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‘Broadmoor Inmates: True Crime Tales of Life and Death in the
Asylum’ brings together the histories of people who died in
Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, each having committed a crime
that led to them being pronounced criminally insane, necessitating
their confinement and containment for their own protection, as well
as that of the public. Nowadays, staff have a wide range of
therapeutic tools at their disposal but historically the only
treatment offered to patients was work, leisure activities and
abundant fresh air. All human life is here – the addicts, the
mentally deranged, the delusional, the tragic and the chronically
and postnatally depressed – men and women whose acts of madness
led them to be reviled and feared, but who were often as much
victims of their own internal demons as were those they harmed. As
well as wife murderers James Potter and Peter Whittle, the
characters within include Henry Dommett, James Senior and Mary Ann
Parr, who each killed their own children and Christiana Edmunds,
who poisoned several people in Brighton to divert suspicion from
herself, after attempting to murder her love rival. Other vignettes
include serial arsonist John Green, counterfeiter Emma Jackson and
James Stevenson and Roderick Edward McClean, both of whom took
exception to the accession of Her Majesty Queen Victoria to the
throne, the latter attempting to assassinate her. Daniel McNaughten
became so paranoid about the ‘Tory’ spies that he believed
followed him constantly that he killed a civil servant in 1843,
mistakenly believing his victim to be prime minister Sir Robert
Peel. Such was McNaughten’s derangement that his crime spawned a
new standard for the legal definition of insanity. Generously
illustrated throughout, this book will prove of interest to those
with a fascination for historical true crime and the way its
perpetrators were dealt with by society.
This chilling follow-up to Bristol Murders brings together more
true-life historical murders that shocked not only the city but
frequently made headline news throughout the nation. They include
the brutal murders of policemen Patrick White in 1846 and
Christopher Wickham in 1862, a frightful case of murder and suicide
at Bitton in 1842, and the deliberate starvation of a child at
Knowle in 1874. There are murders for money, such as the murder of
Mary Lewis in Stapleton in 1836, and a brief, but tantalising,
mystery from 1915 when two separate murders in different parts of
the city showed remarkable similarities. Nicola Sly's
well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone
interested in true crime and the shadier side of Bristol's past.
Oxfordshire Murdersbrings together twenty-five murderous tales,
some which were little known outside the county, and others which
made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book
are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever
committed in Oxfordshire. They include the deaths of two
gamekeepers, brutally murdered in 1824 and 1835; Henrietta Walker,
killed by her husband at Chipping Norton in 1887; Mary Allen, shot
by Harry Rowles at Cassington in the same year; and Anne Kempson,
murdered by Henry Seymour, a door-to-door salesman, in Oxford in
1931. Nicola Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text will
appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Oxfordshire's
history.
Life in the largely rural county of Dorset has not always been
idyllic, for over the years it has experienced numerous murders,
some of which are little known outside the county borders, others
that have shocked the nation. These include arguments between
lovers with fatal consequences, family murders, child murders and
mortal altercations at Dorset's notorious Portland Prison. The
entire country thrilled to the scandalous cases of Alma Rattenbury
and Charlotte Bryant who, in the 1930s, found living with their
husbands so difficult that both found a terminal solution to the
problem. In 1856, Elizabeth Browne rid herself of a husband and, in
doing so, became the inspiration for Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the
D'Urbervilles'. The mystery of the Coverdale Kennels at Tarrant
Keynston, where not one, but two kennel managers died in suspicious
circumstances, remains unsolved to this day. And it was in
Bournemouth that Neville Heath committed the second of his two
murders, which led to his arrest and eventual execution in 1946.
Illustrated with fifty intriguing illustrations, Dorset Murders
will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of county's
history.
This chilling follow-up to Somerset Murders brings together more
murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline
news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of
Somerset, the featured cases include two female poisoners,
Catherine Churchill, who killed her husband in Knowle-St-Giles in
1879 and Sarah Freeman, who claimed several victims in the
Bridgwater area from 1843 onwards. A wide variety of means and
motive are covered. There is murder committed in the course of
robbery, such as the brutal killing of Sarah Wilkins in Nempnett
Thrubwell in 1851; murder through jealousy, as in the case of
George Bitten, who murdered his wife at Wolverton in 1867 and even
altruistic murders, such as that committed by Albion Wadman near
Wincanton in 1883. Also included is the strange and intriguing
story of Reginald Woolmington, who faced two trials for the murder
of his wife at Milborne Port in 1934. Nicola Sly and John Van der
Kiste's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to
everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of
Somerset's past.
This chilling follow-up to Cornish Murders brings together more
murderous tales that shocked not only the county but frequently
made headline news throughout the nation. They include the brutal
slaying of Elizabeth Seaman in Penzance in 1845, the murder in the
course of a robbery of Robert Drew near Launceston in 1862, the
slaughter of the entire Mortimer family in Saltash in 1901, and the
suspicious death of a farmer near Liskeard in 1952, which was
initially believed to be a tragic suicide until the results of the
post-mortem examination were received. Nicola Sly and John Van der
Kiste's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to
everyone interested in true crime and the shadier side of
Cornwall's past.
Herefordshire Murders brings together twenty-eight murderous tales,
some which were little known outside the county and others which
made national headlines. Herefordshire was home to one of Britain's
most infamous murderers, Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong, who, in
1921, poisoned his wife and attempted to poison a fellow solicitor
in Hay-on-Wye. However, the county has also experienced many lesser
known murders. They include the case of two-year-old Walter
Frederick Steers, brutally killed in Little Hereford in 1891;
eighty-seven-year-old Phillip Ballard, who died at the hands of two
would-be burglars in Tupsley in 1887; Jane Haywood, murdered by her
husband near Leominster in 1903; and the shooting of two sisters at
Burghill Court, near Hereford, by their butler in 1926. Nicola
Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to
everyone interested in the shady side of Herefordshire's history.
Worcestershire Murders brings together numerous murderous tales,
some which were little known outside the county, and others which
made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book
are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever
committed in Worcestershire. They include the murders of the entire
Gummery family at Berrow in 1780; Catherine Gulliver, killed by
John Butler at Ombersley in 1864; and Maria Holmes, slain by her
husband at Bromsgrove in 1872. Cases from the twentieth century
include two unsolved murders - the body of an unidentified woman
found in a tree in Hagley Wood in 1943, and the brutal killing of
Florrie Porter at Lickey End in 1944. Nicola Sly's carefully
researched and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in
the shady side of Worcestershire's history.
Hidden behind the picturesque facade of country lanes and rugged
coastlines, quaint villages and busy market towns, the South West
counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have witnessed some of the
most shocking murder cases in British history. West Country Murders
brings together over 30 cases from the authors' previous
collections here in one volume. They include stories of those who
killed for greed, jealousy and lust, as well as those who committed
murder in what a well-known judge once described as 'a gust of
passion'. Some of the killers were undoubtedly insane at the time
of their crimes; others were almost certainly innocent, yet paid
the ultimate price for a murder they did not commit. Some remain
unsolved to this day, despite the best efforts of the local
constabularies. This book is sure to appeal to all those interested
in the shady side of the West Country's history.
Cornish Murders brings together numerous murderous tales that
shocked not only the county but also made national news. They
include the cases of Charlotte Dymond, whose throat was cut on
Bodmin Moor in 1844, and Emily Tredrea, strangled at St Erth in
1909, both by their jilted suitors; Mary Ann Dunhill, murdered in a
Bude hotel in 1931; shopkeeper Albert Bateman, battered to death on
his premises in Falmouth on Christmas Eve 1942; Charlie and
Elizabeth Giffard, savagely beaten and thrown over the cliffs near
St Austell by their son in 1952; and William Rowe, brutally killed
at his farm near Constantine for the sum of £4 in 1963.
A Grim Almanac of Oxfordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366
ghastly tales from the county's past. There are murders and
manslaughters, including the killing by Mrs Barber of her entire
family in 1909 while temporarily insane, and the brutal murder of
four-year-old Edward Busby in 1871, killed by his mother to prevent
his father ill-treating him. There are bizarre deaths, including
those of four-year-old Charles Taylor, who was accidentally kicked
clean through a top storey window in 1844 by a child playing on a
swing, George Sheppard, who was struck by a cricket ball during a
match in 1905, and of the vicar of Bucknell, who starved himself to
death in 1935. There is an assortment of calamities which include
strange and unusual crimes, devastating fires, rail crashes,
explosions, disasters, mysteries, freak weather and a plethora of
uncanny accidents. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an
entertaining and readable record of Oxfordshire's grim past. Delve
into the dreadful deeds of Oxford's past, if you dare...
Although an idyllic setting, where violent crime is thankfully
rare, the Channel Islands have a shadier side. Contained within the
pages of this book are twenty-five historic cases of murder
committed in the Channel Islands. They include a fatal assault on
John Francis in 1894, which remains unsolved; the murder by
Philippe Jolin of his father in 1829; and the murder and suicide
committed by Eugenie Toupin in 1881, all of which occurred in
Jersey. In Guernsey, elderly widow Elizabeth Saujon was murdered
during the course of a robbery in 1853, Edward Hooper drunkenly
beat his wife to death in 1890, and housekeeper Elizabeth de la
Mare murdered her elderly employer in 1935, wanting to hasten his
demise on the understanding that she was the sole beneficiary of
his will. Nicola Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text
will appeal to everyone interested in true crime and the shady side
of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney's history.
A Grim Almanac of the Black Country is a day-by-day catalogue of
366 ghastly tales from around the area. Full of dreadful deeds,
strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac
explores the darker side of the Black Country's past. Here are
stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse
tales of mining disasters, freak weather, bizarre deaths and tragic
accidents, including the gunpowder explosion at a factory in Tipton
which claimed nineteen lives in 1922. Also featured is the corpse
in West Bromwich that was twice wrongly identified in 1929, the
collapse of a concert hall roof in Walsall in 1921, and the two
labourers buried in molten glass near Stourbridge in 1893. All
these, plus tales of fires, catastrophes, mysteries and executions,
are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining
and readable record of the Black Country's grim past. Read on ...
if you dare!
This extraordinary new book is a day-to-day catalogue of 366
ghastly tales from South Wales. Full of dreadful deeds, strange
disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores
the shadier side of the area's past. The history of South Wales
includes accidents, disasters, disappearances and a multitude of
mysteries. There are murders and manslaughters, such as the killing
of an entire family of five in Langibby in 1878, and the murder of
an elderly couple in Bassaleg in 1909. There are strange deaths,
including the woman from Cadoxton, who died in 1894 after
swallowing her false teeth, and episodes of freak weather, such as
the devastating heat wave in August 1825, which caused several
deaths and the thunderstorm of July 1830, which flooded a mine,
drowning six people. Generously illustrated, this chronicle of
crimes, calamities and catastrophes is an entertaining and readable
record of South Wales's grim past. Read on ... if you dare!
A Grim Almanac of Bristol is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly
tales from the city's past. There are murders and manslaughters,
including the case of Thomas Buller, who was killed in 1875 by a
man who was married only that morning, and Sarah Skinner, who was
thrown out of a window in 1847. There are bizarre deaths, such as
the mother who mistakenly fed her child rat poison instead of
teething powders, and the deaths of a man and his wife from a gas
leak, both of which occurred in 1861. There is an assortment of
disasters which include devastating fires, such as the destruction
of the Merchant Venturers' College in 1907 and the fire in a city
hat shop in 1876, which claimed the lives of the proprietor and two
of his children, not to mention mining disasters, rail crashes,
explosions, shipwrecks, cases of cruelty and neglect and a plethora
of uncanny accidents. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an
entertaining and readable record of Bristol's grim past. Read on
... if you dare!
A Grim Almanac of Somerset is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly
tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, macabre
deaths, strange occurrences and heinous homicides, this almanac
explores the darker side of Somerset's past. The wicked, the mad,
the violent and the bad are all crammed into this volume. Here are
stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with such
diverse tales as the soldier who stabbed himself with his own
bayonet while turning a somersault in 1879, 'the murder that never
happened' in 1837, the mother who threw her child into a cess pit
in 1855, as well as a catalogue of disasters which include mining
and railway accidents, explosions, riots, a devastating collapsing
footbridge in Bath in 1930 and a circus big top destroyed by fire
in Taunton in 1920, with the loss of five lives. Generously
illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record
of Somerset's grim past. Read on ...if you dare!
In this follow-up to Hampshire Murders, forensic and legal
psychologist Nicola Sly brings together more murderous tales that
shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the
nation. They include the last recorded fatal duel to have been
fought in England in 1845; the mysterious death of Andover
businessman William Parsons in 1858; the 1888 killing of Annie
Vaughan by her stepfather who, for more than two years, had treated
her 'as his wife'; the murder of Grayshot village postmistress
Emily Chapman by her husband in 1901; and the 'murder that never
was' - the victim's death was recorded as having been caused by his
drunkenness until his naval commanding officer later confessed to
killing him. Nicola Sly's well-illustrated and enthralling text
will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Hampshire's
history.
Murder by poison is often thought of as a crime mainly committed by
women, usually to despatch an unwanted spouse or children. While
there are indeed many infamous female poisoners, such as Mary Ann
Cotton, who is believed to have claimed at least twenty victims
between 1860 and 1872, and Mary Wilson, who killed her husbands and
lovers in the 1950s for the proceeds of their insurance policies,
there are also many men who chose poison as their preferred means
to a deadly end. Dr. Thomas Neil Cream poisoned five people between
1881 and 1892 and was connected with several earlier suspicious
deaths, while Staffordshire doctor William Palmer murdered at least
ten victims between 1842 and 1856. Readily obtainable and almost
undetectable prior to advances in forensic science during the
twentieth century, poison was considered the ideal method of murder
and many of its exponents failed to stop at just one victim. Along
with the most notorious cases of murder by poison in the country,
this book also features many of the cases that did not make
national headlines, examining not only the methods and motives but
also the real stories of the perpetrators and their victims.
A Ghostly Almanac of Devon & Cornwall is a month-by-month
catalogue of reported spectral sightings and paranormal phenomena
from around the South West of England. Contained within the pages
of this book are strange tales of restless spirits appearing in
streets, buildings and churchyards across the region, including a
haunted German U-Boat wrecked off Padstow during the First World
War; the 'Grey Lady' at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital,
so-named because of her grey nurse's uniform; the ghost of a
Dartmoor Prison inmate seen herding sheep in the prison grounds and
out on the moor itself; a shade with a penchant for horror films at
Plymouth's Reel Cinema; and the infamous 'Hairy Hands of Dartmoor',
which forces drivers off the road. Richly illustrated with 100
photographs and postcards, this chilling collection of stories will
appeal to everyone with an interest in the West Country's haunted
heritage, and is guaranteed to make your blood run cold.
Life in the historic county of Hampshire has not always been
peaceful, for over the years it has experienced numerous murders,
some of which are little known outside the county borders, others
that have shocked the nation. These include the killing of "Sweet
Fanny Adams" in 1867; the horrific murder committed by the
postmaster at Grayshott in 1901; the mysterious poisoning of Hubert
Chevis in 1943; and the gun battle in the village of Kingsclere in
1944, which resulted in the deaths of three people. Nicola Sly's
carefully researched, well-illustrated, and enthralling text will
appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Hampshire's
history, and should give much food for thought.
Wiltshire Murders brings together numerous murderous tales, some
which were little known outside the county, and others which made
national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the
stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in
Wiltshire. They include the murder of Eliza Jones, stabbed to death
by her common-law husband in 1836; the shooting of a policeman in
1892; Mary Ann Nash, who disposed of her illegitimate son in 1907
by dropping him into a disused well; and Edward Richards, who died
in Trowbridge during an attempted robbery in 1925. Nicola Sly's
carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will
appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Wiltshire's
history, and should give much food for thought.
Shropshire Murders brings together numerous murderous tales, some
which were little known outside the county, and others which made
national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the
stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in
Shropshire. They include the Revd Robert Foulkes, who killed his
illegitimate child in 1678; the murder of Catherine Lewis by John
Mapp at Longden in 1867; the horrific axe murders committed by John
Doughty at Church Stretton in 1924; and the tragic death of Dennis
O'Neill, who was beaten and starved by his foster parents in 1944.
Nicola Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal
to anyone interested in the shady side of Shropshire's history.
Contained within the pages of Bristol Murders are the stories
behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Bristol.
They include the murder and suicide of a brother and sister in
1842; the tragic death of 10-year-old Mabel Price in 1897; the
killing of Ada James in a fit of jealous rage by her fiancee, Ted
Palmer in 1913; and the suspicious death of sexual deviant Cecil
Cornock, which led to his wife Ann being charged with his murder
and sebsequent acquital in 1946. Nicola Sly's carefully researched,
well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone
interested in the shady side of Bristol's history, and should give
much food for thought.
Somerset Murders brings together numerous murderous tales that
shocked not only the county but also made headlines throughout the
country. They include the cases of Elizabeth and Betty Branch, a
mother and daughter who beat a young servant girl to death in
Hemington in 1740; 13-year-old Betty Trump, whose throat was cut
while walking home at Buckland St Mary in 1823; factory worker Joan
Turner, battered to death in Chard in 1829; George Watkins, killed
in a bare knuckle fight outside the Running Horse pub in Yeovil in
1843; Constance Kent, who confessed in 1865 to killing her
half-brother at Rode in 1860, nearly five years earlier; and
elderly landlay, Mrs Emily Bowers, strangled in her bed in
Middlezoy in 1947. Nicola Sly and John van der Kiste, co-authors of
Cornish Murders in this series, have an encyclopedic knowledge of
their subject. Their carefully researched, well-illustrated and
enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side
of Somerset's history.
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