Question in an Agatha Christie article

RinRin Hong Kong, China
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I am currently reading a newspaper article by Agatha Christie. The article was included in Detection Club book SIX AGAINST THE YARD and was about a serial poisoning case. And in the article Agatha Christie mentioned a name "Mary Ann". The name has no relationship to the murder case and I was wondering whether it is some kind of idiom? I attach the paragraph in the pictures below. Thank you very much for your help.


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Comments

  • GKCfanGKCfan Wisconsin, United States
    I don't know for sure what "hear Mary Ann" means.  The best I can think of is what I found regarding the "Dunmow Flitch" bacon custom.  (http://archive.org/stream/historyofdunmowf00andriala/historyofdunmowf00andriala_djvu.txt)  This is where happy couples received some bacon if they were married for a year and a day and didn't regret it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flitch_of_bacon_custom).  In one testimonial, it is stated that, 

    "Mary Ann Clarke had known Mr. and Mrs. Barlow a long time, and 
    never heard them say an angry word to each another. "

    Perhaps this means that "hear Mary Ann" is a slang term for a witness for a married couple's happiness.
     P
  • RinRin Hong Kong, China
    GKCfan said:
    I don't know for sure what "hear Mary Ann" means.  The best I can think of is what I found regarding the "Dunmow Flitch" bacon custom.  (http://archive.org/stream/historyofdunmowf00andriala/historyofdunmowf00andriala_djvu.txt)  This is where happy couples received some bacon if they were married for a year and a day and didn't regret it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flitch_of_bacon_custom).  In one testimonial, it is stated that, 

    "Mary Ann Clarke had known Mr. and Mrs. Barlow a long time, and 
    never heard them say an angry word to each another. "

    Perhaps this means that "hear Mary Ann" is a slang term for a witness for a married couple's happiness.
     P
    Thank you very much! That's a good deduction.

    Another friend of mine suggested that Mary Ann was probably a common servant name. Just like A and B represent couples in the article, Mary Ann represents a servant. I think that explanation makes sense as well. 
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