A memorial tree is being planted in Workington, Cumbria, to commemorate a teenage girl whose murder shocked Victorian Britain 144 years ago. Lucy Sands, 16, disappeared on her way to meet friends in 1881, and her body was found under a pile of cobbles three months later.
Over the years, previous memorials, including a tree at the site of her discovery and a gravestone, have disappeared. Councillor Michael Heaslip said the new Rowan tree, planted by Workington Town Council on the anniversary of Lucy’s disappearance, will ensure she is remembered “for years to come.”
This is the second memorial to be installed in Workington this year. In February, a plaque and rose bush were placed at St John’s Church, where Lucy was buried.
Documentary maker Stephen Baldwin, who created a seven-part TV series investigating Lucy’s murder, said her death was “one of the worst crimes in Victorian Britain” and that it “shouldn’t be forgotten.” He explained that the original memorial tree, planted in 1883 near the railway where Lucy was found, had become part of local folklore. Children were warned not to swing too far on ropes tied to the tree, amid Victorian beliefs about restless spirits.
Lucy was born in Antrim, Northern Ireland, in 1865. After her parents died, she and her brother James were sent to live with their grandmother on Christian Street in Workington. Her murder drew international attention and remains a haunting chapter in the town’s history.
