Ann Moore:The Fasting Woman of Tutbury

In part of a book published in 1813, I became very interested in a story about a woman by the name of Ann Moore. She was known by many as the Fasting Woman of Tutbury since at the time there wasn't a term for anorexia nervous until Queen Victoria's own doctor coined the phrase. Ann claimed to have eaten nothing between the years 1807 and 1813. I did more research into the matter and was not surprised when I found out that the whole thing had been an elaborate hoax.
Ann was known around Tutbury for consuming small amounts of food, just enough to keep her alive. This was not fully by choice because of the dire finical situation she found herself in. It was believed that she suffered from a disease and the vast majority of people thought that she was living on air alone. In 1812 a physician thought her to be a cheat because of the parallels between her case and another of a girl who was found to be an imposture in Germany.
A watch commenced that lasted from April 21, 1813 to the 30th of that month. It was discovered that Ann was indeed an imposture and she died a few months later.