New cross marks grave of unidentified Alfred Rouse victim

The grave of an unidentified victim of a murder in 1930 has been rededicated with a new cross.

The unnamed man was found dead in a burnt-out Morris Minor belonging to Alfred Rouse, who was later hanged for the crime.

The victim's remains were buried at St Edmunds Church in Hardingstone, near Northampton, and investigations into his identity continue.

An inscription on the new wooden cross reads: "In memory of an unknown man."

Rouse, 36, was in financial trouble when he set his car alight in Hardingstone on 6 November 1930, in an attempt to fake his own death.

A charred body was discovered lying across the front seats.

Rouse was tracked down through the registration plate and charged with murder. He was convicted after a six-day trial in January 1931, and sentenced to death.

After an unsuccessful appeal, Rouse was hanged at Bedford Gaol on 10 March.

The story drew national media coverage at the time, with appeals made for missing men in a bid to identify the dead man.

A DNA profile was discovered in an archived slide in 2013.

In 2015, a team at the University of Leicester began using a more sensitive form of DNA testing to try to get a match with the victim.

The replacement wooden cross, paid for by villager Paul Jackson and made by John Francklow, was rededicated by Rev Julie Scott, Vicar of Hardingstone.

"This is a tragic story," Rev Scott said.

"We need to be careful not to make it a tourist attraction."

The grave also contains a metal box of newspaper cuttings from Rouse's trial.

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