Body Under the Bed: The 1920 Murder That Shook Little Marlow

Body Under the Bed: The 1920 Murder That Shook Little Marlow
News of the Times | Episode 544 |1921

When police forced their way into a silent riverside cottage in Little Marlow, they made a chilling discovery: the body of a young woman, wrapped in a sheet and hidden beneath the bed.

Within hours, her husband — a self-proclaimed music tutor with a trail of peculiar newspaper ads — was arrested at a railway station. But was this a case of murder, madness… or a deadly lesson in deception?

In this episode, we trace the strange and unsettling case of Kate Lilian Bailey — a quiet wife with a young child — and the man who promised melodies but delivered mayhem. Expect poison, false identities, and one very sinister "academy of music."

🗞️ Further Particulars:
We step away from the murder itself to explore the trial’s remarkable legacy: it was the first time women served on a British murder jury.

Faced with poison, scandal, and damning evidence, these three women were expected to flinch. Instead, they helped change legal history.
👤 Narrated by Robin Coles 

📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 
🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month 

📚 Related cases from the archive: 
1927: Case of the McKay Mother Murder |  EP460
https://youtu.be/T_IZB0cou-k
1920: A Case of Family Obsession and Murder |  EP476
https://youtu.be/EIPHlzVerd4
1920: The Case of the Ipswich Murder |  EP478
https://youtu.be/_56V2qvyND0
1920: The Case of the Cross Hands Murder || Investigatng the mysterious death of mary jenkins |  EP479
https://youtu.be/ZpqznQF_6ug

❤️ Support Independent History  
If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:  

👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):  
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime  

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We tip our top hats:  
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

🕯 About the Channel  
We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from coroners’ inquests to forgotten newspaper columns.  

If you like your true crime thoughtful,

 Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

 Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs. 

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

 Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes. 

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime