Elizabeth Ridgeway (née Husbands) was born prior to 1653 on a farm near Ibstock, Leicestershire, England. She was raised in what appears to have been a devout, rural household. Little is recorded about her childhood’s finer details, but it is clear that she remained at home well into adulthood, reportedly until she was about 29, before stepping out into the wider world as a servant.

Around 1681, Elizabeth’s relationship with her mother deteriorated significantly. During a heated argument, Elizabeth, resorted to poisoning her own mother. This fatal decision marked the beginning of a deadly pattern. Shortly after, she left her rural upbringing and moved into town, finding employment as a household servant. Her time in service was laced with friction; she developed a grudge against a male servant in the household and ended his life with arsenic.

Elizabeth was known to attract attention from suitors and eventually found herself entangled in a complicated romantic situation. One of her admirers, John King, fell victim to her manipulations.

Her final relationship, with the wealthier Thomas Ridgeway, was one of both desire and desperation. They married on 1 February 1683, but their marriage quickly soured after Elizabeth’s sister demanded repayment of a £20 debt. The financial strain pushed Elizabeth toward despair, and thoughts of suicide surfaced once more. 

On 1 February 1683, Elizabeth married Thomas Ridgeway, a wealthier man who seemed to promise the stability she craved. But not long after their wedding, financial issues hit hard. Elizabeth’s sister called in a £20 loan, a significant amount for the time, which left the couple teetering on bankruptcy. As tensions grew, Elizabeth began contemplating ways to escape her troubles.

She had earlier purchased arsenic in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and now saw a grim use for it. While Thomas was at church, she stirred the poison into his broth. He returned home, ate the meal, and complained that it tasted gritty. That evening, less than a month after their wedding, three weeks and three days to be exact, Thomas Ridgeway died in agony.

Suspicion arose quickly. The apprentices in the Ridgeway household had grown wary, especially after Elizabeth attempted to serve them porridge that they suspected was laced with the same deadly substance. Her attempt to bribe them into silence failed. One apprentice brought his concerns to Thomas’s family, who took it directly to the local justice of the peace. A coroner’s inquest was called, and an examination of Thomas’s body revealed clear evidence of poisoning.

Elizabeth was arrested and jailed in Leicester. As part of the investigation, a superstitious practice known as cruentation was performed, her touching the corpse to see if it would bleed. To many, it confirmed her guilt when Thomas’s body reportedly gushed blood from the nose and mouth.

Her trial took place on 14 March 1684. Elizabeth pleaded not guilty, but the court was unconvinced. The evidence, eyewitness accounts, and suspicions all led to her conviction, and she was sentenced to death by burning, an especially severe form of execution, though not uncommon for women convicted of poisoning during that era.

While awaiting execution, Elizabeth showed little interest in repentance. John Newton, a local clergyman, attempted to guide her spiritually, but she refused to cooperate sincerely. She teased him with false promises of confession before withdrawing them repeatedly. Finally, on the morning of her execution on  March 24, 1684, she confessed. She admitted to poisoning her mother, her fellow servant, her lover John King, and her husband. She also revealed that she had contemplated suicide as far back as the time of her mother’s death.

Elizabeth Ridgeway was executed by burning at the stake in Leicester.