I often heard 'sweet Fanny Adams' as a child. It generally meant ' nothing'. My mother forbade us to say it. She would not let us disrespect a little girl who had suffered like that. Thanks mum. X
It's heartbreaking what happened to an innocent little girl. That her name is used as slang for poor quality meat is downright insulting to the memory of that child/person.
so true. got a couple of thoughts while reading your comment. insulting yes but sad to say remembered because of it, although less so now i think, it was my granny that told me the story. and nowadays it's sweet f*** all
Spot on i thaught it meant f### all but now ive heard the tragic story of the wee girl ill never be using that phrase its not used much in scotland but ive heard it said RIP little fanny 😢
The saddest part for me is how the kids tried to do the smart thing. Even being very sheltered, they knew this guy was suspicious. They said no to money and candy. They said no, we won't let our friend go alone. They ran and told an adult what happened as fast as they could. We can't know if Fanny would have been saved if the first adult had listened to them, but it's hard not to wonder.
Minnie’s mother’s reaction was extremely unfortunate, and so difficult for me to comprehend, even knowing the something of the naïveté of the time and place. I’m sure she was racked with guilt for the rest of her life. It’s too bad they didn’t run into Mrs. Gardener or Fanny’s mother, first, even though they still probably couldn’t have saved her. Such a heartbreaking story, altogether. There have always been evil people in society.
I loved the fact that Fanny stood her ground, after having been enticed by that monster, with money and sweets...she wanted to stay with her sister and friend....that's what Fanny should be remembered for...for friendship.
Not gonna lie, teared up when I saw you putting flowers on her grave. Not many TH-camrs would do that. They would just film her grave and walk away. Thank you for being thoughtful.
some would pick them up when they left or use flowers at another grave and then returned them when they are done. people know things like that touch emotions, which could be why they do it. in this case, it seems sweet and sincere, but who knows? 🤷♂🤷♂
I live in Alton. Fanny's grave is still quite frequently visited. People often leave little trinkets and toys there (you can just see a little toy on one of the arms of the headstone in the video). She is still remembered here.
@@prochoicenotantivax119 Not in my Alton. There are two Altons- one in Hampshire (where I live) and as mentioned the other one (where Alton Towers is) is in Staffordshire, almost the other end of the country. I have met a few people who have arrived in this Alton when they intended to go to the other one. Unfortunately this Alton is considerably less exciting.
@@prochoicenotantivax119 No, it is a different place. My maternal grandparents lived there and I spent several summers there and the village of Farringdon some three miles away. Loved my time there!
As a mother of a girl myself, this story makes my heart ache. That poor girl. She tried to do everything right and was a ray of sunshine, talking to everyone. And then that monster treated her like that. I did not grow up in an english speaking environment, but to have a phrase like that thrown around... what a nightmare for everyone who loved that little girl, and how utterly disgraceful to be a thing at all. I hope little Fanny rests in piece and her star shines bright in every night sky.
A particular adult I remember used it when I was a kid but they didnt know its deeper meaning when I asked them. All they knew is it meant nothing. "What did you get"? may be the question. "Sweet Fanny Adams" was the reply. It has morphed into Sweet F*** all or Sweet FA.
Imagine how her friend’s mother felt for not believing her when she said she’d been snatched. Well done to the young boy who spoke up when he saw the evil man washing his hands.
I hope she felt all the guilt in the world. That dumb bitch wasted soo much time because she dismissed those children regarding the situation as playing. All because nothing bad has ever happened there. Evil always has a beginning
She'd have been joining Fanny in the grave if that was my daughter. I'd have blamed her forever. Whether it was her fault or not, I wouldn't be able to move on knowing she could have done something in time but brushed it off. Who knows how long she was alive for before he'd finished. He probably did other things to her before he killed her. She might have been saved if that woman had acted immediately. Doesn't matter what year it was, if a man was determined to get a kid to go with him then picked her up and walked off, he's obviously got nefarious intentions. She's almost just as to blame.
@@melodyvalentine8779 It is hard to excuse someone who would do that. What would she have done if it had been Minnie he carried off, not Fanny? Either way, any right thinking adult would have raised the alarm immediately. This man had only lived there 2 months; they knew Nothing about him. Even f it had been a local, you would react. I have lived in villages like Alton, where everyone knows everyone else and we all look out for the kids. If a child had told me Jose had just carried off her friend, I would have been in the bar across the street telling the local men, even if I was the incomer. It just doesn't happen, now Or then!
@Melody Valentine she wasn’t “almost as much to blame,” but I’m confident she felt far more guilt than he ever did. She made a bad decision not out of malice, and I’m confident it haunted her forever. There have been periods in history where humor could be pretty dark. She’d met this man and probably couldn’t fathom him doing something like that.
The fact that Baker had only moved to the area a few months before set off alarm bells for me. I could believe, easily that he did something similar in more than one small town.
That was my thinking too. Maybe he had gotten away with it too often before. Hence the fact he left behind witnesses. Thinking he was simply untouchable due to his status and previous actions.
Agreed! His determination was scary, especially the fact that he tried different tactics without hesitation. Everything screamed a seasoned killer at large.
@@yourmom9951 You are no one's mom. Your mind has not got beyond the age of 13 when you discovered how to shock people by saying things like this. Go back to the playground.
The fact that the kids immediately tried to get help but went unheard is heartbreaking. And you leaving flowers to her grave now that all her loved ones are gone was so sweet I tested up. I hope she found peace, she absolutely didn’t deserve what happened to her
This sweet, innocent little girl, should not be remembered as something worthless. May she forever be remembered as a bright star, who loved to talk to everyone.
I can only imagine how Minnie Warner's mother felt once she found out that Fanny actually had been kidnapped and that her daughter and Lizzie weren't joking. The guilt that would come with something like that.
She might have been able to prevent the death if she had raised an alert with Fanny's parents. A search party might have found the monster while he was still "playing" with his victim before dismembering her.
@@brianmccarthy5557 i've seen another video on this case and they thought she was killed within 20 minutes after she was taken, so it's unlikely she could have been saved.
It makes one sadly wonder how many other children he had murdered before Fanny. He was way too slick and smooth with the abduction and way too fast and ruthless/brutal with the murder. He had to have many more victims that were never discovered. So terribly sad
Exactly. He is 29 and had only been in the town for 2 months. They needed to look into missing kids everywhere he lived. For him to use so little effort to conceal what he did, he was probably at the decompression stage of serial killing. They always get super casual and sloppy in the end. Imagine if Dahmer exercised better hygiene and cleanliness in his home. He probably would still be killing.
What a sad story. To think 3 little girls had gone out to play for one of them to be brutally murdered. It is still moving 150 years later. The flowers you laid on the grave was a kind touch. Thank you for uploading this sad story.
It's terrible that the probable rape and consequential murder & mutilation of a little girl was used as "slang" for bad meat. People can be truly disgusting. Bless her, that poor baby went thru hell, and people •mocked• it. SMH. Now I'll be saying, "Sweet Fanny Adams" in a way to honor this little girl.
If, as some people have suggested, he was a serial killer, then but for that slang, Fanny Adams name would have been long forgotten, just as everybody else's he may have murdered, has done.
@@vanessaouyang1220 It was never suggested he was a serial killer this is just silly conjecture nor was it ever suggested he sexually molester her that is just modern day peoples minds. He denied that right up till he was hung.
Thank you for covering this in a respectful way. I've lived in Alton my whole life and Fanny Adams is buried in the same cemetery as my grandad, so I often went to visit her grave as a child with my nan and put a few flowers on her grave. Fanny's story was used as a cautionary tale for myself and my cousin in regards to talking to strangers whilst we were growing up. It's awful that this happened to her
Oddly enough though, he wasn’t a ‘stranger’ but someone the kids knew from church. Still … The first ‘enticements’ should’ve / could’ve triggered the girls intuition warnings. What a different outcome it might’ve been had they ran …
@@bryanthunderfootporter4436 well they knew him from the church, so maybe they thought he's harmless and just as what the narrator said before, there were no history of crimes until then so obv the parents never told them how dangerous some human can be
@@bryanthunderfootporter4436 the dude just snatched her up when she refused to go... do you think running woud have deterred him? also, when you're having a conversation with someone that you know, even if they're acting strange or creepy, most people just wouldn't run... it's rude, and humans tend to avoid being rude, even to the last second, it comes with being a social species. But again,,, this dude just straight up picked her up, they would've run all of ten steps and he'd've caught up, these were 8 and 5 year old little girls, intuition is nothing more than experience and they didn't have that, c'mon now
That was incredibly sad, but you putting flowers on her grave and touching her headstone actually made me tear up. What a great episode on a great channel. Thank you!!
You know why we're all so touched by that simple, kind act? Because not only is it rare, but it is a deep look into the people who produce these videos. They are genuinely kind and decent and we all resonate with the tenderness to a murdered child.
It’s so sad when the last thing remembered about a person is the awful way they died. I really appreciate that you did your best to tell us WHO she was, not just what happened to her
It wasn't just 150 years ago that people were that stupid. In the early 50s a fat woman showed up at a Catholic school in Missouri to kidnap a wealthy man's son. She claimed she was his aunt and that his mother was sick and she was taking him home. The boy didn't know this woman from anywhere, but a nun let him go with her, no questions asked. The woman then got into a taxi, met up with her boyfriend, drove with him to an isolated spot, and walked her dog while the boyfriend killed the child, who fought for his life. Then they called the parents and demanded a huge ransom, which the father paid in spite of the male criminal giving one excuse after another why the boy wouldn't answer questions or talk on the phone (more stupidity.) 😖
The way that guy behaved....you can tell he's already done this before AND has gotten away with it because he thinks his standing in society will just benefit him again. This was not his first victim but last. Poor girl 😢
As an adult , I was assaulted by a man I did housework for , He said to me , when I broke away from him , shocked and wideeyed . No ONE will ever believe you ,if you bring charges , I'm a FREEMASON, and the courts are in my favour , do your worst ,I'm not scared of what you'll do , . ,
I am American and have only ever heard this phrase used in sailor songs. What a tragic story. Fanny sounds like such an amazing girl, standing her ground for herself and her sister and friend. Thank you for telling her story in such a respectful way.
My late Grannie used to say this a lot. I never knew she was a real person and the horrendous story. She looked a beautiful little girl. This is such a sad story. Thank you for retelling this story, and putting flowers on her grave.
My late nan, who lived in Hampshire, used to use the name when talking about somebody and not wanting to use their actual name. "Ol' Fanny Adams over there". Not sure where that came from.
Is there no record of Frederick Baker's earlier life? Where he moved from? As others pointed out, it's unlikely that Fanny was his first victim, and I'm surprised no one has tried to retrace his steps and connect him to other unsolved murders.
Well bk n those. Days. Was. Hard ppl bk then not to smart to think of those things. & lack of communication. Remember. No raido. No tv to inform ppl of whats going on like today.
@@sherrylamb5820 Not really - they had telegraph for communication and newspapers every day, in some places twice a day (morning and evening), sold by town criers and stands that relayed the current news as well as any radio or tv of later years did. People were quite well informed about major crimes. It's much more likely that because it took place in a small town where serious crimes were rare, and whose local police force were almost certainly far less educated then those in the city, that nobody ever attempted to search for further crimes to connect with that (and it was likely beyond their pay grade and resources to seriously consider anyway). Even if they had investigated, and it had gotten nowhere, we probably wouldn't know because it's easy for such records to be lost to time if nothing became of the investigation. In a city where multiple murders occur (such as the Jack The Ripper murders), it's far more prudent for the police (or Scotland Yard) to investigate to avoid widespread panic and public scrutiny in their work.
Little is known about Baker unfortunately. What is apparent from witnesses who lived in the town is that he exhibited bizarre and erratic behaviour and apparently was extremely pale, almost corpse like. There’s a book by David Green which goes into more detail but I have yet to read it.
@@avacatherine5646 it's stunning to me that a new resident who was so widely known to be bizarre and erratic scoops up a little girl and the friend's mother's reaction is "meh, you're making it up." like first of all SHE CAME HOME WITHOUT FANNY, that's clue number 1 right there, and if ANYONE was gonna commit a crime for the first time in her lifetime, wouldn't it be the bizarre and erratic new guy?
That's really pretty awful that her name has become synonymous with nothing. She wasn't nothing, she was somebody and a good person from all accounts. A virtual pat on the back for placing flowers at her grave. That's a fine thing to do.👍
The phrase “Sweet Fanny Adams” either needs a new meaning or to be dropped. That precious little girl shouldn’t be linked with bad meats or something worthless… 💔. Rest In Peace baby girl!❤️
@@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500 Just curious but were you born an adult? Because if I’m not mistaken EVERY adult was once a child, are you saying people worthless until they make it to adulthood? What was your point, besides showing your genius?
When you described sailors' offensive and insulting slang usage of the phrase, I got nauseated 🤢 I'm so glad Fanny managed to get justice in a world that seldom takes women and children at their word. You did great respect with the way you told her story, hats off to you, sir!
People were insanely protective of women and children in the past. It's just the modern narrative that they used to mean nothing to anybody. They put women and children on a pedestal. Men worked because they thought women were too good and pure to work. That's why all the men on the titanic died to save the women and children. And I'm not saying it used to be better or we should go back to it. Just that they weren't look at as nothing. There's other cultures where when there's a shipwreck the women die because it's just everybody for themselves and the men are the first to get themselves to safety and the women are left behind. When the taliban took over Afghanistan this year most of the men just ditched their wives and children to try to get on planes for America, leaving them in the hands of the taliban. I watched the videos of them doing it. It was awful. That's what it looks like when people don't care about women.
@@thorlo1278 Allah means God... Please don't pretend Christianity and islam arent simply a different following of different profits teachings. They are the same, facts don't care about your feelings
@@jocelynneville8504 they were only protective of women if the women stuck to a very airtight set of rules. If you strayed from the norm, it would be hard to find even a husband to defend your honor
@@user-xj4yv3qo3v You're using a scene from a movie to contradict actual records from the time? We know exactly who was on the Titanic and who died. Overall statistics: 20% of men survived 74% of women survived 52% of children survived Now, it appears that on other sinkings, there may not have been a "women and children first" attitude, but there clearly was on the Titanic. Some lifeboats were launched only partly filled because there were only men available to get in them. Men were also killed as witches. Men are the ones sent off to fight and die in wars - even today, women and children are being evacuated from Ukraine but men are not allowed to leave. What statistics are you referring to when you say "Statistics and reality show males always leave females behind and couldn't care less except when they can use and exploit them"?
Thank you for this video. I hadn’t heard of this and it’s absolutely horrific. I personally things it’s quite disturbing to use her name in such a derogatory way. She was a sweet little girl who was treated like garbage for sick pleasure. She deserves to be remember and spoken of with respect and empathy just as anyone else.
You told a very tragic story with much dignity, respect, and excellence. Very noble of you to tell this story and put flowers on the child's grave. Much respect to you sir!
I never heard of the phrase , but I’m in the USA . Poor Fanny Adam’s ….. maybe most people don’t know who Fanny is or the story . If they did , they probably wouldn’t say it . My Nann used to always say , “ well , I never “ What a great story teller you are !
The phrase is also used in Australia, (not so much with younger generations) but this is probably due to our connection with England. Somehow the phrase 'sweet Fanny Adams' has in England and Australia morphed into 'sweet FA' meaning sweet fuck all. Don't know how that happened!
This was quite common with my Grandmother's generation. That use is now rather redundant as younger people have not known about the history and assume Sweet FA means.. erm.. Sweet F..k All. For example, "What did he do about it?" Response "Sweet FA!". It is a derisory comment but, thank goodness, a murdered little girl has been freed from association. If I do come across it, I will explain the history. I would rather have the modern use than the memory of this poor child disrespected.
This is one of the most respectful true crime videos I've ever watched. Heartbreaking what happened. Infuriating. The presentation of her story gave me some hope in the humanity of people. Thank you.
Honorably and respectfully told - when you brought flower to her grave, that's just so very sweet, finally giving that poor girl some well deserved thoughts all these decades later. Thanks for the content, I recently discovered your channel!
I can’t help but think of the awful fear that went through young Fanny’s mind when that monster took her against her will. She was such a young, innocent girl. 😮😔🥺 It was so nice of the narrator to place flowers on her grave. 🌸🌺💐
I bet my life that Baker had previous victims; he had to have built up to a crime that gruesome. I've never used that phrase and I'm probably not going to start now that I know it's grim origin.
What a monster. Glad he got caught. A true storyteller you are, Sir. Thank you for sharing Fanny's story and keeping her lovely, innocent spirit alive.
I felt a sorrowful pang in my chest when you placed flowers on her grave, and perhaps a little shame - that having used the phrase most my life, I had no idea of its true origin. I'll think of her when I hear the phrase next time, but might think twice about using it again myself.
@@annsmarpat9500 I've only ever heard/used, sweet fuck all. I've never before heard anyone say sweet Fanny adams or sweet FA. Obviously using sweet Fanny Adams to refer to nothing, is sick, but I don't see anything wrong with using sweet fuck all.
I've lived in Alton all of my life. And as a child born in the 80's and grew up in the 90's, the tragic story of Fanny Adams brutal murder, was explained to us in primary school. The synonymous phrase "Sweet F A"and the macabre comparison of tinned meat to the remains of this innocent soul, was left out and was not something i learned until my early teens. Her memory will forever live on and her story forever told. Thank you for using your influence on social media and storytelling prowess, to bring us such captivating content. You, sir are a legend!
I have never heard this either since being here in the USA. I am also happy they stopped him from doing that again. Horrible sad true story . Very horrible.
The saying is no longer one to signify 'nothing' to me. It will be a story to share of a sweet child whose life was far too short and brutally ended by a man I refuse to remember. Sweet Fanny, loved and remembered by people who never met you.
"Well. I never!", is a phrase used in the South that is used when one hears something so terrible or unbelievable there are no words to describe it. I am 80 yo and have heard it all my life, but have never heard where or how it originated. What an awful thing to have happen to poor little Fanny. So glad they hanged the monster that murdered her.
I agree. The phrase they are referring to, though, is not "Well I never," but "Sweet Fanny Adams," an expression in the UK apparently. "Well I never" does not appear to be in any way problematic. What a horrible tragedy.
@@dafyddil -- No, I think she is referring to the phrase "Well, I never" as being something 'too awful' whereas the phrase "Sweet Fanny Adams" went through several iterations and came to mean 'total inaction' and a euphemism for 'sweet fuck all'.
This was a cruel act of savagery. I can only imagine the fear and pain this poor girl went through. Being forcibly whisked away from her sister and best friend uncertain to ever see them again. Only then you wonder what ungodly things he did to the poor child. I cried knowing there could have only been one thing considering the outcome. The second most horrible thought was strangulation or beheading her while she was alive. He snuffed a life of this young sweet girl. I have a daughter myself whom I worry about the moment I don’t hear her. So I can sympathize with Harriet in the grief and loss of a child being taken from you, and having to continue on with life everyday without her. I pray they reunited together. 😭🙏🏼❤️
I don't think her name should be used to describe bad meat. The dear little one was viciously murdered and she should be remembered with love. Thank you for sharing her story and placing flowers on her grave. New Subscriber
It wasn't bad meat The mutton had shrunk in the canning process so it seemed that there wasn't much in the can.(not all of poor fannys body parts were found hence not all the meat in the tin.) The sailors at that time were not the sort of fellow you would invite for tea.
I’ve recently discovered this channel and I have to say, people like you are why I still watch true crime stories. You are incredibly respectful of the victims and you tell the story so well. ❤
I love how respectful you are when speaking of victims of crimes. Thank you for treating them as people rather than just characters. It sets you apart from a lot of other people, well done!
If I remember correctly, we, as young children, used the saying "Sweet Fanny Adams" as a negative response to a question of knowing something. And I do not recall ever being told from where the name/saying originated. I personally did not know that a young girl named Fanny Adams ever existed. I am deeply sorry that this young child was besmirched in such a way. Coming from a "working class" family, I am aware of class structures and positions in society. However, to use the awful dismembering of this child as a common phrase for so long, beggars belief. We have a lot to learn, don't we? I do not recall hearing the phrase for many years so I am hoping that it's use has declined or even faded out of use altogether. Sadly, horrific murders have continued and the future does not bode well for their decline nor disappearance.
Well said! I totally agree 👍 I remember the phrase from childhood, too, but always thought the phrase "sweet FA" stood for "sweet f--- all" & that the name "Fanny Adams" was made up - as a way to try and make the phrase more polite, but keeping the initials so that everyone knew what you really meant. I had no idea that she was a real person who had met such a terrible end & feel awful for using the phrase now! I meant no disrespect and certainly wouldn't have done so if I'd known the story... I thought I was using the "polite version" rather than swearing. I know that many of the "innocent" things in our society (particularly nursery rhymes) have unsavoury origins, but this is by far the worst. RIP Fanny Adams. I certainly won't be saying that sweet child's name in a callous way again 💕
I've lived in the U.K. 18 years and had never heard this phrase until today watching this video. Hopefully it's not in the younger generations' slang, though I'd have a hard time believing most young people would ever use it, especially once they learned the true meaning.
You’re a fantastic TH-camr and a breath of fresh air compared to the usual “content creators” on TH-cam. Keep up the good work and respect for putting flowers on poor Fanny’s grave, may she rest in eternal peace.
Being American I've never really heard of this expression, except maybe in English movies. And here I thought horrible, gruesome murders were only a thing of modern times. That poor, sweet girl. He had to have been insane to do that to a child!
I'm American. I know a band in the 1970s called The Sweet or sometimes just Sweet had a hit song titled Sweet F A. I always wondered what that meant, but you couldn't find anything about it in America. This was before the internet and everyone had access to computers at school, home, or the local library
I'd figured he sexually assaulted her and then killed her, and that has been happening since the beginning, but people just didn't talk about it. The by-line for the newspaper was "All the news that is fit to print."
it's weird seeing videos about her because i grew up with the story of her murder and have spent afternoons in the cemetary checking up on her grave. it's nice to see that the headstone is still in good condition, i suppose it's the least we can do for this little girl:')
8:46 PM I'm in Mississippi This was the very 1st video I ever seen of yours And you got me the moment you touched that child's grave It takes a humble person to actually see the pain across your face Imo that child knew you were there Now I'll never in my life be able to add my voice to her sorrow But through you, I thank you, Cause I believe she could hear us both And knows someone in this world loves her
Eh? She's dead. Were you not listening? She died in the 1800s so it's quite sick/sadistic of you to think she's still in her grave listening away. Weird.
This channel is just incredible. Literally the same production quality as a Nat Geo special. Also, I somehow have never heard this story. I've heard of some horrible, gruesome murders, but this is wild... pedophiles typically strangle their child victims, beheading? Just horrible.
Then there was that pedophile Lawrence Bernard Singleton, who cut off his 15yr old victims arms, and threw her down a cliff where he left her to die. By some miracle she lived to tell the tale.
@@jannalam6861 But he cut her arms off , so they could not get fingerprints from her to identify her back then, as he thought he'd left her for dead. Google says: Released from prison after serving only eight years of his fourteen-year sentence, he went on to murder a woman in Florida, for which he was sentenced to death in 1997. He died in 2001 of natural causes before the sentence could be carried out. It is believed that he may have killed over a dozen women in his lifetime.
Everything I read says that there was no sign of rape. That doesn't mean there wasn't though, just that with the knowledge available then they didn't believe any happened.
Having lived in Alton and some of its nearby villages, I knew of the connection to Fanny Adams and her tragic murder but not the gruesome details of what actually happened to her. Wicked in the extreme. Thanks for shedding light upon it.
The respect you showed this poor child was an amazing breath of fresh air in an ever-worsening world of indifference and self-absorption. I commend you for it. Subscribed!!!
I like the epitaph on her tombstone. "Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell." Fanny wasn't afraid of this man. She stood her ground against him until he overpowered her. He's a coward. Not someone to be feared. God, however, will see to it that both the body and soul of this worm is destroyed for what he did to her. Also, that seems like a disrespectful use of her name. I'm not British, so I feel weird commenting on it, but I don't like it.
If only that were true, but there is no such thing as a soul, or god. But even if there was a god, the Christian god, then based on their faith, he’ll be in heaven anyway. Because bloody murder doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you accept Jesus is god. I’m sure he also got a priest before his scheduled death, asked for forgiveness, and absolved himself of everything. It’s a stupid religion
Thank you Paul for this heartfelt story. I hadn’t heard of this term used here in Australia for many years and I am 67. However, I do recall it being used. Thank you for bringing the story to light. I can now pass this on to my friends and family. A lovely respectful gesture from you Paul at Fanny’s grave . I think this story has brought her restoration. Another reason why I respect this channel.
My mother used to use the term 'Sweet Fanny Adams' whenever something went wrong. I always understood from her usage of the term that it expressed dismay over something that shouldn't have happened. Perhaps the British sailors thought the bad tinned meat was something that should never have happened, either.
My mum also says "my giddy aunt and Gordon Bennett", she's 87 now and I think these names will disappear soon from people's mouths. Poor Fanny though, I always wish that bastards who kill children especially should receive the most painful karma
This is so humanizing, resonantly informative, and kind. So many things we say have unknown horrible or detestable origins, what saddens and often (maybe too often) frustrates me is how many people refuse to change the habit of using these terms when made aware of their meaning. I'm going to use "remember Fanny Adams" when I hear of adults disregarding the words/fears of children.
I think it is very disrespectful and cruel to make a mockery of such a sick situation...especially when a child was involved.Thank you for such wonderful in depth coverage,I have never seen it delivered with more compassion or thoroughness...that's just the great standard for this wonderful channel anyways...You placing the flowers in remembrance of that innocent defenseless child ,I think t here we're many of us right there with you...
I do agree, but the tendency to make grim black humor continued. There is a litany of Helen Keller jokes ... and what do you call a man with no arm and no legs who ..... ? Art Matt Russell Bob Phil ...
I’m American and I’ve never heard of the phrase “sweet Fanny Adam’s”, but it’s horrible that it’s used to describe poor quality meat. She was a child, she deserves to not be compared to meat. Heartbreaking case
That was a beautifully produced episode, worthy of the memory of that unfortunate little girl. The expression only underlines the sheer unnatural quality of the act in stark irony. To trivialize the most monstrous of acts is one way to cope with life's intrinsic fragility and overwhelming uncertainty. We can more easily appreciate what is dear to us by the remembrance of what has been so cruelly taken from others.
Oh my gosh, I never knew that Fanny Adams was real! I've heard and used the saying before, but won't from now on. The little girl deserves to be remembered, but not likened with something without worth.
Why couldn’t the phrase Sweet Fanny Adams have a hoping meaning instead of such an awful one. That’s my wish. I think it cruel to that her name was attached to an awful meaning because of the horrible way she was murdered.
It was a different time then. Society was more desensitised to horrors such as violence, famine, epidemics, etc and engaged in ironic and morbid humour more often. Our transition to a more empathetic society is a (relatively) recent development, aided mainly by an improvement in standards of living. If, heaven forbid, we slide back into more desperate living conditions in future, our level of empathy would drop or even vanish entirely.
@@beno1129 Whipping sailors for minor infractions was common back then, and frankly if I was a captain and I heard my men making jokes comparing a meat tin to the way a child’s remains were compiled, I’d make sure to make a lot of jokes about issuing new uniforms with nice red stripes the next time I heard it.
Seeing you putting flowers on her grave brought tears to my eyes, I won't lie. Poor Fanny :( The phrase of Sweet Fanny Adams to describe canned meat is cold, but to use her memory to mean "nothing"? Spoiler alert for those who haven't watched the whole video yet...but Baker cut the poor child to pieces! Back then, the people might've thought she no longer resembled a human being, but when that monster paid the price and his neck snapped, no soul came out...he didn't have one. I'm not one to tell people what should/shouldn't be said...and I'm not saying this as a "pun", but the phrase is simply tasteless. R. I. H. Little Fanny Adams.
I suppose navy life can be quite rough, and that the phrase might have come from the way she died. It's a British humour thing that when something really horrible happens, we make jokes about it to lighten the horror. So she was treated worse than a slaughtered animal by her killer. Maybe I'm stretching the point, but also then the 'nothing' meaning might have come from the general horror that she was treated without humanity. I'm assuming her killer was a psychopath, who took an opportunity presented to him. I don't think they had that word then to describe such people. He was obviously acting under delusions - he did not really make any efforts to cover his tracks.
Just wanted to say I've never heard the phrase used for bad meat, but I have heard it used (in childhood) for meaning 'haven't got a clue'. I think it has more or less fallen out of use over my lifetime.
Outstanding. As a professional in the death industry, I found your memorial to Fanny Adams to be tasteful, educational, and very meaningful. Thank you for telling her story... As long as we speak her name, she is still alive. Well done.
Even here on the west coast of the US I have heard the phrase "Sweet Fanny Adams" (although admittedly not often, nor recently), but I had no idea there was such a tragedy at it's origin. Thank you for sharing her story, and for the flowers you left for her.
Such a tragic story 🥲 terrible for poor fanny 🥺and also for Lizzie and Minnie when they knew what happened after they want believed ! 😭 having to live with that must be awful -loved the on location though 👍🏻
This poor family lost their 8-year-old princess very brutally. My heart goes out to this family long after their deaths. There is no returning to any form of normalice.
Now I know the story of Fanny Adams, I choose to think that every time her name is mentioned, regardless of the context, her existence gets a spark of recognition - more than just a memory. Thank you for such a tactile reminder of a time long lost to these modern times.
What an incredibly sad event; I hate to think the terror little Fanny Adams must have felt. Lose the saying, it simply belittles the little girl's life and horrible end. I must add I only recently found your channel and as an academic historian I must give you kudos for your work. Your compassion at Fanny's grave was so kind.
I grew up in a village close to Alton, Farringdon, and know the area well, so I grew up knowing the story (and the Sweet FA terms) and have also visited her grave. Thank you for presenting this gruesome story in a respectful manner and leaving those beautiful flowers for her. Seeing you there brought back so many memories of my past.
Me and my wife visited Alton sometime in the 80s when we lived near Portsmouth. A lovely little town, we took a walk out by some meadows and on the way back, met a local man who told us this tale. The term 'sweet Fanny Adams' was common but we had taken it as the profane expression meaning 'nothing'. The tale as we were told included the further gruesome detail that Baker had strewn the poor girls innards on the hop plants and canes as though trimming a Christmas tree.
This is my first video from this channel. The amount of effort into its production is insane. I can't believe this is really out for free 😭 Thanks so much and keep at it!
Few older stories have touched me so deeply as this little girl. You described her personality in such detail that it was impossible not to Love her, nor to feel devastated along with her mother and rage along with her father. Luckily, the criminal was as stupid and arrogant as he was selfish, lustful and barbarous. Thank you for keeping the primary focus on the child, her family, and the grief-stricken town.
Wow I have never in my life heard that story (though I’m American so I’ve also never heard of the phrase ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’ either). Thank you for telling her story. What a horrific murder and that Fredrick is such a monster. The gall he had to show his face to the girls then STAY in town, like what?! RIP Fanny Adams💜
What I found disconcerting was that this "gentleman" was that crazy, yet appeared to dress well, and held down a perfectly respectable job. I am always very curious to know how neurologists and psychiatrists would analyze a person like this.
I never knew there was a real Fanny Adams, so it hasn't really told her story. I think we should stop using the term. Thank you for presenting this account with such care and compassion.
The saying has kept the memory of her alive. Her story hasn't faded in time like so many others. I never knew it all before. So Thank You for sharing it and indeed leaving flowers on the poor little girl's grave.
The moment in the video, where it wasnt 100% confirmed that she died, but the the image of Lizzy standing beside the gravestone really made me feel.. i cant even describe it🥺 Rest in peace Fanny❤️
it infuriates me to hear that Fanny's friend's mother dismissed the story because she was so certain nothing could ever happen. I can't entirely blame her, but that type of thinking gets people killed. as sad as it is you are never completely safe. don't be naive.
It’s disgusting that the Tragic murder of little Fanny (on par with Jack the Ripper) became an off the cuff phrase for bad tinned meat! That is truly sick. The phrase should never be used again.
@@nielszindel1151 Different times, for sure. But I can't help but think that if it was her daughter who got grabbed and taken away by the man, she would've dropped everything and ran after them. That's what a mother would do, no matter what. The fact that she did not think another person's child has worth even considering making sure that Fanny is alright is just shocking.
@@nielszindel1151 you're telling me 200 years ago they didn't have common sense or empathy? 😂 no matter how "safe" a place is, it should be common sense to think something's up when your daughter comes home and tells you her friend got taken away by a man
Another great video, I love when you go on location. I went to college in Alton but wasn’t aware of this tragedy until a few years after I’d left. The flowers on the grave was a beautiful touch xxx
I'd never come across your channel before, but the compassion with which you treated the subject matter was striking. Very well done. Your laying of flowers was a very touching gesture. You have just gained a subscriber.
Thank you for sharing this story. I never knew... I'm shocked her name would be used in such ill manner. This made me tear up 😢 thank you for placing flowers on her stone ❤
you are an incredible storyteller ! it’s so heartbreaking to hear this story but the bit at the end where you sat flowers at her grave was truly touching. thank you for bringing light to this sweet baby’s story.
How horrific it would have been for Fanny and her family is just devastating. So nonchalantly mentioned in the dairy. It is not a phrase I'd want to use, now I'm aware of the soldiers reference, thanks for explaining Her story so well, most of all thanks for making Her story known and essentially prooving that Her life was "someone, somebody and worth something".
Wow, poor girl, Used the term a thousand times but never knew or actually thought of where it came from so thank you for telling this terribly sad story.
I don't think I could use it again in the context I have always used it. I am going to try and think of something positive to use it for to keep her memory alive and try to remove the disgusting "Bad Meat" meaning that it was originally intended for. How horrible that grown men should use the name of an innocent child, brutally murdered at the hands of a monster, to describe their tinned rations.
@@heidicross6878 I agree, I'm going to tell this story to as many people i can and spread the word, we used to live near Alton and never knew, on the sailors, different times and different attitudes.
It is incomprehensible how Baker could have been so determined to kill Fanny that he abducted her right in front of her two friends and he murdered her even though there were two little girls who could be witnesses against him. I noticed that the crime took place in August, and he was hanged in December of the same year. I wonder how folks back then would react if they knew that a hundred and fifty years later, we would have prisoners sitting on death row for decades and finally dying of natural causes.
Exactly!!! We do not have justice against monsters in this world today. I screened another video recently about a man named Lake and his accomplice named Ng. They are believed to have killed 25 people. Upon being caught, Lake committed suicide. Ng fled but was eventually caught and prosecuted in California. Jury found him guilty of 11 murders, and he was sentenced to death. That was roughly 20 years ago, and he is STILL in prison. The documentary said it cost California $20 million dollars to prosecute him for the crimes, but in reality, it has cost tax payers FAR more than $20 million dollars because he is still being. housed, clothed, fed, and given medical care in prison. Just think how far $20 million dollars would go to helping our schools, the poor, children, the elderly, etc. I know people who worked hard labour job all of their lives only to "retire" on SS benefits so small that they would not cover the rent on the tiniest apartment much less the other necessities of life including medical care, yet we are housing monsters like these in prisons all over the country. People in other centuries in other cultures would never have been so stupid! Would ANY culture in the ancient world have done this, for example? Hell no!!
@@joannemadden7449 ...Okay buddy, those are human beings you're talking about, and when they are being forcibly confined by the state, they do actually need to provided with things like food, clothing, medical care, and contact with loved ones. If those things are not provided, the institution is not a prison, it is a death camp. Which are generally frowned upon. Furthermore, there's ALSO a long history of people being wrongfully convicted, especially in the United States; one notable case that come to mind are a 16 year old boy who was accused of having started the Pioneer Hotel fire, with the 'evidence' leading to his conviction being that he was black, and the team of white investigators had 'scientifically determined' that the fire must have been started by a black person. He was proven innocent and released from prison when he was 58, and recieved no compensation from the state of Arizona for his wrongful imprisonment. Or like, just look up the reality of 'forensic investigations' and you'll see how complete fucking nonsense they are, despite being used as evidence to put people on death row - there's been multiple cases of people being sentenced to death because their hairs were found at the scene of the crime, only for it later to be discovered that not only was it not their hair, it wasn't even human hair. Like yeah this story is all very upsetting, but very few cases are as obvious as this one, and a lot of people are wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. And even when the prisoners are blatantly guilty, the entire point of human rights is that it's agreed upon that literally every single human deserves to have them. And withholding things like food, water, clothing, shelter, and social contact? Those are all considered torture, which is generally frowned upon. Prison conditions are already really fucking bad dude, literally nobody needs to be advocating for prisons to be even worse. Sorry to hear about your soul getting lost, hope it turns up soon.
@@dickbong3661 My Husband was murdered almost 6yrs ago AND the bastard is still walking around free, so excuse me if I'm running a little low on goodwill. I wonder just how much you'd have in reserve if the most precious thing in your life was torn away from you and U had to see the BODY TORN TO PIECES. This MAN made lunches and collected blankets for the homeless, help those kicking the habit and rather than take someone to jail when a store called because some woman or man stole food or diapers, he'd pay for it himself. Your right MY SOUL DIED WITH HIM, AND WHILE YOUR ON YOUR SOAPBOX, YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOU ASSUME THAT YOUR THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT THE PRISON SYSTEM!!!
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I often heard 'sweet Fanny Adams' as a child. It generally meant ' nothing'. My mother forbade us to say it. She would not let us disrespect a little girl who had suffered like that.
Thanks mum. X
Your mom is a good person
Good for your mum. Honour & respect.
Good for her!
Are you sure it isn’t because it’s used instead of “fuck all”?
Thanks to your mama from me as well!
It's heartbreaking what happened to an innocent little girl. That her name is used as slang for poor quality meat is downright insulting to the memory of that child/person.
so true. got a couple of thoughts while reading your comment. insulting yes but sad to say remembered because of it, although less so now i think, it was my granny that told me the story. and nowadays it's sweet f*** all
Agreed
Spot on i thaught it meant f### all but now ive heard the tragic story of the wee girl ill never be using that phrase its not used much in scotland but ive heard it said RIP little fanny 😢
I agree, it makes death seem unimportant and is very demeaning to this child,VERY disrespectful
For real haha how did that happen? I hope her mom never heard it.
The saddest part for me is how the kids tried to do the smart thing. Even being very sheltered, they knew this guy was suspicious. They said no to money and candy. They said no, we won't let our friend go alone. They ran and told an adult what happened as fast as they could. We can't know if Fanny would have been saved if the first adult had listened to them, but it's hard not to wonder.
@Seven Inches of Throbbing Pink Jesus oh look a religion contrarian online! How original. Feel better?
@Seven Inches of Throbbing Pink Jesus *edgelord entered the chat* how's mamas basement?
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ Amen!! Time is running out! Come Lord come!!
I would be so sad to be her mother and to know that is what lives on of your child's legacy
@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ Not the time.
Minnie’s mother’s reaction was extremely unfortunate, and so difficult for me to comprehend, even knowing the something of the naïveté of the time and place. I’m sure she was racked with guilt for the rest of her life. It’s too bad they didn’t run into Mrs. Gardener or Fanny’s mother, first, even though they still probably couldn’t have saved her. Such a heartbreaking story, altogether. There have always been evil people in society.
Hello Brenda, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
He was sick beyond comprehension.
Even if she went 1st time, took time to get a man/copper she prob already gone.
Stop using it. Implies her life had no value. “Poorquality meat” totally insensitive.
@@carolgregorblomquist4888its actually much grosser if you think about it. From the context of what happened
I loved the fact that Fanny stood her ground, after having been enticed by that monster, with money and sweets...she wanted to stay with her sister and friend....that's what Fanny should be remembered for...for friendship.
She does seem to have been a strong little girl, but of course she could not overpower that monster. RIP Fanny
Try
No.
And being streetwise
Absolutely, strength and loyalty
Not gonna lie, teared up when I saw you putting flowers on her grave. Not many TH-camrs would do that. They would just film her grave and walk away. Thank you for being thoughtful.
I agree entirely
Same here. I sat in disbelief and horror throughout the video, then got really choked up when I saw the flowers being laid.
Very touching & sweet thing to do indeed. Thank you dear sir.💐💐💐💐💐Rest in peace sweet child.🙏
all youtubers would if they lived near a grave...why lie and say they wouldn't with your fake photo
some would pick them up when they left or use flowers at another grave and then returned them when they are done.
people know things like that touch emotions, which could be why they do it.
in this case, it seems sweet and sincere, but who knows?
🤷♂🤷♂
I live in Alton. Fanny's grave is still quite frequently visited. People often leave little trinkets and toys there (you can just see a little toy on one of the arms of the headstone in the video). She is still remembered here.
Is Alton towers in alton
@@prochoicenotantivax119 Not in my Alton. There are two Altons- one in Hampshire (where I live) and as mentioned the other one (where Alton Towers is) is in Staffordshire, almost the other end of the country. I have met a few people who have arrived in this Alton when they intended to go to the other one. Unfortunately this Alton is considerably less exciting.
That's beautiful
@@prochoicenotantivax119 No, it is a different place. My maternal grandparents lived there and I spent several summers there and the village of Farringdon some three miles away. Loved my time there!
@@prochoicenotantivax119
I guess you can choose Alton Towers to be wherever you want it to be.
As a mother of a girl myself, this story makes my heart ache. That poor girl. She tried to do everything right and was a ray of sunshine, talking to everyone. And then that monster treated her like that.
I did not grow up in an english speaking environment, but to have a phrase like that thrown around... what a nightmare for everyone who loved that little girl, and how utterly disgraceful to be a thing at all.
I hope little Fanny rests in piece and her star shines bright in every night sky.
Hello Anna, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
A particular adult I remember used it when I was a kid but they didnt know its deeper meaning when I asked them. All they knew is it meant nothing. "What did you get"? may be the question. "Sweet Fanny Adams" was the reply. It has morphed into Sweet F*** all or Sweet FA.
Rest in peace
Tough times.
Imagine how her friend’s mother felt for not believing her when she said she’d been snatched. Well done to the young boy who spoke up when he saw the evil man washing his hands.
I hope she felt all the guilt in the world. That dumb bitch wasted soo much time because she dismissed those children regarding the situation as playing. All because nothing bad has ever happened there. Evil always has a beginning
She'd have been joining Fanny in the grave if that was my daughter. I'd have blamed her forever. Whether it was her fault or not, I wouldn't be able to move on knowing she could have done something in time but brushed it off. Who knows how long she was alive for before he'd finished. He probably did other things to her before he killed her. She might have been saved if that woman had acted immediately. Doesn't matter what year it was, if a man was determined to get a kid to go with him then picked her up and walked off, he's obviously got nefarious intentions. She's almost just as to blame.
@@melodyvalentine8779 I totally agree.
@@melodyvalentine8779 It is hard to excuse someone who would do that. What would she have done if it had been Minnie he carried off, not Fanny? Either way, any right thinking adult would have raised the alarm immediately. This man had only lived there 2 months; they knew Nothing about him. Even f it had been a local, you would react. I have lived in villages like Alton, where everyone knows everyone else and we all look out for the kids. If a child had told me Jose had just carried off her friend, I would have been in the bar across the street telling the local men, even if I was the incomer. It just doesn't happen, now Or then!
@Melody Valentine she wasn’t “almost as much to blame,” but I’m confident she felt far more guilt than he ever did. She made a bad decision not out of malice, and I’m confident it haunted her forever. There have been periods in history where humor could be pretty dark. She’d met this man and probably couldn’t fathom him doing something like that.
The fact that Baker had only moved to the area a few months before set off alarm bells for me. I could believe, easily that he did something similar in more than one small town.
That was my thinking too. Maybe he had gotten away with it too often before. Hence the fact he left behind witnesses. Thinking he was simply untouchable due to his status and previous actions.
Exactly!
Agreed! His determination was scary, especially the fact that he tried different tactics without hesitation. Everything screamed a seasoned killer at large.
Exactly that man had likely hurt lots of children and people, so sad😢
I thought the same.
I loved that you showed the area and placed flowers on her grave. The latter was a sweet gesture.
It was just for show. He actually bought the flowers for his wife on their anniversary and took them home to her after recording his video smh
🤔😖☝
@@yourmom9951 You are no one's mom. Your mind has not got beyond the age of 13 when you discovered how to shock people by saying things like this. Go back to the playground.
@@yourmom9951 that's rude. Go away.
@@yourmom9951 I bet you're fun at parties....
The fact that the kids immediately tried to get help but went unheard is heartbreaking. And you leaving flowers to her grave now that all her loved ones are gone was so sweet I tested up. I hope she found peace, she absolutely didn’t deserve what happened to her
This sweet, innocent little girl, should not be remembered as something worthless. May she forever be remembered as a bright star, who loved to talk to everyone.
She is not remembered as something worthless, her remains were so sparse...
It’s not an expression I’ve ever used and I didn’t know the story of the little girl either. It’s
not one I ever intend to use, especially now.😪
my Nana too, she'd say that's disrespectful don't say it, but i don't think she realized what sweet FA also mean't, lol bit naive my Nana
I am sure God is looking after her now
Yes, no child is worthless! Stop using her name in a derogatory meaning. Please.
I can only imagine how Minnie Warner's mother felt once she found out that Fanny actually had been kidnapped and that her daughter and Lizzie weren't joking. The guilt that would come with something like that.
She might have been able to prevent the death if she had raised an alert with Fanny's parents. A search party might have found the monster while he was still "playing" with his victim before dismembering her.
I got up to all sorts of mischief as a child, but I’m sure I wouldn’t have used a kidnapping of my best friend as a prank!
@@brianmccarthy5557 i've seen another video on this case and they thought she was killed within 20 minutes after she was taken, so it's unlikely she could have been saved.
She didn't care, are you deaf.
@@rneustel388 more than likely the woman just didn't care.
It makes one sadly wonder how many other children he had murdered before Fanny. He was way too slick and smooth with the abduction and way too fast and ruthless/brutal with the murder. He had to have many more victims that were never discovered. So terribly sad
The diary entry makes it seem like Fanny was the first time he had killed a little girl. Maybe, he had never killed anybody before.
Well thanks to stern punishment , he didn't kill any more. And the people got free entertainment.
Exactly. He is 29 and had only been in the town for 2 months. They needed to look into missing kids everywhere he lived. For him to use so little effort to conceal what he did, he was probably at the decompression stage of serial killing. They always get super casual and sloppy in the end. Imagine if Dahmer exercised better hygiene and cleanliness in his home. He probably would still be killing.
@@batintheattic7293 actually, not. The matter-of-factness of the entry seems as if he’s done this before. Not his first.
It wouldn't have been difficult to find similar (very rare) crimes even back then.
What a sad story. To think 3 little girls had gone out to play for one of them to be brutally murdered. It is still moving 150 years later. The flowers you laid on the grave was a kind touch. Thank you for uploading this sad story.
It's terrible that the probable rape and consequential murder & mutilation of a little girl was used as "slang" for bad meat. People can be truly disgusting.
Bless her, that poor baby went thru hell, and people •mocked• it. SMH.
Now I'll be saying, "Sweet Fanny Adams" in a way to honor this little girl.
Yes, me too, "as innocent as Sweet Fanny Adams."
Totally agree
If, as some people have suggested, he was a serial killer, then but for that slang, Fanny Adams name would have been long forgotten, just as everybody else's he may have murdered, has done.
@@vanessaouyang1220 It was never suggested he was a serial killer this is just silly conjecture nor was it ever suggested he sexually molester her that is just modern day peoples minds. He denied that right up till he was hung.
@@thelastpilot4582 : Do you understand what the word "if " means?
Thank you for covering this in a respectful way. I've lived in Alton my whole life and Fanny Adams is buried in the same cemetery as my grandad, so I often went to visit her grave as a child with my nan and put a few flowers on her grave. Fanny's story was used as a cautionary tale for myself and my cousin in regards to talking to strangers whilst we were growing up. It's awful that this happened to her
Oddly enough though, he wasn’t a ‘stranger’ but someone the kids knew from church. Still … The first ‘enticements’ should’ve / could’ve triggered the girls intuition warnings. What a different outcome it might’ve been had they ran …
@@bryanthunderfootporter4436 well they knew him from the church, so maybe they thought he's harmless and just as what the narrator said before, there were no history of crimes until then so obv the parents never told them how dangerous some human can be
@@bryanthunderfootporter4436 the dude just snatched her up when she refused to go... do you think running woud have deterred him? also, when you're having a conversation with someone that you know, even if they're acting strange or creepy, most people just wouldn't run... it's rude, and humans tend to avoid being rude, even to the last second, it comes with being a social species. But again,,, this dude just straight up picked her up, they would've run all of ten steps and he'd've caught up, these were 8 and 5 year old little girls, intuition is nothing more than experience and they didn't have that, c'mon now
I'm so pleased someone is still leaving flowers for her R.I.P.
Lovely of you to lay flowers 🌺🌸🌹🌷💐.......
That was incredibly sad, but you putting flowers on her grave and touching her headstone actually made me tear up. What a great episode on a great channel. Thank you!!
The touch of the headstone is what made me tear up, as well. It was such a comforting gesture to her memory.
I thought that was super sweet also.
I also thought it was a 😢sad story, but putting the flowers 💐 by the grave was a nice tribute...
You know why we're all so touched by that simple, kind act? Because not only is it rare, but it is a deep look into the people who produce these videos. They are genuinely kind and decent and we all resonate with the tenderness to a murdered child.
@@jennifermaurer100 Your kind words are just as touching!
It’s so sad when the last thing remembered about a person is the awful way they died. I really appreciate that you did your best to tell us WHO she was, not just what happened to her
I can’t even imagine how the friends mother felt, dismissing the child’s story.
Probably too stupid for anything to impact.
It wasn't just 150 years ago that people were that stupid. In the early 50s a fat woman showed up at a Catholic school in Missouri to kidnap a wealthy man's son. She claimed she was his aunt and that his mother was sick and she was taking him home. The boy didn't know this woman from anywhere, but a nun let him go with her, no questions asked. The woman then got into a taxi, met up with her boyfriend, drove with him to an isolated spot, and walked her dog while the boyfriend killed the child, who fought for his life. Then they called the parents and demanded a huge ransom, which the father paid in spite of the male criminal giving one excuse after another why the boy wouldn't answer questions or talk on the phone (more stupidity.) 😖
@pop pixie look up "Kidnapping of Bobby Greenlease"
I can’t stand people who do that. Too many people do that to kids.
@@SFVnative why is it important to describe the woman as "fat"?
The way that guy behaved....you can tell he's already done this before AND has gotten away with it because he thinks his standing in society will just benefit him again. This was not his first victim but last.
Poor girl 😢
As an adult , I was assaulted by a man I did housework for , He said to me , when I broke away from him , shocked and wideeyed . No ONE will ever believe you ,if you bring charges , I'm a FREEMASON, and the courts are in my favour , do your worst ,I'm not scared of what you'll do , . ,
Did you tell anyone? Because a guy like that shouldn't get away with that.
@@angelashort1331 I’m so sorry that happened to you.
@@angelashort1331 Really ? I'm sorry.
Was he an old guy ?
How do you know? It could be his first and last. You can’t assume
I am American and have only ever heard this phrase used in sailor songs. What a tragic story. Fanny sounds like such an amazing girl, standing her ground for herself and her sister and friend. Thank you for telling her story in such a respectful way.
.. my name's not the greatest but Fanny is Grose and used as a derogatory expression nowdays
My late Grannie used to say this a lot. I never knew she was a real person and the horrendous story. She looked a beautiful little girl. This is such a sad story. Thank you for retelling this story, and putting flowers on her grave.
Maybe your Grandma did not know where the saying came from
If theres an afterlife and your nice granny meets her im sure sheill give her a wee cuddle grannies are great
My late nan, who lived in Hampshire, used to use the name when talking about somebody and not wanting to use their actual name. "Ol' Fanny Adams over there". Not sure where that came from.
Actually, now I think about it I think that's Fanny Anne I'm remembering
@@smith549371 i think ur right my friends granda used to call them auld farty breath ower there
Is there no record of Frederick Baker's earlier life? Where he moved from? As others pointed out, it's unlikely that Fanny was his first victim, and I'm surprised no one has tried to retrace his steps and connect him to other unsolved murders.
Yes, I think maybe he could have been an early serial killer that was never connected to other crimes!
Well bk n those. Days. Was. Hard ppl bk then not to smart to think of those things. & lack of communication. Remember. No raido. No tv to inform ppl of whats going on like today.
@@sherrylamb5820 Not really - they had telegraph for communication and newspapers every day, in some places twice a day (morning and evening), sold by town criers and stands that relayed the current news as well as any radio or tv of later years did. People were quite well informed about major crimes. It's much more likely that because it took place in a small town where serious crimes were rare, and whose local police force were almost certainly far less educated then those in the city, that nobody ever attempted to search for further crimes to connect with that (and it was likely beyond their pay grade and resources to seriously consider anyway). Even if they had investigated, and it had gotten nowhere, we probably wouldn't know because it's easy for such records to be lost to time if nothing became of the investigation. In a city where multiple murders occur (such as the Jack The Ripper murders), it's far more prudent for the police (or Scotland Yard) to investigate to avoid widespread panic and public scrutiny in their work.
Little is known about Baker unfortunately. What is apparent from witnesses who lived in the town is that he exhibited bizarre and erratic behaviour and apparently was extremely pale, almost corpse like. There’s a book by David Green which goes into more detail but I have yet to read it.
@@avacatherine5646 it's stunning to me that a new resident who was so widely known to be bizarre and erratic scoops up a little girl and the friend's mother's reaction is "meh, you're making it up." like first of all SHE CAME HOME WITHOUT FANNY, that's clue number 1 right there, and if ANYONE was gonna commit a crime for the first time in her lifetime, wouldn't it be the bizarre and erratic new guy?
That's really pretty awful that her name has become synonymous with nothing. She wasn't nothing, she was somebody and a good person from all accounts.
A virtual pat on the back for placing flowers at her grave. That's a fine thing to do.👍
The phrase " sweet fanny adams " .
VERY inappropriate ..
and UNKIND ..
The phrase “Sweet Fanny Adams” either needs a new meaning or to be dropped. That precious little girl shouldn’t be linked with bad meats or something worthless… 💔. Rest In Peace baby girl!❤️
I was raised with adults calling little girls fanny or fanny Adams as a sign of affection..ever heard the meat thing before 🧐
It should be dropped.
If you comit a crime you'll get less yrs for murdering and raping a kid than for a financial crime, at least in my country...
@@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500 Just curious but were you born an adult? Because if I’m not mistaken EVERY adult was once a child, are you saying people worthless until they make it to adulthood? What was your point, besides showing your genius?
Wow. Chill.
When you described sailors' offensive and insulting slang usage of the phrase, I got nauseated 🤢 I'm so glad Fanny managed to get justice in a world that seldom takes women and children at their word. You did great respect with the way you told her story, hats off to you, sir!
what a truly shocking story
People were insanely protective of women and children in the past. It's just the modern narrative that they used to mean nothing to anybody. They put women and children on a pedestal. Men worked because they thought women were too good and pure to work. That's why all the men on the titanic died to save the women and children. And I'm not saying it used to be better or we should go back to it. Just that they weren't look at as nothing. There's other cultures where when there's a shipwreck the women die because it's just everybody for themselves and the men are the first to get themselves to safety and the women are left behind. When the taliban took over Afghanistan this year most of the men just ditched their wives and children to try to get on planes for America, leaving them in the hands of the taliban. I watched the videos of them doing it. It was awful. That's what it looks like when people don't care about women.
@@thorlo1278 Allah means God... Please don't pretend Christianity and islam arent simply a different following of different profits teachings. They are the same, facts don't care about your feelings
@@jocelynneville8504 they were only protective of women if the women stuck to a very airtight set of rules. If you strayed from the norm, it would be hard to find even a husband to defend your honor
@@user-xj4yv3qo3v You're using a scene from a movie to contradict actual records from the time? We know exactly who was on the Titanic and who died. Overall statistics:
20% of men survived
74% of women survived
52% of children survived
Now, it appears that on other sinkings, there may not have been a "women and children first" attitude, but there clearly was on the Titanic. Some lifeboats were launched only partly filled because there were only men available to get in them.
Men were also killed as witches. Men are the ones sent off to fight and die in wars - even today, women and children are being evacuated from Ukraine but men are not allowed to leave. What statistics are you referring to when you say "Statistics and reality show males always leave females behind and couldn't care less except when they can use and exploit them"?
Thank you for this video. I hadn’t heard of this and it’s absolutely horrific. I personally things it’s quite disturbing to use her name in such a derogatory way. She was a sweet little girl who was treated like garbage for sick pleasure. She deserves to be remember and spoken of with respect and empathy just as anyone else.
Hello Crystal, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
You told a very tragic story with much dignity, respect, and excellence. Very noble of you to tell this story and put flowers on the child's grave. Much respect to you sir!
Indeed... This story needed to be told..
I was born in Alton and grew up knowing about Fanny Adams so im glad she's getting more recognition. Such a tragic story and she should be remembered
I never heard of the phrase , but I’m in the USA . Poor Fanny Adam’s ….. maybe most people don’t know who Fanny is or the story . If they did , they probably wouldn’t say it .
My Nann used to always say , “ well , I never “
What a great story teller you are !
The phrase is also used in Australia, (not so much with younger generations) but this is probably due to our connection with England. Somehow the phrase 'sweet Fanny Adams' has in England and Australia morphed into 'sweet FA' meaning sweet fuck all. Don't know how that happened!
i've actually heard of it and and i like in the usa too lol
but i've mostly heard it in movies/tv so never in real life
I use that one myself!
I live in Canada and have never heard this saying before
This was quite common with my Grandmother's generation. That use is now rather redundant as younger people have not known about the history and assume Sweet FA means.. erm.. Sweet F..k All. For example, "What did he do about it?" Response "Sweet FA!". It is a derisory comment but, thank goodness, a murdered little girl has been freed from association. If I do come across it, I will explain the history. I would rather have the modern use than the memory of this poor child disrespected.
A phrase my mother used when I was a child, but I never knew its history until now. Thank you. RIP sweet Fanny.
Seeing her photo makes me literally cry. I can't deal with anyone hurting children...
This is one of the most respectful true crime videos I've ever watched. Heartbreaking what happened. Infuriating. The presentation of her story gave me some hope in the humanity of people. Thank you.
Hello Bella, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
Honorably and respectfully told - when you brought flower to her grave, that's just so very sweet, finally giving that poor girl some well deserved thoughts all these decades later. Thanks for the content, I recently discovered your channel!
I can’t help but think of the awful fear that went through young Fanny’s mind when that monster took her against her will. She was such a young, innocent girl. 😮😔🥺
It was so nice of the narrator to place flowers on her grave. 🌸🌺💐
I bet my life that Baker had previous victims; he had to have built up to a crime that gruesome. I've never used that phrase and I'm probably not going to start now that I know it's grim origin.
there were more details left out. he definitely had to have more victims and probably just didn't get caught because he moved around.
Proper psychopath to be sure. And the sailors were pretty disgusting😡
What a monster. Glad he got caught. A true storyteller you are, Sir. Thank you for sharing Fanny's story and keeping her lovely, innocent spirit alive.
I felt a sorrowful pang in my chest when you placed flowers on her grave, and perhaps a little shame - that having used the phrase most my life, I had no idea of its true origin.
I'll think of her when I hear the phrase next time, but might think twice about using it again myself.
You "might think twice" before using it again?! Don't bloody use it. Period. What a completely sick phrase!
You're a good person
@@annsmarpat9500 I've only ever heard/used, sweet fuck all.
I've never before heard anyone say sweet Fanny adams or sweet FA.
Obviously using sweet Fanny Adams to refer to nothing, is sick, but I don't see anything wrong with using sweet fuck all.
All the sayings with animals in them should drop off the face of the earth. They're horrible and I never say them.
@@lorimiller4301 I HAVE SAID THAT FOR YEARS.....KINDRED SPIRITS
I've lived in Alton all of my life. And as a child born in the 80's and grew up in the 90's, the tragic story of Fanny Adams brutal murder, was explained to us in primary school. The synonymous phrase "Sweet F A"and the macabre comparison of tinned meat to the remains of this innocent soul, was left out and was not something i learned until my early teens.
Her memory will forever live on and her story forever told.
Thank you for using your influence on social media and storytelling prowess, to bring us such captivating content.
You, sir are a legend!
What a tragic story of an innocent child at thee hands of a depraved predator. Thank you for bringing this sad story to light, WIN.
Such a sad story, I’ve never heard of this saying since I live in the US, so glad they found him guilty and gave this pure soul her justice.
I have! Along with several others since I was born in '82.
Guess it depends on people you know and who knows the tells!
I have never heard this either since being here in the USA. I am also happy they stopped him from doing that again. Horrible sad true story . Very horrible.
We hear/use it in Ohio.
@@countessli I'm from Ohio and I've never heard it before in my life
Same 💔💔💔
The saying is no longer one to signify 'nothing' to me. It will be a story to share of a sweet child whose life was far too short and brutally ended by a man I refuse to remember. Sweet Fanny, loved and remembered by people who never met you.
Mini violin....
nobody cares
I'VE HEARD THE SAYING GROWING UP. I'M NOW ALMOST 60 & THIS IS THE 1ST TIME I'VE HEARD THE STORY. SO SAD. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO.
"Well. I never!", is a phrase used in the South that is used when one hears something so terrible or unbelievable there are no words to describe it. I am 80 yo and have heard it all my life, but have never heard where or how it originated. What an awful thing to have happen to poor little Fanny. So glad they hanged the monster that murdered her.
I agree. The phrase they are referring to, though, is not "Well I never," but "Sweet Fanny Adams," an expression in the UK apparently. "Well I never" does not appear to be in any way problematic. What a horrible tragedy.
@@dafyddil -- No, I think she is referring to the phrase "Well, I never" as being something 'too awful' whereas the phrase "Sweet Fanny Adams" went through several iterations and came to mean 'total inaction' and a euphemism for 'sweet fuck all'.
Well I never is used in Wales a lot
@@dafyddil the name of the channel is Well I never.
Yep. We say that phrase. Along with "Bless your heart."
I live in the South.
This was a cruel act of savagery. I can only imagine the fear and pain this poor girl went through. Being forcibly whisked away from her sister and best friend uncertain to ever see them again. Only then you wonder what ungodly things he did to the poor child. I cried knowing there could have only been one thing considering the outcome. The second most horrible thought was strangulation or beheading her while she was alive. He snuffed a life of this young sweet girl. I have a daughter myself whom I worry about the moment I don’t hear her. So I can sympathize with Harriet in the grief and loss of a child being taken from you, and having to continue on with life everyday without her. I pray they reunited together. 😭🙏🏼❤️
This was the saddest story I’ve ever read. The story was told with compassion and dignity. Good job regaling the tale. Rest in peace sweet fanny Adams
Why are you imagining this?
@@kcbh24 it’s called empathy n thinking about the plight of others of which many spare themselves the sight
I don't think her name should be used to describe bad meat. The dear little one was viciously murdered and she should be remembered with love. Thank you for sharing her story and placing flowers on her grave. New Subscriber
It never meant that when my dad used it it meant something so terrible you could not believe it.
It wasn't bad meat The mutton had shrunk in the canning process so it seemed that there wasn't much in the can.(not all of poor fannys body parts were found hence not all the meat in the tin.) The sailors at that time were not the sort of fellow you would invite for tea.
I’ve recently discovered this channel and I have to say, people like you are why I still watch true crime stories. You are incredibly respectful of the victims and you tell the story so well. ❤
Hello Bee, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??
I love how respectful you are when speaking of victims of crimes. Thank you for treating them as people rather than just characters. It sets you apart from a lot of other people, well done!
Yes, especially the fact that he left flowers for her at her grave. It makes me appreciate him more than many others
A sad story, elegantly presented and told with compassion.
If I remember correctly, we, as young children, used the saying "Sweet Fanny Adams" as a negative response to a question of knowing something. And I do not recall ever being told from where the name/saying originated. I personally did not know that a young girl named Fanny Adams ever existed. I am deeply sorry that this young child was besmirched in such a way. Coming from a "working class" family, I am aware of class structures and positions in society. However, to use the awful dismembering of this child as a common phrase for so long, beggars belief. We have a lot to learn, don't we? I do not recall hearing the phrase for many years so I am hoping that it's use has declined or even faded out of use altogether. Sadly, horrific murders have continued and the future does not bode well for their decline nor disappearance.
Well said! I totally agree 👍
I remember the phrase from childhood, too, but always thought the phrase "sweet FA" stood for "sweet f--- all" & that the name "Fanny Adams" was made up - as a way to try and make the phrase more polite, but keeping the initials so that everyone knew what you really meant. I had no idea that she was a real person who had met such a terrible end & feel awful for using the phrase now! I meant no disrespect and certainly wouldn't have done so if I'd known the story... I thought I was using the "polite version" rather than swearing.
I know that many of the "innocent" things in our society (particularly nursery rhymes) have unsavoury origins, but this is by far the worst. RIP Fanny Adams. I certainly won't be saying that sweet child's name in a callous way again 💕
I've lived in the U.K. 18 years and had never heard this phrase until today watching this video. Hopefully it's not in the younger generations' slang, though I'd have a hard time believing most young people would ever use it, especially once they learned the true meaning.
@@MrsBrit1 I think nowadays, they'd just say "F*ck All."
@@Pythonette That IS what it became a euphemism for. People have just gone back to the original saying.
@@eh1702 which is better than using an innocent victim's name
You’re a fantastic TH-camr and a breath of fresh air compared to the usual “content creators” on TH-cam. Keep up the good work and respect for putting flowers on poor Fanny’s grave, may she rest in eternal peace.
Being American I've never really heard of this expression, except maybe in English movies. And here I thought horrible, gruesome murders were only a thing of modern times. That poor, sweet girl. He had to have been insane to do that to a child!
Check out the story of HH Holmes and his “Murder Castle” in Chicago in 1893 during the Worlds Fair.
Look up documentaries on Albert Fish, not just modern times sadly.
I'm American. I know a band in the 1970s called The Sweet or sometimes just Sweet had a hit song titled Sweet F A. I always wondered what that meant, but you couldn't find anything about it in America. This was before the internet and everyone had access to computers at school, home, or the local library
I'd figured he sexually assaulted her and then killed her, and that has been happening since the beginning, but people just didn't talk about it. The by-line for the newspaper was "All the news that is fit to print."
You actually thought horrible and gruesome murders were only a modern thing? How does that make any sense?
None is so heinous a crime as one committed against children. Thank you for laying flowers at her grave. 😭 R.I.P., little lamb.
it's weird seeing videos about her because i grew up with the story of her murder and have spent afternoons in the cemetary checking up on her grave. it's nice to see that the headstone is still in good condition, i suppose it's the least we can do for this little girl:')
8:46 PM
I'm in Mississippi
This was the very 1st video I ever seen of yours
And you got me the moment you touched that child's grave
It takes a humble person to actually see the pain across your face
Imo that child knew you were there
Now I'll never in my life be able to add my voice to her sorrow
But through you,
I thank you,
Cause I believe she could hear us both
And knows someone in this world loves her
Eh? She's dead. Were you not listening? She died in the 1800s so it's quite sick/sadistic of you to think she's still in her grave listening away. Weird.
The comment you've replied to is a hopeful abode to this poor girl. Leave it be just that.
@@dowogenesthedog7186well, like they said, "I'm in Mississippi"
@@dowogenesthedog7186
Why are there always evil idiots trying to mock a tragedy? Grow up little boy before you get to your Boneyard ! 🤮
@@dowogenesthedog7186some believe the spirit lives on as do I. Sending love to Fanny Adams does no harm.
This channel is just incredible. Literally the same production quality as a Nat Geo special.
Also, I somehow have never heard this story. I've heard of some horrible, gruesome murders, but this is wild... pedophiles typically strangle their child victims, beheading? Just horrible.
Then there was that pedophile Lawrence Bernard Singleton, who cut off his 15yr old victims arms, and threw her down a cliff where he left her to die. By some miracle she lived to tell the tale.
@@h0rriphic it was a long time ago. The girl is an adult now. You can find the story on TH-cam too
@@h0rriphic Her name is Mary Vincent.
@@jannalam6861 But he cut her arms off , so they could not get fingerprints from her to identify her back then, as he thought he'd left her for dead. Google says: Released from prison after serving only eight years of his fourteen-year sentence, he went on to murder a woman in Florida, for which he was sentenced to death in 1997. He died in 2001 of natural causes before the sentence could be carried out. It is believed that he may have killed over a dozen women in his lifetime.
Everything I read says that there was no sign of rape. That doesn't mean there wasn't though, just that with the knowledge available then they didn't believe any happened.
I remember reading about this case in a book for my study. The poor girl, I hope she rests in peace.
Having lived in Alton and some of its nearby villages, I knew of the connection to Fanny Adams and her tragic murder but not the gruesome details of what actually happened to her. Wicked in the extreme. Thanks for shedding light upon it.
The respect you showed this poor child was an amazing breath of fresh air in an ever-worsening world of indifference and self-absorption. I commend you for it. Subscribed!!!
I like the epitaph on her tombstone. "Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell." Fanny wasn't afraid of this man. She stood her ground against him until he overpowered her. He's a coward. Not someone to be feared. God, however, will see to it that both the body and soul of this worm is destroyed for what he did to her.
Also, that seems like a disrespectful use of her name. I'm not British, so I feel weird commenting on it, but I don't like it.
I agree!!
@@helen-marie3562 That's a relief! It would be very sad to use this phrase, I think.
Something thats hardly said these days my age group is likely where itll stop being said ?
Shame your god stood idly by when she needed him.
If only that were true, but there is no such thing as a soul, or god. But even if there was a god, the Christian god, then based on their faith, he’ll be in heaven anyway. Because bloody murder doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you accept Jesus is god. I’m sure he also got a priest before his scheduled death, asked for forgiveness, and absolved himself of everything.
It’s a stupid religion
I feel so sorry for every victim that suffered this pain, abuse, and agony before their soul abandoned their body, it's horrifying :(
I love how this is filmed rather than the usual sit down true crime moments
Thank you Paul for this heartfelt story. I hadn’t heard of this term used here in Australia for many years and I am 67. However, I do recall it being used. Thank you for bringing the story to light. I can now pass this on to my friends and family. A lovely respectful gesture from you Paul at Fanny’s grave . I think this story has brought her restoration. Another reason why I respect this channel.
My mother used to use the term 'Sweet Fanny Adams' whenever something went wrong. I always understood from her usage of the term that it expressed dismay over something that shouldn't have happened. Perhaps the British sailors thought the bad tinned meat was something that should never have happened, either.
Well, starvation is no joke.
That is a very good thought.
My mum also says "my giddy aunt and Gordon Bennett", she's 87 now and I think these names will disappear soon from people's mouths. Poor Fanny though, I always wish that bastards who kill children especially should receive the most painful karma
MensaForDummies now it makes sense. Thank you.
What a disgusting reference to the horrific murder of a child. Shame on you for being stone cold hearted.
This is so humanizing, resonantly informative, and kind. So many things we say have unknown horrible or detestable origins, what saddens and often (maybe too often) frustrates me is how many people refuse to change the habit of using these terms when made aware of their meaning.
I'm going to use "remember Fanny Adams" when I hear of adults disregarding the words/fears of children.
I think it is very disrespectful and cruel to make a mockery of such a sick situation...especially when a child was involved.Thank you for such wonderful in depth coverage,I have never seen it delivered with more compassion or thoroughness...that's just the great standard for this wonderful channel anyways...You placing the flowers in remembrance of that innocent defenseless child ,I think t here we're many of us right there with you...
I do agree, but the tendency to make grim black humor continued. There is a litany of Helen Keller jokes ... and what do you call a man with no arm and no legs who ..... ? Art Matt Russell Bob Phil ...
Ppl weren't sensitive wet wipes back then like they are now 😂
@@AK94913sensitivity has nothing to do with the time period, it comes from within
I’m American and I’ve never heard of the phrase “sweet Fanny Adam’s”, but it’s horrible that it’s used to describe poor quality meat. She was a child, she deserves to not be compared to meat. Heartbreaking case
That was a beautifully produced episode, worthy of the memory of that unfortunate little girl.
The expression only underlines the sheer unnatural quality of the act in stark irony. To trivialize the most monstrous of acts is one way to cope with life's intrinsic fragility and overwhelming uncertainty.
We can more easily appreciate what is dear to us by the remembrance of what has been so cruelly taken from others.
Oh my gosh, I never knew that Fanny Adams was real! I've heard and used the saying before, but won't from now on. The little girl deserves to be remembered, but not likened with something without worth.
Why couldn’t the phrase Sweet Fanny Adams have a hoping meaning instead of such an awful one. That’s my wish. I think it cruel to that her name was attached to an awful meaning because of the horrible way she was murdered.
Exactly... i don't understand 🤔⁉️
It's so cruel I don't understand why it became so popular. Ppl can be disturbing...
Most nursery rhymes & things of that nature have VERY dark backstories if you research them. Truly gruesome.
It was a different time then. Society was more desensitised to horrors such as violence, famine, epidemics, etc and engaged in ironic and morbid humour more often. Our transition to a more empathetic society is a (relatively) recent development, aided mainly by an improvement in standards of living. If, heaven forbid, we slide back into more desperate living conditions in future, our level of empathy would drop or even vanish entirely.
@@beno1129 Whipping sailors for minor infractions was common back then, and frankly if I was a captain and I heard my men making jokes comparing a meat tin to the way a child’s remains were compiled, I’d make sure to make a lot of jokes about issuing new uniforms with nice red stripes the next time I heard it.
Placing flowers on Fanny's grave was such a beautiful and heart warming gesture. God bless little Fanny,may she rest in peace.
Seeing you putting flowers on her grave brought tears to my eyes, I won't lie. Poor Fanny :(
The phrase of Sweet Fanny Adams to describe canned meat is cold, but to use her memory to mean "nothing"?
Spoiler alert for those who haven't watched the whole video yet...but Baker cut the poor child to pieces! Back then, the people might've thought she no longer resembled a human being, but when that monster paid the price and his neck snapped, no soul came out...he didn't have one. I'm not one to tell people what should/shouldn't be said...and I'm not saying this as a "pun", but the phrase is simply tasteless. R. I. H. Little Fanny Adams.
I suppose navy life can be quite rough, and that the phrase might have come from the way she died. It's a British humour thing that when something really horrible happens, we make jokes about it to lighten the horror. So she was treated worse than a slaughtered animal by her killer. Maybe I'm stretching the point, but also then the 'nothing' meaning might have come from the general horror that she was treated without humanity.
I'm assuming her killer was a psychopath, who took an opportunity presented to him. I don't think they had that word then to describe such people. He was obviously acting under delusions - he did not really make any efforts to cover his tracks.
Just wanted to say I've never heard the phrase used for bad meat, but I have heard it used (in childhood) for meaning 'haven't got a clue'. I think it has more or less fallen out of use over my lifetime.
Outstanding. As a professional in the death industry, I found your memorial to Fanny Adams to be tasteful, educational, and very meaningful. Thank you for telling her story... As long as we speak her name, she is still alive.
Well done.
Even here on the west coast of the US I have heard the phrase "Sweet Fanny Adams" (although admittedly not often, nor recently), but I had no idea there was such a tragedy at it's origin. Thank you for sharing her story, and for the flowers you left for her.
The phrase has allowed us to remember her now.
How sweet of you to visit her grave. You are remembered Fanny. RIP.
Such a tragic story 🥲 terrible for poor fanny 🥺and also for Lizzie and Minnie when they knew what happened after they want believed ! 😭 having to live with that must be awful -loved the on location though 👍🏻
This poor family lost their 8-year-old princess very brutally. My heart goes out to this family long after their deaths. There is no returning to any form of normalice.
Now I know the story of Fanny Adams, I choose to think that every time her name is mentioned, regardless of the context, her existence gets a spark of recognition - more than just a memory.
Thank you for such a tactile reminder of a time long lost to these modern times.
What an incredibly sad event; I hate to think the terror little Fanny Adams must have felt. Lose the saying, it simply belittles the little girl's life and horrible end. I must add I only recently found your channel and as an academic historian I must give you kudos for your work. Your compassion at Fanny's grave was so kind.
I grew up in a village close to Alton, Farringdon, and know the area well, so I grew up knowing the story (and the Sweet FA terms) and have also visited her grave. Thank you for presenting this gruesome story in a respectful manner and leaving those beautiful flowers for her. Seeing you there brought back so many memories of my past.
Me and my wife visited Alton sometime in the 80s when we lived near Portsmouth. A lovely little town, we took a walk out by some meadows and on the way back, met a local man who told us this tale.
The term 'sweet Fanny Adams' was common but we had taken it as the profane expression meaning 'nothing'. The tale as we were told included the further gruesome detail that Baker had strewn the poor girls innards on the hop plants and canes as though trimming a Christmas tree.
my wife and I
@@mandykeane196
Congratulations your Highness.
@@edwardmclaughlin7935 lol
@@mandykeane196 🤡
This is my first video from this channel. The amount of effort into its production is insane. I can't believe this is really out for free 😭 Thanks so much and keep at it!
Few older stories have touched me so deeply as this little girl. You described her personality in such detail that it was impossible not to Love her, nor to feel devastated along with her mother and rage along with her father. Luckily, the criminal was as stupid and arrogant as he was selfish, lustful and barbarous. Thank you for keeping the primary focus on the child, her family, and the grief-stricken town.
Wow I have never in my life heard that story (though I’m American so I’ve also never heard of the phrase ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’ either). Thank you for telling her story. What a horrific murder and that Fredrick is such a monster. The gall he had to show his face to the girls then STAY in town, like what?! RIP Fanny Adams💜
What I found disconcerting was that this "gentleman" was that crazy, yet appeared to dress well, and held down a perfectly respectable job.
I am always very curious to know how neurologists and psychiatrists would analyze a person like this.
They walk amongst us
Psychopath
Evil.
Check out the US Ted Bundy Dammer cases.
@@joannaennis7866 To me, that doesn't explain anything. I want to understand at a psychological, neurological level.
I never knew there was a real Fanny Adams, so it hasn't really told her story. I think we should stop using the term. Thank you for presenting this account with such care and compassion.
The saying has kept the memory of her alive. Her story hasn't faded in time like so many others. I never knew it all before. So Thank You for sharing it and indeed leaving flowers on the poor little girl's grave.
The moment in the video, where it wasnt 100% confirmed that she died, but the the image of Lizzy standing beside the gravestone really made me feel.. i cant even describe it🥺
Rest in peace Fanny❤️
it infuriates me to hear that Fanny's friend's mother dismissed the story because she was so certain nothing could ever happen. I can't entirely blame her, but that type of thinking gets people killed. as sad as it is you are never completely safe. don't be naive.
Different times. Delia Morris
It’s disgusting that the Tragic murder of little Fanny (on par with Jack the Ripper) became an off the cuff phrase for bad tinned meat! That is truly sick. The phrase should never be used again.
she could have AT LEAST checked to make sure u know?
@@nielszindel1151 Different times, for sure. But I can't help but think that if it was her daughter who got grabbed and taken away by the man, she would've dropped everything and ran after them. That's what a mother would do, no matter what. The fact that she did not think another person's child has worth even considering making sure that Fanny is alright is just shocking.
@@nielszindel1151 you're telling me 200 years ago they didn't have common sense or empathy? 😂 no matter how "safe" a place is, it should be common sense to think something's up when your daughter comes home and tells you her friend got taken away by a man
Another great video, I love when you go on location. I went to college in Alton but wasn’t aware of this tragedy until a few years after I’d left. The flowers on the grave was a beautiful touch xxx
I'd never come across your channel before, but the compassion with which you treated the subject matter was striking. Very well done. Your laying of flowers was a very touching gesture.
You have just gained a subscriber.
Yea right?,the narration is amazing
Thank you for sharing this story. I never knew... I'm shocked her name would be used in such ill manner. This made me tear up 😢 thank you for placing flowers on her stone ❤
you are an incredible storyteller ! it’s so heartbreaking to hear this story but the bit at the end where you sat flowers at her grave was truly touching. thank you for bringing light to this sweet baby’s story.
How horrific it would have been for Fanny and her family is just devastating. So nonchalantly mentioned in the dairy.
It is not a phrase I'd want to use, now I'm aware of the soldiers reference, thanks for explaining Her story so well, most of all thanks for making Her story known and essentially prooving that Her life was "someone, somebody and worth something".
Wow, poor girl, Used the term a thousand times but never knew or actually thought of where it came from so thank you for telling this terribly sad story.
I don't think I could use it again in the context I have always used it. I am going to try and think of something positive to use it for to keep her memory alive and try to remove the disgusting "Bad Meat" meaning that it was originally intended for. How horrible that grown men should use the name of an innocent child, brutally murdered at the hands of a monster, to describe their tinned rations.
@@heidicross6878 I agree, I'm going to tell this story to as many people i can and spread the word, we used to live near Alton and never knew, on the sailors, different times and different attitudes.
Thank you for leaving her flowers. Seeing that touched my heart 💜
No one should be using that beautiful little girls name in such a morbid way. Bless her heart. She should be remembered in a good way.
It is incomprehensible how Baker could have been so determined to kill Fanny that he abducted her right in front of her two friends and he murdered her even though there were two little girls who could be witnesses against him. I noticed that the crime took place in August, and he was hanged in December of the same year. I wonder how folks back then would react if they knew that a hundred and fifty years later, we would have prisoners sitting on death row for decades and finally dying of natural causes.
Exactly!!! We do not have justice against monsters in this world today. I screened another video recently about a man named Lake and his accomplice named Ng. They are believed to have killed 25 people. Upon being caught, Lake committed suicide. Ng fled but was eventually caught and prosecuted in California. Jury found him guilty of 11 murders, and he was sentenced to death. That was roughly 20 years ago, and he is STILL in prison. The documentary said it cost California $20 million dollars to prosecute him for the crimes, but in reality, it has cost tax payers FAR more than $20 million dollars because he is still being. housed, clothed, fed, and given medical care in prison. Just think how far $20 million dollars would go to helping our schools, the poor, children, the elderly, etc. I know people who worked hard labour job all of their lives only to "retire" on SS benefits so small that they would not cover the rent on the tiniest apartment much less the other necessities of life including medical care, yet we are housing monsters like these in prisons all over the country. People in other centuries in other cultures would never have been so stupid! Would ANY culture in the ancient world have done this, for example? Hell no!!
And the fact that we feed, clothe them, not to mention medical care, TV, family visits and so on!!
It's disgusting
@@joannemadden7449 ...Okay buddy, those are human beings you're talking about, and when they are being forcibly confined by the state, they do actually need to provided with things like food, clothing, medical care, and contact with loved ones. If those things are not provided, the institution is not a prison, it is a death camp. Which are generally frowned upon.
Furthermore, there's ALSO a long history of people being wrongfully convicted, especially in the United States; one notable case that come to mind are a 16 year old boy who was accused of having started the Pioneer Hotel fire, with the 'evidence' leading to his conviction being that he was black, and the team of white investigators had 'scientifically determined' that the fire must have been started by a black person. He was proven innocent and released from prison when he was 58, and recieved no compensation from the state of Arizona for his wrongful imprisonment.
Or like, just look up the reality of 'forensic investigations' and you'll see how complete fucking nonsense they are, despite being used as evidence to put people on death row - there's been multiple cases of people being sentenced to death because their hairs were found at the scene of the crime, only for it later to be discovered that not only was it not their hair, it wasn't even human hair.
Like yeah this story is all very upsetting, but very few cases are as obvious as this one, and a lot of people are wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. And even when the prisoners are blatantly guilty, the entire point of human rights is that it's agreed upon that literally every single human deserves to have them. And withholding things like food, water, clothing, shelter, and social contact? Those are all considered torture, which is generally frowned upon.
Prison conditions are already really fucking bad dude, literally nobody needs to be advocating for prisons to be even worse. Sorry to hear about your soul getting lost, hope it turns up soon.
@@dickbong3661 My Husband was murdered almost 6yrs ago AND the bastard is still walking around free, so excuse me if I'm running a little low on goodwill. I wonder just how much you'd have in reserve if the most precious thing in your life was torn away from you and U had to see the BODY TORN TO PIECES. This MAN made lunches and collected blankets for the homeless, help those kicking the habit and rather than take someone to jail when a store called because some woman or man stole food or diapers, he'd pay for it himself. Your right MY SOUL DIED WITH HIM, AND WHILE YOUR ON YOUR SOAPBOX, YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOU ASSUME THAT YOUR THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT THE PRISON SYSTEM!!!