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 […]
Tag Archives: murder
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 […]
Domestic Murders 2012 to 2018
Domestic homicides – that is murders and manslaughters where the killer and the victim are either partners or family members – tend to account for 20 per cent of the total every year. However there is a lot of variation over time which does not necessarily follow the general trend. For example, in 2017 there […]
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 […]