In 1864 Thomas Briggs, a 69 year-old banker, became the first person to be murdered on the railway in Britain. The case was an instant sensation in the press and played into fears about the speed of change taking place across the country in the Victorian era. It began as… You must be a paid …
Category archives: Historical Murders
The Assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval
Only one British Prime Minister has ever been assassinated. Spencer Perceval was shot in the Palace of Westminster in 1812 after serving just three years in office. During that time he presided over an unstable government, a financial crisis and a series of setbacks in the Napoleonic wars. But it… You must be a paid …
Continue reading “The Assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval”
The Ratcliffe Highway Murders: 1811
The Ratcliffe Highway Murders were the most notorious of the early 19th Century. In the space of 12 days two families were slaughtered in their homes in such a terrible manner that for weeks afterwards “terror was on every face” as people barricaded their doors, bought guns and rattles and… You must be a paid …
The Acid Bath Murderer: John George Haigh
Between 1944 and 1949, John George Haigh killed at least six people after becoming convinced he could carry out the perfect crime. Believing that without a body it would be impossible to be convicted of murder, he dissolved his victims in sulphuric acid. The resulting sludge could then be poured… You must be a paid …
Continue reading “The Acid Bath Murderer: John George Haigh”
The Nude Murders: ‘Jack the Stripper’
Between 1964 and 1965 six women were found dead in and around the River Thames. All of them had been strangled and all were naked, leading to their description as the ‘Nude Murders’. The first victim was 30 year-old Hannah Tailford, discovered in the river under a pier at Upper… You must be a paid …