The Adelphi Theatre Murderer: His life, conviction and death.

Introduction

Findmypast have recently been running a season celebrating the release of 1.9 million brand new crime, prison and punishment records, never before available online. A mixture of domestic and international records, the new collections tell millions of stories of the law makers and law breakers who make up our criminal pasts. With records from Newgate Gaol, transportation records, newspaper pages, criminal asylum records and more, there’s a huge amount waiting to be discovered.  

Exploring their crime, prisons and punishment records, Findmypast have sent us the story of Richard Archer Prince, the Adelphi Theatre murderer. To find out more about Findmypast’s Crime and Punishment season, visit their dedicated page today. http://www.findmypast.co.uk/crime-prisons-punishment

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Sheffield Evening Telegraph 17th Dec 1897

In 1897, a thespian superstar was cut down in his prime by a failed actor who was down on his luck and out for revenge. On the evening of December 16th, William Terris was entering the Adelphi Theatre in London’s Covent Garden when his assailant – Richard Archer Prince – attacked, fatally stabbing Terris and shocking the world of theatre to its core.

The case of Richard Archer Prince is rather a sad one. An aspiring actor whose career never really took off, Prince’s livelihood often depended on small parts given to him by Terris himself, normally productions in which Terris had a hand. On the fateful night of Terris’ death, Prince was out of work and filled with spite. What he did next is extensively documented in Findmypast’s records.

Richard Archer Prince was born in Dundee in 1859 to David and Margaret Archer. There he spent his childhood, appearing here in the 1871 census as a 12 year old Scholar. 

He didn’t remain in Scotland for very long – in the late 1880s his name starts to appear on the playbills of the West End, mainly in bit part roles. Prince relied on Terris’ kindness, never quite able to land the roles that could have established him as a respected actor.

Conishman Thurs 20th January 1898

Due in part to this struggle, Prince became despondent, and began to drink heavily. This affected his employability, contributing in turn to his descent into alcoholism and mental illness. Quickly gaining the nickname ‘Mad Archer’, Prince struggled to make ends meet, eventually turning to the Actor’s Benevolent Fund for assistance. The assistance from this body only lasted so long, and by 1897 Prince was destitute.

Bath Chronicle & Gazette Thurs 23rd December 1897

Following a heated argument with Terris, and convinced that Terris was conspiring to prevent him from finding work, Prince’s thoughts turned to murder. Having awaited Terris’ arrival outside the stage door of the Adelphi, Prince fell on the actor, stabbing him to death. Due to the nature of the crime, as well as its celebrity victim, the incident is widely reported in our Newspaper Archive. 

Lincolnshire Free Press Tues 18th January 1898

Nottingham Evening Post Weds 27th January 1937

At his trial, Prince made attempts to absolve himself of responsibility for the crime, claiming initially that he was ‘Guilty With Provocation’ which then changed to ‘Not Guilty’ on the advice of legal representatives. In the subsequent trial, the jury found Prince guilty but under diminished responsibility, considering him to be criminally insane. Prince was imprisoned first in Holloway Gaol, and then in Broadmoor Asylum, where he remained for the rest of his days. His entry on the Prison Calendar is found in our new set of Criminal Records is below.

Prison Entry for Richard Arthur Price

As for Terris, the legend has it that he haunts Covent Garden underground station and the Adelphi Theatre to this day. See if you can spot him next time you’re in town.

Why not see what stories you can uncover in our archives? Visit the Findmypast Crime and Punishment records today and find the jailbirds in your family tree. 

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