Grace Marks

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Grace Marks was an Upper Canadian maid who was convicted in 1843 of murder in the death of her employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. Her conviction was controversial, and sparked much debate about whether Marks was actually instrumental in the murder, or merely an unwitting accessory.

Marks was born and raised in Ireland, had eight siblings, with another three who were stillborn. Marks's father was a stone mason, an alcoholic and abusive person. The family emigrated to Canada in 1840 when she was 12. Her mother died on the ship en route to Canada, and was buried at sea.

In her murder trial, Marks was tried alongside James McDermott. Marks was put in an asylum and later a penitentiary, while McDermott was hanged. After almost thirty years of incarceration, Marks was exonerated and moved to Northern New York. After that, all trace of her was lost.

What is known of Marks on the historical record comes primarily from Susanna Moodie's book Life in the Clearings Versus the Bush.

In 1996, author Margaret Atwood published a novel about Marks, Alias Grace. In that novel's reviews, several critics pointed out eerie similarities between Marks and a more recently controversial Canadian murder convict, Karla Homolka.