New exhibition gives voice to victims of Lancaster killer doctor Buck Ruxton

A new exhibition will tell the story of two women whose lives were cruelly cut short in Lancaster by infamous killer Dr Buck Ruxton.

Isabella Ruxton and Mary Ann Rogerson were the two victims of Ruxton in the Dalton Square murders in 1935.

Marking 90 years since their tragic deaths, Lancaster City Museum is hosting an exhibition that shifts the spotlight from Ruxton, to the lives of Isabella, known as Belle, and Mary.

The exhibition offers a deeply human perspective on the women behind the tragic story of jealousy, panic and murder.

It focuses on Belle and Mary as individuals with families, friends and futures.

Mary Ann Rogerson, from Morecambe, was a nurse maid for the Ruxtons and was just shy of her 20th birthday when she was murdered after witnessing him strangling his wife Belle.

The exhibition features personal items from Mary’s life, including a heartfelt letter to a friend describing her joyful summer holiday and how she will find going back to work difficult after such a holiday, and of a new red dress that she is sewing.

It also features a postcard photograph showing her radiant smile in her housemaid’s uniform.

These rare artefacts, preserved by her family, offer an intimate glimpse into the life of a young woman full of promise.

Isabella Ruxton, born Isabella Proudfoot Kerr, was a vivacious mother of three who lived in a common-law relationship with Buck Ruxton - an unusual arrangement for the time.

She was 34-years-old when she was killed in September 1935 by Ruxton (below), who ran a GP practice in Dalton Square.

The exhibition explores her life before the tragedy, highlighting her love of dancing, people, and family.

Curators have drawn from Lancaster City Museum’s collection to present objects that tell the story, including Ruxton’s 1934 personal diary, a letter requesting credit at a bookmaker, medical scalpels, and cufflinks.

The women's bodies were disposed of in woodland in Dumfriesshire, where parts of their remains were later found.

The remains were examined and identified by experts from the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the forensic results helped to secure a conviction of Ruxton, who was hanged in 1936.

The university recently discovered that the skulls and other bones were still in their possession and launched an appeal to trace any relatives of Belle and Mary.

Following the appeal, the remains were buried earlier this month.

Councillor Sam Riches, Lancaster City Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for museums, said that following the internments of Belle and Mary that it felt fitting to host an exhibition focusing on their lives.

“Too often, stories like these centre on the perpetrator," she said.

"We wanted to give voices to the victims and show they were real women with real lives.

“Recent visits from Mary’s relatives have added new layers of understanding and emotion, reinforcing the museum’s role in preserving local stories and keeping community stories alive.

“While the story of Buck Ruxton is well known, it seems only right that 90 years after their deaths that both Belle and Mary’s lives and stories are remembered.”