Mick Davis

Weymouth has been a major sea port on England’s south coast since the Middle Ages and although it became a popular resort through King George III’s patronage and later when the railways arrived, the area also developed a strong military presence in the nineteenth century with barracks being built in Weymouth and a new naval dockyard developed on the nearby Isle of Portland. A convict prison was opened on Portland and is still a prison today. In this book author Mick Davis explores some of the most notorious crimes associated with Weymouth and Portland through the ages, including a gang of children running wild who terrorised Victorian Weymouth, the tragic shooting of a barmaid by a deluded admirer, the murder of a sailor pushed off a cliff on Portland by a fellow sailor and many more. This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Weymouth and Portland in the past. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Weymouth and Portland.

The Notting Hill area of London, behind its present-day affluence, has had a reputation in the past second to none for its criminality. Victorian developers sought to bring in wealthy Londoners to the large villas but in the twentieth century the houses became multi-occupancy and the area synonymous with cheap lodging and crimes of every hue. In this book author Mick Davis explores some of the most notorious crimes associated with Notting Hill and adjoining North Kensington from the Victorian age onwards, including some of the less publicised but equally sensational crimes and infamous characters of this fascinating area. This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Notting Hill and North Kensington in the past. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of this corner of West London.

Running with the bulls in old Pamplona, Spain is not a sport for young ladies, but Manuela does it and life changes forever. The Queen's lover dies and Fernando, Manuela's lover is blamed. He, Fernando, flees and is assumed dead. A Spanish civil war forces Manuela's family to flee to colonial California, but along the way loved ones are lost. Manuela disguises herself and becomes her dead twin brother. Meanwhile, in Spain, a Cain and Abel event developed between identical brothers over the far away Manuela. Each brother follows her but in the end truth prevails. This saga, set in the mid 1800's in Spain and in and round the missions and churches of Carmel and Monterey California - The Soldiers Chapel - is rich in history, love lost and found and human, religious and civil tragedy.

Running with the bulls in old Pamplona, Spain is not a sport for young ladies, but Manuela does it and life changes forever. The Queen's lover dies and Fernando, Manuela's lover is blamed. He, Fernando, flees and is assumed dead. A Spanish civil war forces Manuela's family to flee to colonial California, but along the way loved ones are lost. Manuela disguises herself and becomes her dead twin brother. Meanwhile, in Spain, a Cain and Abel event developed between identical brothers over the far away Manuela. Each brother follows her but in the end truth prevails. This saga, set in the mid 1800's in Spain and in and round the missions and churches of Carmel and Monterey California - The Soldiers Chapel - is rich in history, love lost and found and human, religious and civil tragedy.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Britain had eased its problem of crowded jails and surplus criminals by packing them into ships and sending them off to the American colonies to be sold as what amounted to slave labour. All this came to an end with the revolution of 1775 and the legal system was stuck with an ever-increasing army of desperate felons. As there was no national prison system, these felons were crammed on to derelict sailing ships, the hulks, and put to hard labour in appalling conditions, mainly along the rivers Thames and Medway. Their story has been largely ignored by generations of historians and here, for the first time, detailed accounts of their plight, along with the lives and careers of the quite extraordinary men who ruled over them, is examined. Duncan Campbell, for instance, was the ship's captain and plantation owner who first organised the hulk system, and Aaron Graham the magistrate who spied upon, and then defended, the leader of the Nore mutiny and employed William Bligh of the _Bounty_ mutiny to captain his ships. There are biographies of some of the colourful rogues, children and gentleman thieves who were crammed together and condemned to spend years in despair, starvation and degradation, often with their arms and legs manacled and subject to vicious punishments for minor infringements of the regulations. In theory, the hulks were simply holding pens until convicts could be shipped off to the new colonies in Australia, but many sentenced to be transported for terms of between seven years to life were destined to serve most of, if not all, their term onboard. Those that did make it to the other side of the world after a harrowing journey were seldom better off and their story is told in the final chapter.

Even today, over 200 years after the event, controversy and debate continue over the shocking Peterloo massacre in Manchester, resulting in the deaths of 18 innocent people attending a peaceful meeting, with over 600 injured. There have been a few books on the events of that day but this is the first to examine the devastating effect it had on the life of the leading participant Henry Hunt and his time in jail. There are many extracts from the transcript of his trial, his prison diary, and his evidence before the Commons Commission set up to enquire into the controversial events at Ilchester jail, as well as some first-hand accounts of what life was like inside the prison during the 1820s.Much original research has gone into tracing the life of William Bridle, Hunt's sworn enemy, covering his life both before and after his governorship of Ilchester jail. He was dismissed for running a harsh and brutal regime but may just have been the victim of political intrigue beyond his control. His rebirth as the tenant/manager of the magnificent pleasure grounds of Sydney Gardens in Bath is examined in some detail as is his final descent into destitution and despair.Their lives are put into context by a brief history of the radical political movements of the time, the war with France, and Hunt's fractious relationship with William Cobbett and their social interaction, both personal and political.

The history of humans in the Frome area stretches right back to Palaeolithic times and Frome first appears as a settlement as early as the Saxon period. This fascinating book covers the entire period of its growth into an important Somerset market town. From the Stone Age to the Foo Fighters its unique history is told in short, easy to read sections with many of the illustrations being published for the first time. Along with the serious history there are some quirky characters and freaky events, coin hoards, crime and punishment, long lost pubs, a tank, ancient maps, witchcraft, riots and rebellions, a lost head, ancient customs and even a few skeletons and some flying saucers. It is a book to be dipped into at leisure, finding little nuggets that might lead to further research or stimulate new interests.

Frome was historically one of the largest towns in Somerset and is rapidly growing today. Its wealth was built on wool and cloth industries, later metalworking and printing, bringing many people into the town. Agricultural work was also the way of life for many. As these industries rose and fell, the fortunes of many fluctuated and in periods of decline life was often hard. In Frome Murders and Misdemeanours authors Mick Davis and David Lassman delve into local records to reveal the dark side of life for ordinary people through the ages, including tales of bewitchment, counterfeiting, revenge and vicious murder. The stories include a trial for witchcraft and the role of the vicar of Frome, a sadistic murder of a serving girl by her mistress and her mistress’ daughter, the parish constable’s account of his day-to-day dealings with domestic violence, drunkenness and general disorder in Regency Frome, an ageing playboy shot dead by a jealous husband who then shot himself, a farm labourer stabbed to death by his uncle and a triple tragedy of father, wife and son discovered dead in their home by a milkman on his rounds. This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Frome in previous centuries. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Frome and the south-west of England.

The ancient city of Bath has always attracted visitors, flourishing in the Georgian era and becoming home for the fashionable and wealthy. The city was rebuilt to reflect its new status and although areas were devastated by aerial attacks in the Second World War and the misguided destruction of the 1960s, Bath today is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. In Bath Murders and Misdemeanours author Mick Davis has delved into local records to reveal the dark side of life in the golden city. From highwaymen to grave robbers and murderers, poisoners to suicides, psychopaths to major disasters, the author has researched and examined a number of little-known crimes that rocked the city in days gone by. This collection of true-life crime stories gives a vivid insight into life in Bath in previous centuries. This book will fascinate anyone with an interest in the history of crime as well as those who want to know more about the history of Bath and the south-west of England.

Sir Thomas Swymmer Mostyn-Champneys was born in Frome, Somerset in 1769 the last in a line of aristocrats who claimed origins back to William of Normandy. A series of bad judgements resulted in Thomas being born into a third generation of bankruptcy and despite marrying a very rich widow he was never able to extricate himself from this. Regardless of an ever-decreasing amount of funds he spent lavishly on masquerade balls, pageants and building projects - but most of all on litigation.He became involved in a serious legal dispute over the right to appoint the sexton of the local church, he won the case at great expense and published a long and a surreal poem ridiculing his opponents. A segment of this poem contains a description of some original manuscripts that he believed to have been written by William Shakespeare and describes a night Shakespeare spent in Frome where he was 'tricked by the natives.'The book details numerous and often humorous court cases as well as his imprisonment for debt, extravagant building projects and his time as a popular magistrate At one point he was kidnapped from an inn at knifepoint by bailiffs and thrown into the debtor's prison spending many years imprisoned in London and Ilchester.When not entertaining lavishly he spent much of his time in dispute with local worthies one of whom, a local solicitor, spread rumours about him engaging in homosexual relations which involved a court case for slander which Champneys won - and produced another book as a result.In 1832 he stood in the local election which resulted in three days of rioting and the local militia firing on the crowd. He lost despite being popular with the working people who were not enfranchised. His debts became so large that his mansion, at Orchardleigh was raided by bailiffs on many occasions and the contents sent off to auction until eventually the estate was purchased by a relative and he was allowed to stay there with his wife until his death in 1839.

The Somerset town of Frome might top national polls as a great place to live and enjoy a reputation as the epitome of cool, with Hollywood A-listers regularly spotted on its street and global rock-stars playing its venues, but the place hasn't always been so 'chic' and behind this modern-day fa ade lies a more sinister and foul past; full of murder, kidnapping, rioting, witchcraft and rebellion, among the other nefarious activities that have taken place over the centuries in the town and surrounding areas. Indeed, the very existence of Frome is down to acts of criminality; as it has been said the reason Saint Aldhelm built his Saxon church in the first place, thus bringing the market town into being, was to 'civilise' the outlaws and bandits who roamed the interior of Selwood Forest; the huge tract of woodland which encircled the land that became the original settlement. Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Frome chronicles fourteen foul but fascinating stories that includes the Frome vicar who wrote the most significant book on witchcraft, influencing everyone from The Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, to the perpetrators of the Salem witch trials; the key turning point in the Monmouth Rebellion; the last person to be publicly hanged outside Taunton gaol; a war veteran's triple tragedy; and the violent and brutal pitched battle that was the culmination of a long-running feud between the local populace and the Salvation Army. You will never look at Frome the same way again.