16TH-19TH CENTURY

Murder or menstrual?

The most direct account of use of linen for menstrual purposes comes from a 1733 testimony from John Kerrell, who confronted Sarah Malcolm after she was accused of three murders. She was found with blood on her clothes, which she claimed was her period blood. Malcolm prevented Kerrel from inspecting her discarded  gown, saying the bundle contained:

“Linen… which is not for a man to see” 

More blood was found on her apron and shift. At her trial, she claimed to have been wearing these garments together to absorb the blood. 

“If it is supposed that I kill’d her with my Cloaths on, my Apron indeed might be bloody, but how should the Blood come upon my Shift? If I did it in my Shift, how should my Apron be bloody, or the back part of my Shift? And whether I did it dress’d or undress’d why was not the Neck and Sleeved of my Shift bloody as well as the lower Parts?”

Despite the eloquent defence, Malcolm was found guilty and executed for the murders. 

IMAGE: Sketch of Sarah Malcolm in prison by William Hogarth, 1733. Courtesy of National Galleries Scotland.