Correspondence with William Thomas Brande

Contains a letter to Mrs Taylor, dated May 1856, commenting as one present on how well Dr Taylor had acquitted himself at the Old Bailey at the Palmer trial.

William Palmer, a.k.a. The Rugeley Poisoner, was described by Charles Dickens as ''the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey''. He was convicted of poisoning his friend, John Cook, with strychnine, and was also suspected of poisoning several family members to benefit from their life insurance. The botched post-mortem meant that Taylor was unable to find evidence of poison in Cook’s body, but antimony was found in the disinterred remains of Palmer's wife, Ann. Circumstantial evidence further condemned Palmer, and he was hanged before a large crowd at Stafford Prison.

Also included are 3 letters on family matters.