Among the Dirt and Trees

Beware the Red Barn: The Murder of Maria Marten

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March 16, 2022 7:17am

17m

Maria Marten was a young woman who was unlucky in love, especially for a woman in 1827. Though men seemed to love her, even when she ended up pregnant with children from multiple men, they always refused to stay. Her final child would be born to William Corder, her first child’s younger brother. The two made a plan to elope in an attempt to save Maria from being criminally charged for having multiple children out of wedlock, and the lies would begin. William asked her to meet him at the red barn at the edge of town so they could flee, but something wasn’t quite right. Months would pass. Back home, her step-mother began to have disturbing nightmares about Maria, images of her daughter dead and buried in the old red barn. She thought they were just dreams, but when she finally sent her husband to explore the barn, they would learn that the dreams were closer to reality than they ever could have imagined. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.