18th Century Murder Inspired 'Murder at the Opera'
Those of you who have read my mysteries know by now that my novels are often inspired by true-life murders. It’s probably the journalist in me that looks to real life to inform my writing.
In this case, inspiration for Murder at the Opera came from the 1779 murder of Martha Ray, a British singer who was the longtime mistress of the 4th Earl of Sandwich. (The earl is most famous for supposedly having invented the sandwich.)
Ray was an accomplished singer but Sandwich did not allow her to sing in public. She only performed for his friends at private parties.
It was at one of these gatherings that Martha probably met James Hackman, a soldier 10 years her junior, who became infatuated with her. We don’t know if the two were romantically involved or whether Hackman was a stalker.
One night, as Martha was leaving the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden with a lady friend, Hackman suddenly appeared. By this time, he had left the army and was now a clergyman. Hackman shot Martha in the head, killing her instantly.
Sandwich, who lived with Martha for sixteen years and had several children with her, was supposedly distraught. The murder was a sensation and the public followed the case closely.
Some of the more misogynistic narratives suggested that Hackman was a man in love who’d been cruelly rejected and that Martha had paid the price for a life of sin. It was a case of “blame the victim” while portraying her killer in a positive light.
