Grace Marks

Grace Marks (c. 1828 – after c. 1873) was an Irish-Canadian maid and convicted murderer. Her conviction was controversial at the time and sparked debate about whether Marks was actually instrumental in the murder or merely an unwitting accessory. Marks was the subject of Margaret Atwood's historical fiction novel Alias Grace and its adaptations in other media.

Early Life

Marks was born and raised in Ulster, Ireland. Her father, John Marks, was a stonemason. She, along with her parents and eight siblings, immigrated to Upper Canada in 1840, when Grace was twelve. Her mother died on the ship en route to Canada and was buried at sea.

Murders

Marks was employed as a maid in the house of Yonge Street farmer Thomas Kinnear, who was in a sexual relationship with his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. In July 1843, Kinnear and Montgomery were murdered by James McDermott, a servant.[2][3] Kinnear was shot and Montgomery, who was pregnant at the time of her death, was hit on the head with an axe and subsequently strangled before being dismembered and hidden under a large tub.[4] Under the alias "Mary Whitney", Marks fled with McDermott to the U.S., but they were apprehended in Lewiston, New York, and deported to Toronto. It remains unclear whether Marks took part in the double murder.[4]

Marks was tried with McDermott for the murder of Kinnear. A trial for Montgomery's murder was to follow, but was deemed unnecessary as both defendants were convicted of Kinnear's murder and sentenced to death. Before McDermott was hanged, he insisted that Marks was, "an evil genius who masterminded the double murder, then feigned mental illness in order to avoid the gallows".[5] Marks's sentence, however, was commuted to life in prison which she served in Kingston Penitentiary. At one period (May 4, 1852 – August 18, 1853) she was committed to an asylum but was later returned to Kingston Penitentiary. In 1872, after almost thirty years of incarceration, Marks was pardoned and moved to upstate New York. After that she disappeared from the historical record.[4]

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