Anne Greene

Anne Greene (c. 1628 - 1659) was an English domestic servant who was accused of committing infanticide in 1650. She is notable for surviving her attempted execution and being revived by physicians from Oxford University.

For other people with the same name, see Anne Green.

Woodcut from A Wonder of Wonders (1651) depicting the hanging of Anne Greene.

Biography
News from the Dead

Greene was born around 1628 in Steeple Barton, Oxfordshire. In her early adulthood, she worked as a scullery maid in the house of Sir Thomas Read, a justice of the peace who lived in nearby Duns Tew. She later claimed that in 1650 when she was a 22-year-old servant, she was "often sollicited by faire promises and other amorous enticements" by Sir Thomas's grandson, Geoffrey Read, who was 16 or 17 years old, and that she was seduced by him.[1][2]

She became pregnant, though she later claimed that she was not aware of her pregnancy until she miscarried in the privy[3] after seventeen weeks.[4] She tried to conceal the remains of the fetus[5] but was discovered and suspected of infanticide. Sir Thomas prosecuted Greene[4] under the "Concealment of Birth of Bastards" Act of 1624, under which there was a legal presumption that a woman who concealed the death of her illegitimate child had murdered it.[6]

A midwife testified that the fetus was too underdeveloped to have ever been alive, and several servants who worked with Greene testified that she had "certain Issues for about a month before shee miscarried," which began "after shee had violently labour'd in skreening of malt."[1][7] In spite of the testimony, Greene was found guilty of murder and was hanged at Oxford Castle on 14 December 1650. At her own request, several of her friends pulled at her swinging body and a soldier struck her four or five times with the butt of his musket[7] to expedite her death and "dispatch her out of her paine."[1] After half an hour, everyone believed her to be dead, so she was cut down and given to Oxford University physicians William Petty and Thomas Willis for dissection.

They opened her coffin the following day and discovered that Greene had a faint pulse and was weakly breathing. Petty and Willis sought the help of their Oxford colleagues Ralph Bathurst and Henry Clerke.[1][8] The group of physicians tried many remedies to revive Greene, including pouring hot cordial down her throat, rubbing her limbs and extremities, bloodletting, applying a poultice to her breasts and having a "heating odoriferous Clyster to be cast up in her body, to give heat and warmth to her bowels."[1] The physicians then placed her in a warm bed with another woman, who rubbed her and kept her warm. Greene began to recover quickly, beginning to speak after twelve[9] to fourteen hours[7] of treatment and eating solid food after four days. Within one month she had fully recovered aside from amnesia surrounding the time of her execution.[10]

The authorities granted Greene a reprieve from execution while she recovered and ultimately pardoned her, believing that the hand of God had saved her, demonstrating her innocence.[4][8] Furthermore, one pamphleteer notes that Sir Thomas Read died three days after Greene's execution, so there was no prosecutor to object to the pardon.[1] However, another pamphleteer writes that her recovery "moved some of her enemies to wrath and indignation, insomuch that a great man amongst the rest, moved to have her again carried to the place of execution, to be hanged up by the neck, contrary to all Law, reason and justice; but some honest Souldiers then present seemed to be very much discontent thereat" and intervened on Greene's behalf.[7]

After her recovery, Greene went to stay with friends in the country, taking the coffin with her. She married, had three children and died in 1659.[11][3]

The event inspired two 17th century pamphlets. The first was by W. Burdet and was entitled A Wonder of Wonders (Oxford, 1651) in its first edition and A Declaration from Oxford, of Anne Greene in its second edition. Burdet's pamphlets portray the event in miraculous, metaphysical terms. In 1651, Richard Watkins also published a pamphlet containing a sober, medically accurate prose account of the event and poems inspired by it, entitled Newes from the Dead (Oxford: Leonard Lichfield, 1651). The poems, of which there were 25 in various languages, included a set of English verses by Christopher Wren, who was at that time a gentleman-commoner (a student who paid all fees in advance) of Wadham College.[8]

The character of Sarah Blundy in Iain Pears' 1997 historical mystery novel An Instance of the Fingerpost is roughly based on Anne Greene.

Anne Greene is also the main character in Mary Hooper's 2008 young adult historical novel Newes from the Dead, inspired by the pamphlet of the same name.

References
  1. Watkins, Richard (1651). Newes from the Dead, or, A True and Exact Narration of the miraculous deliverance of Anne Greene, Who being Executed at Oxford Decemb. 14, 1650, afterwards revived; and by the care of certain physicians there, is now perfectly recovered. Together with the manner of her Suffering, and the particular means used for her Recovery. Written by a Scholler in Oxford for the Satisfaction of a friend, who desired to be informed concerning the truth of the businesse. Whereunto are added certain Poems, casually written upon that Subject. Oxford: Leonard Lichfield.
  2. Hughes 1982, p. 1792
  3. Gowing, Laura. "Greene, Anne (c. 1628–1659)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. Gowing, Laura (2013). Common Bodies: Women, Touch and Power in Seventeenth-century England. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300207956.
  5. Hughes 1982, p. 1792
  6. Loughnan 2012, p. 690
  7. Burdet, W. (1651). A wonder of wonders. Being a faithful narrative and true relation of one Anne Green, servant to Sir Tho. Reed in Oxfordshire, who being got with child by a gentleman, her child falling from her in the house or office, being but a span long, and dead born, was condemned on the 14. of December last, and hanged in the castle-yard in Oxford, for the space of half and hour, receiving many great and heavy blowes on the brests, by the but end of the souldiers muskets, and being pul'd down by the leggs, and was afterwards beg'd for an anatomy, by the physicians, and carried to Mr. Clarkes house, an apothecary, where in the presence of many learned chyrurgions, she breathed, and began to stir; insomuch, that Dr. Petty caused a warm bed to be prepared for her, let her blood, and applyed oyls to her, so that in 14 hours she recovered, and the first words she spake were these; behold Gods providence! Behold his miraculous and loving kindness! VVith the manner of her tryal, her speech and confession at the gallowes; and a declaration of the souldiery touching her recovery. Witnessed by Dr. Petty, and licensed according to order. Oxford.
  8. Shaw, Jane (2006). Miracles in Enlightenment England. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300197683.
  9. Hughes 1982, p. 1793
  10. Hughes 1982, p. 1793
  11. Hughes 1982, p. 1793

"Greene, Anne" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

  • Hughes, Trevor J. (1982), "Miraculous Deliverance Of Anne Green: An Oxford Case Of Resuscitation In The Seventeenth Century", British Medical Journal, 285 (6357): 1792–1793, doi:10.1136/bmj.285.6357.1792, JSTOR 29509089, PMC 1500297, PMID 6816370
  • Loughnan, Arlie (2012), "The 'Strange' Case of the Infanticide Doctrine", Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 32 (4): 685–711, doi:10.1093/ojls/gqs017, JSTOR 41811708
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