Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Durham spans four centuries, with over fifty terrible tales of man's inhumanity to man, which are related in the pages of this book. In the early centuries superstition and ignorance were often the means by which justice was meted out. If it was believed that a crime had taken place, a person could be tried, condemned and hanged by the side of the road on nothing more than the statement of a neighbor. The nineteenth century saw the development of the coal industry. This brought thousands of impoverished men looking for work. Sadly , the wages were often spent on alcohol and women were often nothing more than punching bags for the drunken abusive husbands as is the case of Dorothy Wilthew who was murdered at Jarrow by her husband after years of abuse. Other cases include; Joseph Hutchinson who murdered his brother and father at Sedgefield later he was found to be insane, a child was kidnapped and later murdered by Isabella Thompson at Bishop Auckland and Maria Fitzmmons was found stabbed to death in Sunderland in 1869 it was to be 13 years before her killer, Thomas Fury, was convicted of the crime . Take a journey into the darker and unknown side of your area as you read Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Durham. Key Selling Points * This is the first Foul Deeds book, in the series, to include the Durham area. * This new established series, by Wharncliffe Books, has been very successful in other local towns and cities. * Readers always have a thirst for grisly tales of past misdemeanors in their local area. Author Maureen Anderson was born in Scotland, as a child she was taken to Australia, and finally returned back to Britain in the early 1970s. Maureen now lives in the village of Seaton, where she carries out her research on ancient history. Maureen's parents were keen members of the National Trust, which gave Maureen the love of historical buildings and all things Victorian. Maureen has had previous publications with Wharncliffe Books, including being the editor of Aspects of Teesside and the author of Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around the Tees.

Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Durham spans four centuries, with over fifty terrible tales of man's inhumanity to man, which are related in the pages of this book. In the early centuries superstition and ignorance were often the means by which justice was meted out. If it was believed that a crime had taken place, a person could be tried, condemned and hanged by the side of the road on nothing more than the statement of a neighbor. The nineteenth century saw the development of the coal industry. This brought thousands of impoverished men looking for work. Sadly , the wages were often spent on alcohol and women were often nothing more than punching bags for the drunken abusive husbands as is the case of Dorothy Wilthew who was murdered at Jarrow by her husband after years of abuse. Other cases include; Joseph Hutchinson who murdered his brother and father at Sedgefield later he was found to be insane, a child was kidnapped and later murdered by Isabella Thompson at Bishop Auckland and Maria Fitzmmons was found stabbed to death in Sunderland in 1869 it was to be 13 years before her killer, Thomas Fury, was convicted of the crime . Take a journey into the darker and unknown side of your area as you read Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Durham.

Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths Around Folkestone takes the reader on a sinister journey through the annals of crime in Folkestone, Hythe and the surrounding area. Along the way we meet villains, murderers and victims of many kinds, including cut-throat soldiers, a 'baby farmer', a Jack the Ripper imposter, two inexplicable suicides and five individuals who died violent deaths in the 'House of Horror'. There is no shortage of harrowing and revealing incidents of evil to recount, many of which will be unfamiliar to the reader. Infant murders were once so rife in Folkestone it was termed the 'infanticide capital of Kent'. This fascinating book recalls many such grisly events, as well as sad or unsavoury individuals who have darkened this otherwise pleasant corner of the Garden of England.

This famous resort town attracts millions of visitors each year—but it’s history of true crime proves that murder and mayhem never take a holiday. On the shores of Sussex, England, the famed town of Brighton has long been a favorite for those who want to enjoy its beaches, music, art, and culture. Unfortunately, some people in Brighton’s past pursued much more sinister diversions . . . This gripping volume covers two centuries of murderous doings in Brighton portrayed in fifteen vivid case histories that span the criminal code from trunk murders, poisonings, child murders, killings over nothing, deaths suffered on journeys, infidelity, and lust. Surprisingly, no single volume devoted to murders in Brighton has ever appeared before—especially considering the town has been dubbed the ‘Queen of Slaughtering Places’. Also featured are many rare historical images of Brighton at the time many of the crimes took place—helping bring readers into the dark past of this sunny seaside city.

A local historian reveals the centuries of murder and mayhem lurking in the shadows of this charming English city. Just beneath its gentile façade, the city of York hides a dark past. Once England's second city, it is built on a thousand years of bloodshed. From brutal war to noble rebellion, and from petty crime to notorious killers, death has tracked the city's long history. Keith Henson begins with York’s early history of punishment and close with the city's only unsolved murder. From 1800–1946, the city slid from its Georgian splendor to a seething slum surrounded by medieval walls, then began to reemerge after World War Two. Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in York tells the story of some of the city's darkest moments: from Hanging Bishops to Sweet Toothed Poisoners; Insane Arsonists to Murder Most Foul.

A true-crime tour of this historical British coal town, with photos and illustrations. Historically, Newcastle was a town of great wealth because of the abundance of natural resources. Certainly by the eighteenth century, Newcastle and its surrounding towns made up the most important commercial center in the north of England. But alongside the wealth of the merchants and the factory owners, there was the dire poverty of the working class—and plenty of crime. A pall of dark fog would linger over the buildings, caused by the pollution spouting out from the chimneys of the ironworks and other industries. Bad housing, sanitation, overcrowding, and low wages bred superstition, ignorance, and illiteracy. Alcohol was often the only release the poorer classes had from their otherwise humdrum daily drudgery. It was not only the men who would spend all their money in the many beer houses—women also would drink themselves into oblivion, even if it meant their children went hungry. This book spans three hundred years of grisly events, beginning with the execution of so-called witches—stories that show the depraved side of humanity, and provide insight into the darker history of the area.

The charming English town of Guildford is built upon centuries of mayhem and madness—from a Game of Thrones–style massacre to mysterious murders. The twin fascinations of death and villainy will always hold us in their grim but thrilling grip. In Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Guildford, the chill is brought close to home as each chapter investigates the darker side of humanity in cases of murder, deceit, and pure malice committed over the centuries in the area. From crimes of passion to opportunistic killings and coldly premeditated acts of murder, the full spectrum of criminality is recounted, bringing to life the more sinister history of Guildford and the surrounding villages.

This book contains twenty-one separate stories all based in the Newport and district area. This is a coffee table/bedtime story book for the curious. Anyone fascinated by the mindset of a murderer will enjoy this book. Whether you are a budding Miss Marple or an aspiring Morse, inside is a taste of the criminal mind, the effort of detection and the horror of motives. Please do not try this at home!

Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Barking, Dagenham and Chadwell Heath takes the reader on a sinister journey through centuries of local crime and conspiracy, meeting villains of all sorts along the way murderous husbands and lovers, cut-throats, police-killers, highwaymen, Gunpowder Plotters and even a Nazi collaborator sentenced to death for High Treason. Luckless individuals who came to cruel or unjust ends are also recalled, from martyrs and witches to the fishermen who perished in the Great Storm of 1863 and the passengers who lost their lives when the pleasure steamer the Princess Alice sank in the Thames in 1878. There is no shortage of harrowing and revealing tales of accident and evil to recount from the history of this part of Essex to the east of London. The human dramas the authors describe are often played out in the most commonplace of circumstances, but others are so odd as to be stranger than fiction. Their grisly chronicle of the hidden history of Barking, Dagenham and Chadwell Heath will be compelling reading for anyone interested in the dark side of human nature.

Historical tales of crime and punishment from this ancient British town—includes photos and illustrations. Colchester historian Patrick Denney takes the reader on a sinister journey from the religious persecutions of Queen Mary’s time to the twentieth century, meeting villains, cutthroats, arsonists, and lunatics along the way. Based on original research, this fascinating chronicle will prove to be a valuable—if gruesome—addition to the historical record of this town that dates back to Roman times, as well as a compelling read for fans of true crime stories.