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Kate Stacey

Age: 45

Sex: female

Date: 14 Feb 1904

Place: Saltmead Road, Cardiff

Kate Stacey was strangled in her sleep.

She was found lying in her bed, about a week after her death, in an upstairs bedroom with a rope that had been twisted tightly round her neck and then tied to the head of the bedstead.

It was thought that robbery was the motive. She was believed to have had plenty of money but no money was found in the house, although a bank book with £40 credit was found in a heavy chest in which she was thought to have kept her savings, which had been broken open. A number of items of clothing that had been in the box were also found scattered about the room.

She had lived alone in the house. A Dutch seafaring man had frequently visited her and was thought to have been her husband but he had been away at sea having left the country on a voyage at Christmas.

Although she was well known in the area she often went off on short holidays and nobody noticed her absence.

She was last seen on 7 February 1904, a Sunday, at about noon when she had spoken to a neighbour over her backyard wall.

A man that had known her had enquired after her a few days after she vanished but was given to understand by her neighbours that she had been away on one of her periodical excursions. However, on the Sunday, 14 February 1904 he went into her house looking for her and found her. He said that it was dark and he felt his way about until his hands encountered her cold body in bed and he then fled in terror to call for help.

She was naked in bed with a rope tied around her neck. The rope had been passed once round her neck and then carried over the head of the iron bedstead and then on to the foot of the bed where it was tied off. The rope was only taught at her neck and there were no signs of a struggle.

It was noted by her neighbours that sometimes whilst she was occasionally away a large fire would be seen burning in her house and the sounds of someone moving about inside could be heard.

She was also known as Kate England and her parents were thought to have lived in Nottingham.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Western Times - Tuesday 16 February 1904

see Western Gazette - Friday 19 February 1904

see Lincolnshire Chronicle - Saturday 20 February 1904

see Dundee Evening Telegraph - Monday 15 February 1904

see East & South Devon Advertiser. - Saturday 20 February 1904