Nicola Sly

Hidden behind the picturesque facade of country lanes and rugged coastlines, quaint villages and busy market towns, the South West counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have witnessed some of the most shocking murder cases in British history. West Country Murders brings together over 30 cases from the authors' previous collections here in one volume. They include stories of those who killed for greed, jealousy and lust, as well as those who committed murder in what a well-known judge once described as 'a gust of passion'. Some of the killers were undoubtedly insane at the time of their crimes; others were almost certainly innocent, yet paid the ultimate price for a murder they did not commit. Some remain unsolved to this day, despite the best efforts of the local constabularies. This book is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of the West Country's history.

'Broadmoor Inmates: True Crime Tales of Life and Death in the Asylum' brings together the histories of people who died in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, each having committed a crime that led to them being pronounced criminally insane, necessitating their confinement and containment for their own protection, as well as that of the public. Nowadays, staff have a wide range of therapeutic tools at their disposal but historically the only treatment offered to patients was work, leisure activities and abundant fresh air. All human life is here - the addicts, the mentally deranged, the delusional, the tragic and the chronically and postnatally depressed - men and women whose acts of madness led them to be reviled and feared, but who were often as much victims of their own internal demons as were those they harmed. As well as wife murderers James Potter and Peter Whittle, the characters within include Henry Dommett, James Senior and Mary Ann Parr, who each killed their own children and Christiana Edmunds, who poisoned several people in Brighton to divert suspicion from herself, after attempting to murder her love rival. Other vignettes include serial arsonist John Green, counterfeiter Emma Jackson and James Stevenson and Roderick Edward McClean, both of whom took exception to the accession of Her Majesty Queen Victoria to the throne, the latter attempting to assassinate her. Daniel McNaughten became so paranoid about the 'Tory' spies that he believed followed him constantly that he killed a civil servant in 1843, mistakenly believing his victim to be prime minister Sir Robert Peel. Such was McNaughten's derangement that his crime spawned a new standard for the legal definition of insanity. Generously illustrated throughout, this book will prove of interest to those with a fascination for historical true crime and the way its perpetrators were dealt with by society.

Although an idyllic setting, where violent crime is thankfully rare, the Channel Islands have a shadier side. Contained within the pages of this book are twenty-five historic cases of murder committed in the Channel Islands. They include a fatal assault on John Francis in 1894, which remains unsolved; the murder by Philippe Jolin of his father in 1829; and the murder and suicide committed by Eugenie Toupin in 1881, all of which occurred in Jersey. In Guernsey, elderly widow Elizabeth Saujon was murdered during the course of a robbery in 1853, Edward Hooper drunkenly beat his wife to death in 1890, and housekeeper Elizabeth de la Mare murdered her elderly employer in 1935, wanting to hasten his demise on the understanding that she was the sole beneficiary of his will. Nicola Sly’s carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true crime and the shady side of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney’s history.

A Grim Almanac of Leicestershire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 macabre moments from the county’s past. Featured here are such diverse tales as mining disasters, freak weather conditions, industrial catastrophes, train crashes and tragic accidents, including the Oadby woman who was killed by a wasp sting in 1925 and Dorothy Cain, who performed her first ever parachute jump in 1926 — without her parachute. Among the murders detailed in this volume are the assisted suicide of the vicar of Hungerton in 1925, and the unsolved ‘Green Bicycle Murder’ of 1919 at Little Stretton. Generously illustrated with 100 pictures, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Leicestershire’s grim past. Read on... if you dare!

A Grim Almanac of Oxfordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from the county’s past. There are murders and manslaughters, including the killing by Mrs Barber of her entire family in 1909 while temporarily insane, and the brutal murder of four-year-old Edward Busby in 1871, killed by his mother to prevent his father ill-treating him. There are bizarre deaths, including those of four-year-old Charles Taylor, who was accidentally kicked clean through a top storey window in 1844 by a child playing on a swing, George Sheppard, who was struck by a cricket ball during a match in 1905, and of the vicar of Bucknell, who starved himself to death in 1935. There is an assortment of calamities which include strange and unusual crimes, devastating fires, rail crashes, explosions, disasters, mysteries, freak weather and a plethora of uncanny accidents. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Oxfordshire’s grim past. Delve into the dreadful deeds of Oxford’s past, if you dare…

A Grim Almanac of the Black Country is a day-by-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from around the area. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the darker side of the Black Country’s past. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of mining disasters, freak weather, bizarre deaths and tragic accidents, including the gunpowder explosion at a factory in Tipton which claimed nineteen lives in 1922. Also featured is the corpse in West Bromwich that was twice wrongly identified in 1929, the collapse of a concert hall roof in Walsall in 1921, and the two labourers buried in molten glass near Stourbridge in 1893. All these, plus tales of fires, catastrophes, mysteries and executions, are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of the Black Country’s grim past. Read on ... if you dare!

This grisly collection of historic, horrid happenings from across the country demonstrates that Christmas is not necessarily a time of peace, joy and goodwill to all men. The holiday season has witnessed a plethora of almost unbelievable accidents, such as the amateur mechanic who died with his head stuck in a car engine, the footballer who leaped into a quarry to retrieve a lost ball, and the Christmas party guest who fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck. There are fatal rail crashes in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Scotland; freak weather conditions and devastating fires, such as the Christmas Eve fire in Glasgow that cost the lives of four firemen in 1927. Among the chilling crimes featured here is that of Nottinghamshire man Edward Kesteven, who killed his wife on Christmas Day 1894, and the murder of Thirza Kelly in Norfolk by a local teenager on Christmas Eve 1900. Full of merry madness and hearty heartache, A Horrid History of Christmas will make you want to bypass the festivities altogether!

This extraordinary new book is a day-to-day catalogue of 366 ghastly tales from South Wales. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the shadier side of the area’s past. The history of South Wales includes accidents, disasters, disappearances and a multitude of mysteries. There are murders and manslaughters, such as the killing of an entire family of five in Langibby in 1878, and the murder of an elderly couple in Bassaleg in 1909. There are strange deaths, including the woman from Cadoxton, who died in 1894 after swallowing her false teeth, and episodes of freak weather, such as the devastating heat wave in August 1825, which caused several deaths and the thunderstorm of July 1830, which flooded a mine, drowning six people. Generously illustrated, this chronicle of crimes, calamities and catastrophes is an entertaining and readable record of South Wales’s grim past. Read on... if you dare!

A Grim Almanac of Bristol is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from the city’s past. There are murders and manslaughters, including the case of Thomas Buller, who was killed in 1875 by a man who was married only that morning, and Sarah Skinner, who was thrown out of a window in 1847. There are bizarre deaths, such as the mother who mistakenly fed her child rat poison instead of teething powders, and the deaths of a man and his wife from a gas leak, both of which occurred in 1861. There is an assortment of disasters which include devastating fires, such as the destruction of the Merchant Venturers’ College in 1907 and the fire in a city hat shop in 1876, which claimed the lives of the proprietor and two of his children, not to mention mining disasters, rail crashes, explosions, shipwrecks, cases of cruelty and neglect and a plethora of uncanny accidents. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Bristol’s grim past. Read on... if you dare!

A Grim Almanac of Dorset is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the darker side of the Dorset's past. The wicked, the mad, the violent and the bad are all found in this volume. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of highwaymen, murderers, bodysnatchers, duellists, poachers, rioters and rebels. Joining them are accounts of tragic suicides, accidents and bizarre deaths, including the woman who tripped over a dog in Weymouth in 1878 and a soldier who dozed off while smoking on top of the Nothe Fort in 1877 and fell off the parapet. All these, plus tales of fires, shipwrecks, explosions, and accidents by land, sea and air, are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Dorset’s grim past. Read on... if you dare!

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 Somerset 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 Somerset's past. The wicked, the mad, the violent and the bad are all crammed into this volume. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with such diverse tales as the soldier who stabbed himself with his own bayonet while turning a somersault in 1879, 'the murder that never happened' in 1837, the mother who threw her child into a cess pit in 1855, as well as a catalogue of disasters which include mining and railway accidents, explosions, riots, a devastating collapsing footbridge in Bath in 1930 and a circus big top destroyed by fire in Taunton in 1920, with the loss of five lives. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Somerset's grim past. Read on... if you dare!

A Grim Almanac of Herefordshire is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from around the county. Full of dreadful deeds, strange disappearances and a multitude of mysteries, this almanac explores the darker side of Herefordshire's past. Here are stories of tragedy, torment and the truly unfortunate with diverse tales of murderers, bodysnatchers, duelists, poachers, rioters and rebels. Joining them are accounts of tragic suicides, accidents and bizarre deaths, including William Prosser, who died in Clodock in 1893 as the result of a practical joke; the farmer bitten to death by his horse in 1887; and the young man from Colwall who allegedly sat on a spike. Also here is the case of a Yorkshire tramp, whose body was found in Weobley in 1894, and the murders and suicide of Charles Hankins and his two young children in Ledbury in 1896. Some killers were lucky to get away with charges of manslaughter, such as Thomas Carlyle, who shot a coachman near Leominster in 1871, and George Hatton, who rid himself of a nagging wife near Ross in 1893. All these, plus tales of fires, catastrophes, explosions and disasters, are here. Generously illustrated, this chronicle is an entertaining and readable record of Herefordshire’s grim past. Read on... if you dare!

In this follow-up to Hampshire Murders, forensic and legal psychologist Nicola Sly brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. They include the last recorded fatal duel to have been fought in England in 1845; the mysterious death of Andover businessman William Parsons in 1858; the 1888 killing of Annie Vaughan by her stepfather who, for more than two years, had treated her ‘as his wife’; the murder of Grayshot village postmistress Emily Chapman by her husband in 1901; and the ‘murder that never was’ – the victim’s death was recorded as having been caused by his drunkenness until his naval commanding officer later confessed to killing him. Nicola Sly’s well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Hampshire’s history.

This chilling follow-up to Bristol Murders brings together more true-life historical murders that shocked not only the city but frequently made headline news throughout the nation. They include the brutal murders of policemen Patrick White in 1846 and Christopher Wickham in 1862, a frightful case of murder and suicide at Bitton in 1842, and the deliberate starvation of a child at Knowle in 1874. There are murders for money, such as the murder of Mary Lewis in Stapleton in 1836, and a brief, but tantalising, mystery from 1915 when two separate murders in different parts of the city showed remarkable similarities. Nicola Sly’s well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true crime and the shadier side of Bristol’s past.

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.

Herefordshire Murders brings together twenty-eight murderous tales, some which were little known outside the county and others which made national headlines. Herefordshire was home to one of Britain’s most infamous murderers, Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong, who, in 1921, poisoned his wife and attempted to poison a fellow solicitor in Hay-on-Wye. However, the county has also experienced many lesser known murders. They include the case of two-year-old Walter Frederick Steers, brutally killed in Little Hereford in 1891; eighty-seven-year-old Phillip Ballard, who died at the hands of two would-be burglars in Tupsley in 1887; Jane Haywood, murdered by her husband near Leominster in 1903; and the shooting of two sisters at Burghill Court, near Hereford, by their butler in 1926. Nicola Sly’s carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Herefordshire’s history.

Oxfordshire Murders brings together twenty-five murderous tales, some which were little known outside the county, and others which made national headlines. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Oxfordshire. They include the deaths of two gamekeepers, brutally murdered in 1824 and 1835; Henrietta Walker, killed by her husband at Chipping Norton in 1887; Mary Allen, shot by Harry Rowles at Cassington in the same year; and Anne Kempson, murdered by Henry Seymour, a door-to-door salesman, in Oxford in 1931. Nicola Sly's carefully researched and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Oxfordshire's history.

Murder by poison is often thought of as a crime mainly committed by women, usually to despatch an unwanted spouse or children. While there are indeed many infamous female poisoners, such as Mary Ann Cotton, who is believed to have claimed at least twenty victims between 1860 and 1872, and Mary Wilson, who killed her husbands and lovers in the 1950s for the proceeds of their insurance policies, there are also many men who chose poison as their preferred means to a deadly end. Dr. Thomas Neil Cream poisoned five people between 1881 and 1892 and was connected with several earlier suspicious deaths, while Staffordshire doctor William Palmer murdered at least ten victims between 1842 and 1856. Readily obtainable and almost undetectable prior to advances in forensic science during the twentieth century, poison was considered the ideal method of murder and many of its exponents failed to stop at just one victim. Along with the most notorious cases of murder by poison in the country, this book also features many of the cases that did not make national headlines, examining not only the methods and motives but also the real stories of the perpetrators and their victims.