John Kiste

Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort had nine children who despite their very different characters, remained a close-knit family. Inevitably, as they married into European royal families their loyalties were divided and their lives dominated by political controversy. This is not only the story of their lives in terms of world impact, but also of their own personal achievements, their individual contributions to public life in Britain and overseas and in their roles as the children of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.

Home to all three armed services, Plymouth was greatly affected by both major conflicts of the twentieth century. Between 1914 and 1918, Devonport Dockyard was responsible for much routine repair and maintenance work as well as building new ships and submarines, while the Royal Marines and army battalions were active in various theatres of war overseas, and Mount Batten became one of the major stations of the newly formed Royal Air Force. During the Second World War, few cities in England suffered more devastating damage, with the heart of the old city destroyed and a death toll of 1,172. Richly illustrated and filled with true tales of local heroism and the unbreakable spirit of the people of Plymouth during these tumultuous years, this book looks at how the city fared during the wars and played her part in victory.

A compendium of fascinating information about Cornwall past and present, this book contains a plethora of entertaining facts about the county’s famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, history, natural history, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, agriculture, transport, industry and royal visits. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike. Did You Know? In British law no officer or agent of the Crown, which includes both Westminster and the Anglican Church, can legally set foot upon Cornish soil without the express and joint permissions of the Duke of Cornwall and Cornwall’s Stannary Parliament. Dolly Pentreath (c. 1680–1777), is popularly regarded as the last true speaker of the Cornish language and her last words were reputedly ‘Me ne vidn cewsel Sawznek!’ (‘I don’t want to speak English!’). Penzance boasts the county’s only officially designated promenade, which extends for just over a mile from the town harbour to Newlyn. Founded in 1860 Warrens Bakery, a family-owned chain based in St Just in Penwith, supplies pasties to Fortnum & Mason. Cornwall’s flag is that of St Piran and shows a white cross which represents molten tin oozing out of a black rock which Piran used when building his fireplace.

Do you know? Which MP was the first woman to take her seat in parliament? Who was the man they could not hang? Which member of the Beatles lost his temper at a famous Devon landmark? A compendium of fascinating information about Devon past and present, this book contains a plethora of entertaining facts about the county’s famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, history, natural history, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, agriculture, transport, industry, and royal visits. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

This chilling follow-up to Devon Murders brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of Devon, the featured cases include the stabbing of Walter Lechlade, a close associate of the Bishop of Exeter in 1283; the murder of Exeter lawyer Nicholas Radford in 1455, victim of a feud with the powerful Courtenay family; the suspicious deaths of baby George Lakeman at Buckfastleigh in 1817, and of the newly-married Laura Shortland near Blackawaton in 1884; the killing of Bridget Walsh by her lover at Plymouth in 1874; the case of baby farmer Annie Tooke, convicted of infanticide at Exeter in 1879; and the affair between Sidney Chamberlain and Doreen Messenger, a girl half his age, which led to her being strangled on Haldon Hill in 1949. John Van der Kiste’s well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of Devon’s past.

Taking you through the year day by day, The Plymouth Book of Days contains a quirky, eccentric, amusing or important event or fact from different periods of history. Find out when Plymothians elected the first woman to take her seat at Westminster, when Sir Francis Chichester sailed back into the city at the end of his global voyage in Gipsy Moth IV, when Laurel and Hardy made their last ever appearance onstage, and what became of Casper the famous commuting cat who regularly travelled on the same bus day after day. Ideal for dipping into, this addictive little book will keep you entertained and informed. Featuring hundreds of snippets of information, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

This chilling follow-up to Somerset Murders brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of Somerset, the featured cases include two female poisoners, Catherine Churchill, who killed her husband in Knowle-St-Giles in 1879 and Sarah Freeman, who claimed several victims in the Bridgwater area from 1843 onwards. A wide variety of means and motive are covered. There is murder committed in the course of robbery, such as the brutal killing of Sarah Wilkins in Nempnett Thrubwell in 1851; murder through jealousy, as in the case of George Bitten, who murdered his wife at Wolverton in 1867 and even altruistic murders, such as that committed by Albion Wadman near Wincanton in 1883. Also included is the strange and intriguing story of Reginald Woolmington, who faced two trials for the murder of his wife at Milborne Port in 1934. Nicola Sly and John Van der Kiste's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of Somerset's past.

A Grim Almanac of Hampshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from the county’s past, full of dreadful deeds, macabre deaths, grisly accidents and strange occurrences. Among the gruesome tales included here are the sinking in 1545 of the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII’s flagship, in the Solent, with the loss of almost 700 men; the delivery of a foul-smelling basket to a servant in Winchester in 1825, which on investigation was found to contain the body of a stillborn baby; the story of Dame Alice Lisle, allegedly the victim of a miscarriage of justice when executed in 1685, and whose ghost is said to haunt the lanes around her home at Ringwood; Percy Brading, who killed himself on the day of his father’s funeral at Newport in 1935; and of the double murder of Lydia and Norma Leakey in the New Forest in 1956. All these, plus tales of executions, disasters, suicides, explosions, and accidents by land, sea and air, and much more, are here — and if you have the stomach for it, then read on...

The history of Dartmoor extends to several centuries BC, with surviving prehistoric remains dating back to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age, and the largest concentration of Bronze Age remains in Britain. It has been a hunting ground for the Kings of Wessex, a royal forest, and home to farmers in ancient and medieval times, and a source of tin, iron and granite. In the twenty first century it has a resident population of about 33,000, including those in the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Moretonhampstead, Princetown and Yelverton. Some areas have provided a training ground for the army, and in 1951 it was officially designated a National Park. Its legends abound, with tales of headless horsemen, pixies, a large black dog, a mysterious pack of hounds, and a visit said to have been made by the devil to Widecombe in 1638 during a fierce thunderstorm. It has also provided a home and inspiration to writers including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and John Galsworthy. These photographs span the era from the late nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century, chosen to show the diversity of the landscape, the towns and villages, and the different uses made of Dartmoor as a source of local employment and industry, as well as a haven for wildlife and recreation, and above all the beauty and spirit of the area.

Ivybridge, South Brent, and their surrounding villages and hamlets, occupy that part of South Devon which borders the outskirts of Plymouth to the west, and the southern slopes of Dartmoor to the north. Now the most heavily populated town between Plymouth and the Torbay district, Ivybridge has developed considerably from the small village it was at the start of the twentieth century, becoming a town in 1977. About four miles away, the old market centre of South Brent has seen only minor changes over the years and its character remains essentially unaltered, though it too has increased greatly in size through the development of recent housing estates on its borders. This collection of images, in some cases dating back to the late nineteenth century, complemented by contemporary photographs, offers an absorbing look into the region's past and present.

This chilling follow-up to Cornish Murders brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but frequently made headline news throughout the nation. They include the brutal slaying of Elizabeth Seaman in Penzance in 1845, the murder in the course of a robbery of Robert Drew near Launceston in 1862, the slaughter of the entire Mortimer family in Saltash in 1901, and the suspicious death of a farmer near Liskeard in 1952, which was initially believed to be a tragic suicide until the results of the post-mortem examination were received. Nicola Sly and John Van der Kiste’s well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true crime and the shadier side of Cornwall’s past.

Berkshire Murders is an examination of some of the county's most notorious and shocking cases. They include Hannah Carey, beaten to death by her husband at Warfield in 1851; young Hannah Gould, whose throat was cut by her father in a frenzied attack at Windsor in 1861; Nell Woodridge, murdered by her husband in 1896 and later immortalised in Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol; Annie Davis, killed by her lover in 1912; and Minnie Freeman Lee, whose body was discovered in a trunk in 1940. John Van der Kiste's carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to all those interested in the darker side of Berkshire.

Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort had nine children who despite their very different characters, remained a close-knit family. Inevitably, as they married into European royal families their loyalties were divided and their lives dominated by political controversy. This is not only the story of their lives in terms of world impact, but also of their own personal achievements, their individual contributions to public life in Britain and overseas and in their roles as the children of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort.

A Grim Almanac of Cornwall is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, macabre deaths, strange occurrences and heinous homicides, this almanac explores the darker side of the county's past. Read about the leaders of the 1497 rebellion, who fought for their county only to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn; the fatal gunpowder explosion near Truro in 1864; the horrifying case of Henry Mortimer, who killed his wife, four children and himself at Saltash in 1901; the young lady who was attacked by a giant badger while walking near the river Fowey in 1906; and the couple who were drowned on their honeymoon at Falmouth in 1948. All these, plus tales of poachers, cannibals, witches, rioters, plague victims, highwaymen, smugglers, and accidents by land, sea and air, are here. Generously illustrated with a range of engravings, photographs and orginal documents, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable alternative history of Cornwall.

A look at the dark side of life, Victorian-style, when nothing was quite as it seemed and a public execution could be an entertaining family day out. Murderers, poachers, thieves, pickpockets and vagabonds all went about their business with impunity. Crime took place on the streets, on public transport, in homes, pubs, prisons, asylums, workhouses and brothels - it was all part of everyday life in Durham in the late 1800s. Naturally the punishments awarded varied considerably, depending upon the crimes committed. Murderers and thieves - particularly horse thieves - could expect the rope, though others could hope for a reprieve. Such a remission would automatically add them to list of convicts to be deported to the penal colonies in Australia. Alternatively, convicts might expect to spend time in gaol or a House of Correction, with hard labour and floggings often thrown in for good measure. This collection of real life crimes vividly recreates the events surrounding them, offering an insight not only into criminal law but also into the social history attached to crime as society evolved and adapted to meet changing industries and class structures. A must have book for any arm chair detective and anyone interested in the social mores of the day.

Surrey Murders is an examination of some of the county's most notorious and shocking cases. They include the 'Wigwam Girl', Joan Wolfe, who lived in a tent built by a Cree Indian Soldier before being brutally slaughtered; the infamous stabbing of Frederick Gold by 'the Serpent', Percy Lefroy Mapleton; the poisoning of the entire Beck family with a bottle of oatmeal stout, laced with cyanide; and the sailor butchered at the Devil's Punch Bowl, later immortalised in Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby. John Van der Kiste's carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to all those interested in the darker side of Surrey's history.

Jonathan Wild (born c.1683), probably Britain's most well-known criminal of the 18th century, was known as the director of a 'corporation of thieves'. He learned his 'trade' while serving a sentence in a debtor's prison, and established a curious reputation as 'Thief Taker General of Great Britain and Ireland'. He directed a large band of thieves and felons who dealt in stolen goods, kept the stolen goods himself and waited until the crime and theft was announced in the papers, at which point he would claim that his agents had found them, and would return them to their rightful owners, demanding a fee. Any criminals who would not comply with his organisation were betrayed by Wild to the police. He informed on about 120 men during his career, and all went to the gallows. He himself was arrested on a minor felony charge, found guilty and hanged at Tyburn in May 1725.His gang included Jack Sheppard, housebreaker, Nathaniel Hawes, highwayman, William Burridge, horse stealer, and others, all executed in the 1720s.

Somerset Murders brings together numerous murderous tales that shocked not only the county but also made headlines throughout the country. They include the cases of Elizabeth and Betty Branch, a mother and daughter who beat a young servant girl to death in Hemington in 1740; 13-year-old Betty Trump, whose throat was cut while walking home at Buckland St Mary in 1823; factory worker Joan Turner, battered to death in Chard in 1829; George Watkins, killed in a bare knuckle fight outside the Running Horse pub in Yeovil in 1843; Constance Kent, who confessed in 1865 to killing her half-brother at Rode in 1860, nearly five years earlier; and elderly landlay, Mrs Emily Bowers, strangled in her bed in Middlezoy in 1947. Nicola Sly and John van der Kiste, co-authors of Cornish Murders in this series, have an encyclopedic knowledge of their subject. Their carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Somerset's history.

Cornish Murders brings together numerous murderous tales that shocked not only the county but also made national news. They include the cases of Charlotte Dymond, whose throat was cut on Bodmin Moor in 1844, and Emily Tredrea, strangled at St Erth in 1909, both by their jilted suitors; Mary Ann Dunhill, murdered in a Bude hotel in 1931; shopkeeper Albert Bateman, battered to death on his premises in Falmouth on Christmas Eve 1942; Charlie and Elizabeth Giffard, savagely beaten and thrown over the cliffs near St Austell by their son in 1952; and William Rowe, brutally killed at his farm near Constantine for the sum of £4 in 1963.