Murder at The Gables
- roystonmuseum
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Guest Article by Kathryn Betts, Meldreth Local History Group
On 12th April 1904, Frank Rodgers, aged 15, shot and killed his mother at The Gables in Meldreth High Street. The case made headlines around the world and in the following days it attracted hundreds of people to the village. There were even postcards produced as a result: one of the Gables with the caption, “where a son murders his mother” and another of Frank Rodgers entering the Coroner’s Court.
Postcards of The Gables (left) and Frank Rodgers entering the Coroner’s Court (right)
The Rodgers family had moved to Meldreth from London about 18 months previously. Frank’s father, William Alexander Rodgers, who was originally from Sydney, Australia, was a solicitor. He married Georgina Robson in 1881 and they had the following children: William George (born 1883), Winifred (born 1887), Frank (born 1889), Robert Alexander (born 1890), Henry Frederick (born 1893) and Georgina Marian, known as Queenie (born 1898).
What Happened
The following details of what happened on the night have been pieced together from newspaper reports that were published in the weeks following the murder, including reports of the inquest and the court case/cases.
On 12th April, the evening of the murder, Frank’s father was in London. His mother, Georgina, was at home with Frank and his two sisters. After supper, the girls went to the drawing room and Frank went upstairs, leaving their mother alone in the breakfast room.
Frank said,
“ ... I went upstairs and got the revolver on a sudden impulse and went down to the breakfast room. I felt an almost irresistible impulse to shoot mother. I refrained, however, and went out. The impulse came again, and I went back again into the house. A voice distinctly told me to do it. It said, “Do it, and do it quickly.” I do not remember firing or pointing the pistol, but I remember hearing a muffled report, and I then stumbled against the door. That is all I know.”
Frank shot his mother through the neck; the bullet entered the left side of her neck just below the ear and passed out through the right side. The bullet then hit the mantlepiece, rebounded and hit the wall. It was later found on the floor with a piece of wallpaper stuck to it.
After he had shot his mother, Frank went to Winifred, who was playing the piano, and said,
“I have shot mother, I thought it the best thing to do.” He later said that it was for Queenie’s sake, “she cannot live the life she has for the past two years”.
Winifred went for a doctor, but it was too late.
Frank made no attempt to escape or to deny what he had done. Before the doctor arrived, he took his little sister Queenie across the road to the British Queen and asked if Queenie could stay the night there. He told Mrs Thurley, the landlady, that there had been “a little upset” at home and that he had shot his mother. Later that evening, as Frank sat in the British Queen calmly reading a newspaper, he was arrested by Sergeant Salmon and taken to Melbourn Police Station.
The Months Leading Up to the Tragedy
It seems that Frank had always had a good relationship with his mother. In fact, he was considered her favourite and was nicknamed “mother’s boy”. Just a few months earlier, Frank had saved his mother’s life, when he stopped her from being hit by a train at Royston Station.
However, their mother had been drinking heavily for several years and because of this the family’s home life had become very difficult.
Up to a few months before the shooting, Frank was described as a bright boy and a voracious reader, who enjoyed playing games with his friends. He had grown rapidly in the months leading to the tragedy and had been suffering from violent headaches and nose bleeds and had become very irritable, particularly when his mother was drinking.
The Inquest, Court Appearances and Trial
Two days after the murder, an inquest was held in the British Queen. The pub was crammed with the jury, case officials and “such an army of pressmen as were never seen in the district before”. Testimony was heard from Frank’s father and his sister, Winifred, as well as his brother William, to whom the gun belonged.
At the inquest, it was confirmed that Georgina Rodgers had had a drinking problem. Winifred confirmed that the family had lived very unhappily for the last few years because their mother “had given way to drink” and Dr Ennion, who attended on the evening of the murder stated that “there was a smell of alcohol about”.
In 1904 the criminal age of responsibility in England was seven years old. In cases such as Frank’s, there was an assumption that there was homicidal intention unless there was evidence to the contrary.
The charge against Frank was that on 12th April “feloniously, wilfully and of his malice aforethought, he did kill and murder one Georgina Rodgers by shooting her with a revolver.” He pleaded not guilty but was convicted of “wilful murder” by the Jury, who declared him to have been insane at the time. They reached their decision in under four minutes and without leaving the box.
Prison Life
After a brief period in Cambridge Gaol, Frank was admitted to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum on 9th June 1904.
According to Kate Summerscale in her book, “The Wicked Boy” (whose subject, Robert Coombes had also murdered his mother), Frank played cricket at Broadmoor. He also took up the violin, practising four evenings a week over winter, and played in the string band. He was a voracious reader, learnt to play chess and taught himself French and shorthand. Kate writes,
“Frank’s father sent him hampers containing oysters, French bread, cuts of rabbit and pork, bottles of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and copies of the Boy’s Own Paper”.
According to Summerscale, Frank’s father applied to the Home Office in 1905 asking for him to be conditionally discharged. At first this was refused, but the following year it was agreed that Frank could be released and entrusted to his father’s care. According to the Broadmoor records, Frank was discharged on 22nd December 1906 when he was deemed to have “recovered”. However, newspaper reports give Frank’s release date as December 1908, citing that he had been released by order of the Home Secretary. The reason for the discrepancy in the dates is not known but perhaps it was felt best that his early release should not be made public.
Life After Prison
In October 1909 Frank married Christiana Cross in London. Frank’s father and uncle were witnesses. The couple had three children, Doris Christiana or Christine who was born in London in 1910, Leonard Alexander who was born in Wales in 1915 and Joan, born in Hammersmith, London in 1921.
In the 1911 census the family was living in Harbord Street, Fulham. Frank was working as a solicitor’s clerk – probably a job he obtained through his father’s contacts. In the 1921 census, the family was living at 34 Talbot Road, Paddington. Frank was working as a solicitor’s clerk for Oswald Hanson & Smith Solicitors at 44 Hammersmith Road, London.
Army Service
On 21st October 1914, whilst living in Bath, Frank signed up for military service in Newport, Wales. To the question, “Have you ever been sentenced to Penal Servitude or Imprisonment by the Civil Power?” he answered “no”.
According to his service record, Frank was 5 feet 10½ inches tall, weighed 138lbs and had a sallow complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.
Frank served in the Royal Garrison Artillery and had an exemplary service record, being described as “honest, sober, hardworking and intelligent”. He was promoted to Acting Sergeant on 30th September 1915 but relinquished this appointment upon returning from overseas in 1918. Many of Frank’s records can be viewed online at Ancestry, including letters written by him and his wife. He was discharged in 1920.
Death
Frank died in Lambeth in 1965, aged 76. His wife, Christiana died four years later.
If you would like to find out more, there is additional information on the murder on our website: https://www.meldrethhistory.org.uk/category/topics/meldreths_tragedies/murder_at_the_gables-3
Meldreth Local History Group was formed in 2007 by and for the local community. Our aims are to:
Research and record the history of the village and its environs
Create and preserve an archive of local history which can be passed on to subsequent generations
Publish material, both in print and digital forms, for the benefit of the local community and others interested in the history of the village.
Membership is free and is open to anyone with an interest in researching and preserving the history of the village. Our website, www.meldrethhistory.org.uk has over 700 pages on Meldreth, past and present. In addition to this, we have uploaded over 1,000 images of Meldreth to the Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network, https://meldreth.ccan.co.uk. We also have a Facebook page which has over 1,000 followers, www.facebook.com/meldrethhistory.
We can be contacted by emailing info@meldrethhistory.org.uk.
Royston Museum is very grateful to Meldreth Local History Group for contributing this guest article to our online exhibitions.