Worcestershire Murders
Worcestershire Murders

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-02-29

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 0752484095

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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.

Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Worcester
Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Worcester

Author: Anne Bradford

Publisher: Grub Street Publishers

Published: 2012-08-24

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 184468704X

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True tales of betrayal, robbery, and murder across Worcestershire, from Redditch to Upton-on-Severn—includes illustrations and photographs! Though the Battle of Worcester brought an end to the English Civil War in 1651, it was not the end of the bloodshed for the West Midland county of Worcestershire. Known for its rolling hills and abundant farmland, it has also been fertile ground for thieves, murderers, and scoundrals of all sorts. Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Worcester takes readers on a journey through centuries of sinister crimes, from the infamous to the stuff of local legend. Worcester’s dark past goes back to the seventeenth century, when highwaymen haunted the surrounding forests. In this chilling volume, crime historian and Worcestershire resident Anne Bradford chronicles the county’s history of forgery and betrayal, highway robbery and murder, riots and public executions. She also uncovers instances of domestic cruelty that resulted in death. From premediated crimes to desperate acts of passion, a range of human drama is covered in stories such as “The Gentleman who Murdered his Mother,” “The Lovers’ Pact,” and “Death of a Hop-picker,” among others.

Heroes & Villains of Worcestershire
Heroes & Villains of Worcestershire

Author: Terry Wardle

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2010-08-10

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0750952725

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The great, the good, and the very, very bad from Worcestershire’s past live again in this informative, lively and entertaining collection of more than 700 mini-biographies of county men and women from across the centuries.All of human life is here, from composers to conmen, from military men – and a woman – to medical pioneers and nineteenth-century manufacturers, from daring explorers to one of the great entertainers of the music hall era.The county can claim many more who were either born or lived here for a major part of their lives, who made their mark with colourful enterprise or diligent toil. All of them called Worcestershire home and their contribution to its rich and varied history is remembered here in this well-researched and engaging book.

Channel Island Murders
Channel Island Murders

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2013-05-15

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 0752493833

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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.

West Country Murders
West Country Murders

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-02-29

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0752484079

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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.

Murder by Poison
Murder by Poison

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2011-10-30

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0752471325

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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.

The Tudor Murder Files
The Tudor Murder Files

Author: James Moore

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2016-10-31

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 147385704X

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“Collates the most shocking killings and puzzling murder mysteries from the sixteenth century in fascinating detail” —Gazette & Herald In the Tudor age the murder rate was five times higher than it is today. Now, this unique true crime guide, The Tudor Murder Files, reveals just how bloody and brutal this fascinating era really was. From the dark days of Henry VIII to the turbulent times of Shakespeare, James Moore’s new book is the first to chart the period’s most gripping murder cases in all their grizzly detail. Featuring tales of domestic slaughter, sexual intrigue, and cunning assassinations, as well as murder mysteries worthy of Agatha Christie, the book vividly brings to life the violent crime wave that gripped the sixteenth century both at home and abroad. Enter a world in which stabbings were rife, guns were used to kill victims for the first time, and in which culprits frequently escaped justice. The book also reveals just how severe some of the penalties could be, with grisly punishments for those who dared to commit the gravest of crimes. Discover how one murderer was gruesomely pressed to death, another boiled alive for poisoning his victims, and meet some of history’s most notorious serial killers, including one considered so barbaric she was labelled a vampire. “Contains more than seventy real life murders, profiling over thirty cases in detail. And not only does James chart how killers were caught and dealt with by the justice system, he also discusses how murders were reported to the new, news hungry nation.” —Luton Today

A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire
A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2013-05-01

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 0752489488

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A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 macabre moments from the county's past. Featured here are such diverse tales as mining disasters, freak weather conditions, industrial catastrophes, train crashes and tragic accidents, including the Oadby woman who was killed by a wasp sting in 1925 and Dorothy Cain, who performed her first ever parachute jump in 1926 — without her parachute. Among the murders detailed in this volume are the assisted suicide of the vicar of Hungerton in 1925, and the unsolved 'Green Bicycle Murder' of 1919 at Little Stretton. Generously illustrated with 100 pictures, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Leicestershire's grim past. Read on... if you dare!

A Horrid History of Christmas
A Horrid History of Christmas

Author: Nicola Sly

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-09-01

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 0752477153

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This grisly collection of historic, horrid happenings from across the country demonstrates that Christmas is not necessarily a time of peace, joy and goodwill to all men. The holiday season has witnessed a plethora of almost unbelievable accidents, such as the amateur mechanic who died with his head stuck in a car engine, the footballer who leaped into a quarry to retrieve a lost ball, and the Christmas party guest who fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck. There are fatal rail crashes in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Scotland; freak weather conditions and devastating fires, such as the Christmas Eve fire in Glasgow that cost the lives of four firemen in 1927. Among the chilling crimes featured here is that of Nottinghamshire man Edward Kesteven, who killed his wife on Christmas Day 1894, and the murder of Thirza Kelly in Norfolk by a local teenager on Christmas Eve 1900. Full of merry madness and hearty heartache, A Horrid History of Christmas will make you want to bypass the festivities altogether!