The Tragic Story of Fanny Adams | Victorian True Crime | Well, I Never

The murder of Fanny Adams in 1867 was a shocking event, not just in her sleepy town of Alton, but throughout the United Kingdom and beyond.
Little could anyone back then have known that the death would spawn a saying still used over 100 years later.

Today we're looking back at the tragic case and visiting some of the locations where this horrific event took place.

00:00 - Introduction. Who was Fanny Adams?
00:43 - Fanny's family and the town of Alton.
02:28 - The Day of the Murder - A day playing turns to tragedy
07:26 - A search party is formed and remains are found
09:40 - Frederick Baker is arrested
12:30 - Frederick Back is found guilty and sentenced to death.
13:28 - The origins of the term 'Sweet Fanny Adams'
13:56 - Outro; far from nothing.

[cloudsn]

The saddest part for me is how the kids tried to do the smart thing. Even being very sheltered, they knew this guy was suspicious. They said no to money and candy. They said no, we won't let our friend go alone. They ran and told an adult what happened as fast as they could. We can't know if Fanny would have been saved if the first adult had listened to them, but it's hard not to wonder.

[grandmatheglorious.]

I often heard 'sweet Fanny Adams' as a child. It generally meant ' nothing'. My mother forbade us to say it. She would not let us disrespect a little girl who had suffered like that.
Thanks mum. X

[dreamer_of_hiraeth]

As a mother of a girl myself, this story makes my heart ache. That poor girl. She tried to do everything right and was a ray of sunshine, talking to everyone. And then that monster treated her like that.
I did not grow up in an english speaking environment, but to have a phrase like that thrown around... what a nightmare for everyone who loved that little girl, and how utterly disgraceful to be a thing at all.
I hope little Fanny rests in piece and her star shines bright in every night sky.

[birdsndog]

What the child went through …..

Bless the brave little boy who reported what he saw. So much courage.

[MessagerOfHell]

It's heartbreaking what happened to an innocent little girl. That her name is used as slang for poor quality meat is downright insulting to the memory of that child/person.

[whereisCarmenSandiego]

Not gonna lie, teared up when I saw you putting flowers on her grave. Not many YouTubers would do that. They would just film her grave and walk away. Thank you for being thoughtful.

[dany]

The fact that the kids immediately tried to get help but went unheard is heartbreaking. And you leaving flowers to her grave now that all her loved ones are gone was so sweet I tested up. I hope she found peace, she absolutely didn’t deserve what happened to her

[DocBree]

Minnie’s mother’s reaction was extremely unfortunate, and so difficult for me to comprehend, even knowing the something of the naïveté of the time and place. I’m sure she was racked with guilt for the rest of her life. It’s too bad they didn’t run into Mrs. Gardener or Fanny’s mother, first, even though they still probably couldn’t have saved her. Such a heartbreaking story, altogether. There have always been evil people in society.

[hmagix]

I loved the fact that Fanny stood her ground, after having been enticed by that monster, with money and sweets...she wanted to stay with her sister and friend....that's what Fanny should be remembered for...for friendship.

[effess]

I live in Alton. Fanny's grave is still quite frequently visited. People often leave little trinkets and toys there (you can just see a little toy on one of the arms of the headstone in the video). She is still remembered here.

[craigscothern]

What a sad story. To think 3 little girls had gone out to play for one of them to be brutally murdered. It is still moving 150 years later. The flowers you laid on the grave was a kind touch. Thank you for uploading this sad story.

[PuddingMcMuffin]

I can only imagine how Minnie Warner's mother felt once she found out that Fanny actually had been kidnapped and that her daughter and Lizzie weren't joking. The guilt that would come with something like that.

[MrPARKERSBIRD]

Imagine how her friend’s mother felt for not believing her when she said she’d been snatched. Well done to the young boy who spoke up when he saw the evil man washing his hands.

[ferrisulf]

I am American and have only ever heard this phrase used in sailor songs. What a tragic story. Fanny sounds like such an amazing girl, standing her ground for herself and her sister and friend. Thank you for telling her story in such a respectful way.

[fenixfp]

A phrase my mother used when I was a child, but I never knew its history until now. Thank you. RIP sweet Fanny.

[susannaude]

This sweet, innocent little girl, should not be remembered as something worthless. May she forever be remembered as a bright star, who loved to talk to everyone.

[LQOTW]

The fact that Baker had only moved to the area a few months before set off alarm bells for me. I could believe, easily that he did something similar in more than one small town.

[alynsak]

Thank you for this video. I hadn’t heard of this and it’s absolutely horrific. I personally things it’s quite disturbing to use her name in such a derogatory way. She was a sweet little girl who was treated like garbage for sick pleasure. She deserves to be remember and spoken of with respect and empathy just as anyone else.

[goldenagenut]

That's really pretty awful that her name has become synonymous with nothing. She wasn't nothing, she was somebody and a good person from all accounts.
A virtual pat on the back for placing flowers at her grave. That's a fine thing to do.👍

[Ninja-tylw]

I loved that you showed the area and placed flowers on her grave. The latter was a sweet gesture.