William Rider

William Rider was convicted of the murder of his 24-year-old wife Rosilla Patience Bourton and sentenced to death.

She left him on hearing that their marriage was bigamous and found that he had been seeing her younger sister, and he later forced his way into her bedroom at Binswood End, Harbury, Warwickshire, and shot her, on 7 September 1922.

His defence claimed that the shooting was accidental.

William Rider had been a chimney sweep and window cleaner.

He married in 1902, but after four years his wife left him, and at the time of the murder was still living.

He then went to live at Rugby and cohabited with a woman with whom he had two children.

Then, in February 1918 he 'married' Rosilla Bourton, who had been a widow. Rosilla Bourton's mother had lived in Harbury, Warwickshire.

She then went to live with William Rider in Rugby, however, her mother said that he used to beat her frequently and that on four separate occasions she had seen her disfigured with bruises.

Then, around late 1921, Rosilla Bourton's mother discovered that William Rider's wife was still alive, which caused further trouble between William Rider and Rosilla Barton.

A little later Rosilla Bourton's younger 15-year-old daughter went to live with William Rider and Rosilla Bourton in Rugby, but it was later found that William Rider had seduced her and she had become pregnant by him and she fetched her back to Harbury.

On 12 August 1922, whilst at her mother’s house, Rosilla Barton told William Rider that she would no longer live with him as he had been carrying on with her sister, however, upon his earnest entreaty and promise to leave the younger sister alone, Rosilla Barton agreed to give William Rider another chance and they returned to Rugby on 14 August 1922.

On 25 August 1922 they returned to Harbury and the next day William Rider, Rosilla Barton and her mother went to Leamington. However, whilst there, William Rider gave them the slip and when they returned to Harbury, they found that the younger sister had disappeared.

She had in fact gone off with William Rider and they stayed at various places until, on 6 September 1922, the sister returned home, but would give no account of where she had been.

It was heard that there was little doubt that Rosilla Barton had had a very real fear of William Rider, for about a fortnight earlier he had threatened to buy a revolver and shoot her. That had so frightened her that she had gone to a nearby shop and asked to be accommodated there and she and her mother slept there one night on a sofa. Rosilla Barton had also said that some time previously William Rider had thrown both her and her sister in the canal near Rugby, but had then helped them out.

Later on 6 September 1922 Rosilla Barton's mother heard that William Rider was in the neighbourhood, and accordingly she carefully fastened all her doors at night and again bolted the doors in the morning of 7 September 1922 after her sons had gone to work at about 7am. She then returned to her bedroom where she had been sleeping in one bed with her 15-year-old daughter and another daughter, whilst Rosilla Barton and another daughter slept in a second bed in the same room.

Rosilla Barton's mother dozed off, but awoke again at 7.30am on hearing Rosilla Barton say:

She then sat up in bed and saw William Rider in the room with a gun.

She said that he then pointed it at Rosilla Barton at close range and fired, shattering the left side of her head.

Rosilla Barton's mother then got out of bed and laid hold of the gun and shouted:

Trying to get the attention of the blacksmith that lived next door.

William Rider then said:

Rosilla Barton's mother then replied:

William Rider then threatened to go downstairs, throw some cartridges on the fire and blow the house up. He then said that he wanted to go down and put his boots on and to kiss Rosilla Barton before he went.

Rosilla Barton's mother had secured the gun and William Rider went down, put his boots on in the kitchen and went out.

William Rider was arrested later the same day.

When he was charged, he said:

That was also in effect his defence at his trial as well.

It was admitted that only two days before the murder that whilst William Rider had been in the company of Rosilla Barton's sister that he had purchased a double-barrelled 16 bore gun and 25 cartridges. He had told the shopkeeper that he had wanted to shoot rabbits.

William Rider said that on the night of 6 September 1922, that he had slept in the WC of the blacksmiths next to Rosilla Barton's mother's home, and that he had been there from about 11pm to 5am the following morning, 7 September.

He said that he then went out with 6 cartridges, leaving 19 in the closet, where in fact they were found, and that he fired what he thought were all 6 cartridges, and that he had then gone to Rosilla Barton's mother's house and seen Rosilla Barton and laid down with her for an hour or so. He said that he entered the house by the door and took off his boots in the kitchen because they were wet and that he then went into the bedroom and that Rosilla Barton said to him:

And that he had replied:

He said that he had been moving towards Rosilla Barton when she made a motion towards kissing him and that her mother grasped the gun, with the result that it went off.

He said that he then said:

And that he then offered her the gun because he wanted to help Rosilla Barton.

However, the police report noted that the story told by William Rider was utterly inconsistent with the proved facts as to the relationship between him and Rosilla Barton, and with the statement of Rosilla Barton's mother, who stated that the gun had been fired before she got out of bed and without her touching it, evidence that was corroborated by two of her other daughters.

A woman that had lived next door also gave evidence stating that she had come into the house after being called by one of Rosilla Barton's sisters. She said that when she came into the room Rosilla Barton was dead and that William Rider said she wasn't, and that Rosilla Barton's mother then said:

And that William Rider replied:

She said that she saw him a few minutes later lacing his boots in the kitchen and asked him:

And that he replied:

She said that she then said:

And that he replied:

The police report added that there was also evidence that William Rider had got into the house by the kitchen window, as he had been seen by a witness standing in front of it, open, a few minutes before the murder.

William Rider was convicted of murder with no recommendation to mercy and sentenced to death. He appealed, but his appeal was rejected.

He was executed at Winson Green Gaol in Birmingham on 19 December 1922.