Elias Huelin (1786-1870)
The terrible murder of the cemetery’s assistant chaplain and his housekeeper.
Police illustration of murders
Although many thousands of long and happy lives are remembered in Brompton Cemetery, there are some grisly tales of lives cut unnaturally short too.
Double murder
In 1870, a shocking double murder gripped this peaceful and prosperous area, just a few years before Jack the Ripper stalked London’s streets. The elderly Reverend Elias Huelin, assistant chaplain at Brompton Cemetery, and his housekeeper Ann Boss were brutally killed by odd-job man Walter Millar.
Walter Millar hanged for murder
The murders were only discovered when a box was found in the kitchen of Reverend Huelin’s unlocked house, sitting in a pool of blood. It contained the body of the housekeeper. The police then began searching for the clergyman. He was eventually found buried in the backyard of the house he had rented to Walter Millar.
Millar, who’s motive appeared to have been robbery, was tried and hanged for his crime. Elias and Ann are buried beside each other in the cemetery.
