Victorian Crime
The Victorian era was a time of dramatic change, and of crimes so shocking they captured headlines across Britain and beyond, including the sensational Illustrated Police News (IPN). From notorious murder trials to unsolved mysteries, this blog explores the darker side of 19th century true crime. Here, you’ll find investigations into infamous cases such as the Pantin Massacre, in which Jean-Baptiste Traupmann slaughtered an entire family, and the brutal Petts Wood double murder of a gamekeeper and his wife. There are also profiles of Jack the Ripper suspects like Aaron Kosminski and Jacob Levy, along with lesser-known and forgotten stories that reveal the fears, obsessions, and scandals of Victorian society.
The Unsolved Murder of Harriet Buswell in Great Coram Street
It was Christmas Day, 1872. As families celebrated with loved ones and children sang carols beneath the glow of Victorian streetlamps, a scene of horrific
The Murder of Miriam Angel and the Trial of Israel Lipski (1887)
Background The summer of 1887 was hot and dry, and it wouldn’t take much to spark the tinderbox of anger that simmered beneath the surface
The Man They Could Not Hang: John Babbacombe Lee
The Glen at Babbacombe Beach Emma Ann Whitehead Keyse was born in 1816 in Edmonton, Middlesex – now part of the London Borough of Enfield.
The Walsoken Murder and the Botched Execution of Robert Goodale
The Goodales of Walsoken Farm In 1885, 45-year-old Robert Goodale was a farmer and market gardener in Walsoken, with a smallholding of around seven acres.
The Murderess of Newington Butts: The Strange Case of Agnes Norman
Agnes Norman was born in 1856 to bootmaker Joseph Norman and his wife Elizabeth. The family lived in the village of Clipston in Northamptonshire,
Murder at the Post Office (Brecknock Road, Kentish Town)
Victorian London in 1886 1886 was a year of political instability in England, with growing numbers of rallies and protests over the widening gap between
Murder on Roppa Moor: The Helmsley Double Murder of 1895
In 1895, a double murder on the remote moorland near Helmsley in North Yorkshire shocked a close-knit community and led to a police search that
The Murder of German Watchmaker Lorenz Beha
When artisan watch and clockmaker Lorenz Beha left his birthplace of Baden, in the region which would later become unified Germany, he was full of
Was Jacob Levy Jack the Ripper?
Early Life and Family Background Jacob Levy was born in March 1856 in Whitechapel, to father Joseph and mother Catherine, who was sometimes known as
Was Aaron Kosminski Jack the Ripper?
The Macnaghten Memorandum and the Swanson Marginalia The first time any Jack the Ripper suspects were officially named was in the Macnaghten Memorandum, written in
The Plumstead Tragedy
Victorian justice is often thought to have been swift, harsh, and unforgiving. While this was generally true, with murder convictions usually resulting in an execution,
The Althorpe Murder: Who Killed Annie Pritchard?
Andrew George McRae was born in September 1855. As a young man he worked as a glass shade cutter with his uncle, but by the