On November 28, 1848, Isaac Jermy and his son were shot and killed in their Wymondham estate, Stanfield Hall. After a brief search, investigators located the killer, James Blomfield Rush, a tenant farmer who was leasing land from Jermy and had fallen behind on his payments. Fearing eviction and destitution, Rush concocted a plan to kill the entire Jermy family and their staff, then cast blame on Jermy’s relatives, with whom the family had been feuding over the title of the estate. However, the plan fell apart when several of the victims survived and identified Rush as the killer.
Thank you to the lovely David White, of Bring Me the Ax podcast, for research assistance.
References
Bayne, A.D. 1849. The Stanfield Tragedy: A Complete Narrative. Norwich, England: Jarold and Sons.
Bristol Mercury. 1849. "Rush's trial." Bristol Mercury, April 7: 2.
Caledonian Mercury. 1849. "Execution of Rush." Caledonia Mercury, April 23.
Liverpool Mercury. 1848. "Horrible murders in Norfolk." Liverpool Mercury, December 5: 2.
Royal College of Physicians of London. 1850. A Full Report of the Trial of James Blomfield Rush for the
Murder of Mr. Jermy and His Son. London, England: W.M. Clark.
The Times. 1848. "Horrible murders at Stanfield Hall, near Wymondham." The Times, December 01: 5.
—. 1848. "The murders at Stanfield Hall." The Times, December 4: 3.
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