Tag: Murder

When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress

My last post was all about my recent visit to Tilbury Fortress on the northern bank of the River Thames. Despite its massive size and strength or maybe because of it, no-one was ever killed in action here and yet there was one death in particular that must go down as one of the most… Continue reading When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress

The terrible murder of Fanny Adams which gives us a phrase we still use today.

Last I wrote about the attempted murder of Victorian Prime Minister Robert Peel that led to the concept that people suffering from extreme mental illness, may not be responsible for their acts. This was a time of great reform in man areas of life and in 1861, a legal milestone, the Offences Against The Person… Continue reading The terrible murder of Fanny Adams which gives us a phrase we still use today.

Did a lunatic try to kill a Prime Minister Robert Peel or was it all a cover story?

Most people know Sir Robert Peel as the man who founded the first modern police force in the world, London’s Metropolitan Police.  It must have been a good move as he went on to become Prime Minister, living in the famous 10 Downing Street but little did anyone expect that he would soon be involved… Continue reading Did a lunatic try to kill a Prime Minister Robert Peel or was it all a cover story?

Sarah Everard and making the streets a more friendly place.

The last 2 weeks London has been shocked and looking over its shoulder due to the sad abduction and subsequent murder of 33 year old Sarah Everard as she walked home on the evening of the 3rd March through the Clapham area. Sadly it seems her body has been discovered and if it could be… Continue reading Sarah Everard and making the streets a more friendly place.

An Iron Age murder victim is uncovered

I’ve written before about the importance of archeology conducted when big new works are constructed it happens almost on a daily basis in the U.K. and I noticed another fascinating one a few days ago relating to the works surrounding the High Speed Rail project. One site at Wellwick Farm in Buckinghamshire has revealed thousands of years… Continue reading An Iron Age murder victim is uncovered

Visiting the home of Joseph Hedley whose murder in 1826 shook the world!

A few weeks ago whilst out on a 11 day tour of Newcastle. Northumbria, Durham and the Lake District, with the lovely Lorraine from Tasmania, I had the opportunity to revisit the Beamish Open Air Museum.  The working and living museum is 50 years into an incredible 200 year plan to preserve and re-enact for… Continue reading Visiting the home of Joseph Hedley whose murder in 1826 shook the world!

An eerie old mortuary from Jack The Ripper and the world’s oldest Police.

Whilst out on one of my walks and whilst taking some photos for Mondays post on The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, I made it my business to hunt out a new (for me) location related to Jack The Ripper. Hidden away in the corner of St George in The East Church, I found this. The derelict… Continue reading An eerie old mortuary from Jack The Ripper and the world’s oldest Police.

The Ratcliffe Highway Murders

It’s Halloween and I’ve done a number of related posts on the origins of Halloween, hauntings, the modern day Enfield Poltergeist and of course the infamous Jack The Ripper.  Real life figures such as the Victorian poisoner Mary Cotton and figures that merge myth and reality such as Springheeled Jack. Perhaps more horrendous than any of… Continue reading The Ratcliffe Highway Murders

James Bulger 25 years on – the crime that shocked the nation.

25 years ago this week, a crime shook Britain and the city of Liverpool in particular with such revulsion that no-one who was alive at the time will ever forget.  It was a crime where society sank to a new low and thankfully in the intervening years, nothing quite so sickening has ever happened since.… Continue reading James Bulger 25 years on – the crime that shocked the nation.