never caught."


    I was happy to find this information but I am still trying to get more. I live in France so it isn't easy to get to the records office. If anyone knows any information or how to get records from the internet I would be very grateful. My mother who is now 76, lives in Wales and is hopefully going to visit the cemetery ( I found the amazing Toxteth cemetery website including grave numbers and map). This was so sad to read as the whole story has had an effect on my family all this time - constant reminders not to talk to strangers and not to go out alone etc. It would have been better if they had caught the man and made him swing. Sorry, not too much sympathy for child abusers and killers. I have sent an email to the Bluecoat Press to ask for Mr Slemens contact details.

    My father who died along with my brother in 1972 was called William Serridge born 1931 and lived in Leta Street, and later Alderville Road with the Goodier Family, ring any bells with anyone??? They later moved to Vandyke Street in 1951.

    Thanks to anyone for reading this and I would love to hear anything!

  2. #2
    Creator & Administrator Kev's Avatar
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    A warm welcome aboard!

    I hope u find the information u are looking for.

    Kev
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  3. #3

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    A tragic case, Ive not heard of this before. Good luck in your search and if you ever get to Liverpool you can search through the old archives/newspapers at the Picton Library in William Brown street.

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    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    Hello Lizzie

    Welcome to the site and good luck to you in your quest. The Old Mersey Times site might be a useful place for you to check. The following web page on "Murder" on Merseyside gives the Madge Kirby child murder but not Elizabeth Peers:

    http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/murdermain.html

    Still you might contact them to see if they have some newspaper articles on the case. Your other alternative might be to contact the Liverpool Records Office.

    All the best

    Chris
    Last edited by ChrisGeorge; 04-20-2009 at 03:27 PM.
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    Senior Member marky's Avatar
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    The Elizabeth Peers murder is referred to about 3/4 down the Madge Kirby page, under the heading 'The Liverpool Horror'. She is not mentioned by name, though.

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    Senior Member robbo176's Avatar
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    I kept this article by Tom Sleman because Elizabeth Peers went to my old school Tiber St & her funeral was at St Clements in Dove Street next to another old school of mine

    this is Tom Slemans article from the Liverpool Echo

    in 1905,the Peers family lived at 64 Wendell St off Smithdown Rd,the hehead of the family was 47 year old William Peers a bricklayer .He & his 43 year old wife Elizabeth had 5 sons & a beautiful intelligent daughter named Elizabeth.
    Around midnight on the Saturday of October 28 ,Mrs Peers sent her daughter to a butcher's shop on Lodge Lane for some cooked pork.the child was given sixpence & a plate to carry the pork home.in that day & age the shops stayed open later than usual on Saturday nights.
    Elizabeth wore a smart dress ,a long cloak ,a tam o'shanter on her head & she presented quite a pretty site
    she walked from her home in Wendell St & headed down Longfellow St towards Lodge Lane.Elizabeth Peers never returned home from her errand.
    Mrs Peers had a married brother who lived nearby,& sometimes Elizabeth went to see him & so when the child didn't return from the butchers by 1 am ,Mrs Peers assumed the child was at her uncles home.
    However the hours wore on & soon Mr & Mrs OPeers started to worry about their childs safety
    they prayed nothing had happened to her& they got in contact with reletives who told them that Elizabeth was not staying with her uncle .What then,had become of her?
    On the following morning at 8.35am a young carter named William Wilson,found Elizabeth dead in the entry behind Cullen St laying on her back
    She was wearing some sort of cloak,which had been uncoupled from around her neck & placed under her body.the girls tam o'shanter was lying nearby
    On October 31 a post mortem revealed the child had been raped ,she had died from strangulation
    On Friday November 3 at 3 pm Elizabeth Peers was buried at Toxteth Pk cemetery on Smithdown Rd
    thirty thousand people attended the funeral which was conducted by the vicar of St Clements Church.
    After the burial service the vicar said Heaven was angry with the wicked man who had perpetrated the foul deed & that God had sharpened his sword against him.
    One of the many touching floral tributes adorning the coffin & graveside was a wreath from Tiber Street school,which Elizabeth had attended .A smaller wreath was from a playmate from this school & simply said "Lizzie"
    The Murderer of Elizabeth Peers was glimpsed by several witnesses that night,& to me he seems rather familiar.
    He was around 34-40 years of age ,about 5ft 10 ins tall& wore a dark moustache.
    this Peers case is strongly reminiscent of the unsolved Madge Kirby murder which took place in nearby Kensington Fields in January 1908.
    The killer decoyed 7 year old Madge away with a promise of sweets ,then raped & strangled her at 15 Gt Newton St -a house that had lain empty for 9 months.
    Madges killer was described as a tall man with a dark moustache ,just like the man who killed Elizabeth Peers.
    I feel there is a strong possibility that the killer of Madge & Elizabeth were one & the same

    hope that helps
    Mandy
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    Senior Member marky's Avatar
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    http://www.toxtethparkcemetery.co.uk/
    Here's the burial entry:
    Peers, Elizabeth 3 November 1905 10 years Scholar 64 Wendell Street 4776 95231 13 566 353 CEM 9/1/19

    There is no headstone for Section 13/grave 566.

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    Senior Member ChrisGeorge's Avatar
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    Thank you, Robbo and Marky.



    Chris
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  10. #10
    Newbie lizziepeers's Avatar
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    Default Elizabeth Peers

    Hello to everyone who responded to my post and thank you all so much for taking the time to read and reply with such a lot of information. I am also in contact with someone from Toxtexth Park Cemetery who has kindly emailed me some documents including a photo of the funeral cortege. It made for some very sad reading. This has always sort of hung over the family but we never really knew what had happened. The 30 000 people who attended the funeral were mostly women - outraged at what had been done to this innocent young girl. The coroners report is horrific . What is sad is this still happens these days but people are not so shocked. We went to Google Earth and looked at the route she took. The new Street View is amazing, we were able to look at the house in Wendell Street. My mother took a virtual tour around Lodge Lane, Vandyke Street etc. and couldn't believe the change in the place, Tiber street school gone, the hospital were she nursed gone the church she married in also gone. We are hoping to come over in November and will try and find Lizzie's grave - thanks for the info regarding the grave number too.

    Thank you again to YoLiverpool. My mother is going to start surfing the web again and will certainly be a regular to the site. If I find out anymore I will post it on this thread, also if anyone else has any more info I would be really grateful.

    best regards to all

  11. #11
    Senior Member marky's Avatar
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    http://www.toxtethparkcemetery.co.uk/
    Scroll down the page for the grave maps. This is Section 13 page:
    http://www.tomsnewwebsite2009.pwp.bl...section_13.jpg

    13/566 is shown top-right of the page. Section 13 is at the North end, by a long wall at the back of a row of houses. If you follow the steps down from the derelict chapel, then the long avenue leads to section 13. Turn left along the path when facing the wall. The graves in the area will be TIPLADY (758), No headstone (757), LAWRENSON (756), HELME (755).

    The nearest headstone is Lawrenson, Edmund 22 December 1903 69 years Butcher 103 Squires Street 4618 92076 13 756 353 CEM 9/1/19
    Elizabeth Peers grave is 3 graves behind Lawrenson.

    1905:
    http://www.toxtethparkcemetery.co.uk...ction/1905.htm

    I'll check this page for other burials in the plot 13/566 (there are several)

    I'll post a route to the grave, in a day or two.
    Last edited by marky; 04-24-2009 at 03:06 PM.

  12. #12
    Senior Member marky's Avatar
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    1905 burial entries for Section 13 grave 566, from http://www.toxtethparkcemetery.co.uk/

    Anderson, Josephine Doris 22 October 1905 19 months Infant 9 Seiont Terrace Park Road 4774 95187 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Brade, Joseph Everett 2 November 1905 2? months Infant 130 Wellington Road 4776 95225 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Brown, John Alexander 22 October 1905 2 months Infant 97 Ritson Street 4774 95183 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Clarke, Alice 20 October 1905 38 years Wife 90 Essex Street 4773 95176 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Davies, William 13 October 1905 74 years - Workhouse Toxteth Park 4772 95149 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Dorgan, Ada 30 October 1905 4 weeks Infant 40 Menzies Street 4775 95220 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Palmer, Joe 20 October 1905 20 years - Royal Southern Hospital Toxteth Park 4773 95177 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Peers, Elizabeth 3 November 1905 10 years Scholar 64 Wendell Street 4776 95231 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Powell, Joseph 19 October 1905 6 years Scholar 4 Court Stanhope Street 4773 95175 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Roberts, John 17 October 1905 54 years - 128 Warwick Street 4773 95167 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

    Toach, Emily 12 October 1905 47 years - Home for Female Incurables 96 Upper Parliament Street 4772 95145 13 566 352 CEM 9/1/19

  13. #13
    Senior Member marky's Avatar
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    Section map (13/566 is on the right, near to the dotted line between sections 13 and 14)

    A larger picture is here:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/25632502@N00/3473000190/

    From the Chapel Steps 13/566 is way over to the North side of the Cemetery, near to the houses.


    At the path near the wall, turn West and look for these headstones:

    13/566 is on the same row as the Lawrenson headstone, 3 graves further South. Use the nearby headstones, to the left and right, to count down the rows.

    Looking North to the rear of the Lawrenson Headstone:

    13/566 is in the foreground.

  14. #14
    Keeping It Real !!!!!!!!! ItsaZappathing's Avatar
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    Crackers pics and info Marky

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    I contacted the central Liverpool cemeteries number yesterday to try and find some graves. I was told that there is now a ?10 fee to do a search!

    So I went to the cemeteries and asked a few people who were knocking around, Gardeners etc and managed to find what I wanted. But I was lucky. It now costs a tenner and you have to submit an application and they will try to contact you back within 24 hours.

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