Did 'Queen of Heeley' mean to kill her sweetheart?

Did the "Queen of Heeley" really mean to poison her employer and sweetheart?

That's the question a group of artists are exploring with a new exhibition about the life of Sheffield killer Kate Dover.

The former art student and sweet shop manager was convicted of manslaughter in 1882 after facing trial for murder.

In her late 20s, Dover killed 61-year-old businessman Thomas Skinner by cooking him a roast dinner with arsenic in the stuffing.

He was described as her "sweetheart", whom she had become a housekeeper for two years before killing him.

Amanda Pearce, who took part in creating the exhibition, said: "Thomas became very ill suddenly and collapsed, at which point Kate panicked completely, and sent the maid out to call the doctor.

"She obviously wasn't overly happy with what was happening…and she claimed she didn't feel well herself.

"Four hours later, he died."

Eight grains of arsenic were found in Skinner's food when only one would have been enough to kill him, Pearce said.

In the 19th Century, arsenic was more readily available than it would be today, and could be bought from chemist's shops as rat poison.

"She really wanted to do a number on him," she added.

Dover's barrister successfully convinced the jury at Leeds Town Hall that her actions were manslaughter, not murder - something the judge was "extremely cross" about.

"He felt that she should have been found guilty of murder and gave her the highest possible sentence," Pearce said.

"It was essentially life for that crime. He believed that she should have been hung."

She was sentenced to penal servitude for life, but was out of prison by 1901, and lived out her 24 remaining years with her sisters in Rotherham.

Dover's family were considered respectable in Heeley, where her father was a wood-carver and joiner, and she studied at Sheffield School of Art before working in a confectioner's shop on London Road.

It was thought that Skinner, an inventor and etcher, was courting her with a view to marriage.

"Queen of Heeley: Did She Mean Murder?" at Sheffield Workstation aims to capture the details of the story and allow people to decide for themselves.

Visitors will be given the chance to vote on whether it was murder or manslaughter at the end of the exhibition, and results will be revealed after it closes on 29 May.

It is understood that Dover got her nickname due to the standard of her outfits, versions of which are going on display.

The exhibition includes photos depicting her in different settings – working on her art, in domestic life with Skinner at their home on Glover Place, and in the sweet shop.

These, along with audio escapes and original paintings, "really bring her to life", Pearce said.

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