The murder of Saville Kent in 1860 triggered one of the most sensational murder cases of the Victorian era. Court papers from the trial of Constance Kent have been given to Trowbridge Museum, which will show them this autumn. 

The Road Hill House case ended with Constance's conviction (after a guity plea) for the murder of her half brother, Saville. 

The case was a public sensation. The investigation was handled by Jack Whicher, one of the officers in the world's first police detective force at Scotland Yard. 

Saville Kent was murdered in June 1860 after he was abducted from his family's home. Constance was arrested by Whicher during the investigation, but she was freed after a public outcry and her family sent her to a school in France. 

Five years later, Constance confessed the murder to a clergyman. She handed herself in to the police and was tried for the murder. Her youth at the time of the crime (she had been 16) and her confession saved her from execution and she was imprisoned and released after serving 20 years. 

The case and the involvement of the new detective force fascinated the public and authors like Wilkie Collins, who used the case as source material for his novel, The Moonstone, often considered the first detective story. The use of a confession to a churchman (Constance confessed to an Anglo-Catholic priest) also excited much controversy.  

Constance's guilt was not widely accepted even after her confession and trial. She left England on release from prison and died, aged 100, in Australia, where she worked as a nurse for most of her life.

The 2008 book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, by Kate Summerscale reignited interest in the case, with a TV adaptation of the story also proving popular.

Trowbridge Museum has been gifted papers from the case, which include a prosecution brief, with details of 27 witnesses. 

They will be transcribed and undergo conservation work before going on display in October. 

Chairman of the museum, councillor Nick Blakemore, told the BBC: "This is an exceptionally generous donation from the Friends of Trowbridge Museum and a highly significant addition to the museum's collection."

Collections and exhibitions officer Nikki Ritson said the "beautiful" document had significant local interest. 

"It was police officers from Trowbridge who originally went and investigated the crime before Mr Whicher came along. It was within our boundary and our parish before it changed to Somerset, so we still claim it."