This project investigates one of the most extraordinary criminal cases in British history — the murder of Miss Emma Keyse at Babbacombe in 1884, the subsequent conviction of her servant John ‘Babbacombe’ Lee, and the now-exposed cover-up that surrounded his failed execution.
John Lee survived three attempts to hang him at Exeter Prison, an event that stunned the public, ignited panic within the Home Office and reached as far as Queen Victoria herself. What followed was a desperate effort to contain a spiralling crisis, preserve reputations, and silence questions — all while the true circumstances of the murder remained obscured.
This website brings together decades of meticulous research and a growing archive of original documents, shedding light on the lies, the absence of forensic evidence, and the ruthless machinations of the Victorian establishment. It is not just a study of a botched hanging, but a full re-examination of the crime, the motives, and the people who stood to gain from the suppression of truth.
At its core, the aim is simple:
- To determine who really killed a nearly destitute 68-year-old spinster — and why.
- To uncover the truth behind the cover-ups that followed.
- And to finally shift the mystery away from the gallows in Exeter to the hands of those who ended Emma Keyse’s life over 130 years ago.
An Archive Like No Other
Many of the documents presented here are transcribed directly from original handwritten sources — courtroom records, witness testimonies, newspaper reports and personal letters. The language and spelling have been faithfully retained, capturing the voices of those who lived through it: the clerk, the lawyer, the housemaid, the police inspector, the villagers, and above all, John Lee himself.
They could never have imagined that their words would one day be preserved — and scrutinised — on a global platform like the internet.
The Life and Tragedy of Jessie Lee
In 1909, John Lee married Jessie Augusta Widger Bulled, a nurse at the Newton Abbot Workhouse. In 1911, while pregnant, Jessie was left abandoned by Lee at Lambeth Workhouse in London. Her story, largely forgotten, is now being uncovered — a story of betrayal, resilience, and quiet suffering. If you have any information about Jessie, please contact Ian Waugh.
Left: The only known photograph of Jessie Lee (née Bulled), discovered exclusively by Ian Waugh in June 2012.
Voices from the Past
“John Lee wasn’t guilty of the murder — he was guilty of a cover-up, that’s the only thing you can say. When everyone was panicking, anything can happen. Everyone was trying to clear themselves, and John was in it. How would anyone react?”
— Bill Brown, retired Devon farm labourer, 1975. His family were close to the Lees.
“I have now reached the conclusion that the full facts did not reach the court. I think Lee was present that night, I think he was involved — but I am quite definite in my opinion that he did not strike the fatal blow.”
— John Pike, Torbay historian.
“Since the 1990s, I have worked to re-investigate the case using only verified archival material. The aim has always been to separate fact from folklore. Some individuals, even more than a century later, refuse to assist or disclose what they know. Their silence speaks volumes.”
— Ian Waugh, Historical Researcher.
Correcting the Record
There was no ‘royal connection’.
Emma Keyse and her mother were never personally known to Princess (later Queen) Victoria. A letter from the Royal Archives at Windsor confirms that any such claims are purely fictional, clearing up long-standing myths that have clouded this case.
The Man Behind the Legend
You may have heard of “The Man They Could Not Hang.”
You may have heard of John ‘Babbacombe’ Lee.
But these pages go beyond the myths — beyond ghost stories of Lee walking the streets of Newton Abbot with rope marks on his neck — and bring you as close as possible to what really happened.
Welcome to a painstakingly researched account of murder, scandal, silence, and survival — and to the true story of the man who became a legend.