Lancashire Murders

Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in Lancashire's history. The cases covered here record the county's most fascinating but least known crimes, as well as famous murders that gripped not just Lancashire but the whole nation. From Liverpool's Florence Maybrick (was she really guilty of poisoning her hypochondriac husband with arsenic and was he indeed Jack the Ripper?) to late Victorian Bury's disturbing 'Body in the Wardrobe' case; from the infamous Drs Ruxton and Clements, who saw off five wives between them, to Blackpool's Louisa Merrifield, whose loose tongue was undoubtedly her downfall, this is a collection of the county's most dramatic and interesting criminal casesAlan Hayhurst has been uncovering evidence about the county's historic murders for more than fourty years. In writing this book he has visited all of the murder sites, consulted original documents and contemporary reports, and spoken to those who has personal memories of the cases concerned. Lancashire Murders is a unique re-examination of the darker side of the county's past.

Staffordshire Murders brings together murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. They include the poisonous Dr Palmer, murder on the canal, a tale of infanticide, the body in the gasometer, the chauffeur's revenge, murder on Cannock Chase and much more. Alan Hayhurst has spent many hours visiting the scenes detailed in this book, as well as researching original documents and talking to people who have meories of the individual crimes. His well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to all who are interested in the shady side of Staffordshire's history.

Some of the gruesome cases in this book are better known than others, such as the inexplicable shooting of his wife and two daughters by Lock Ah Tam in 1926 and the Gorse Hall murder in 1909, which still excites aficionados of true crime and those who like a good unsolved mystery. Others are less well known, including the mysterious murder of Mary Malpas in 1835 and the crime of Frederick George Wood in Bramhall in 1922, a classic example of the pointless murder, for little or no reward, while few outside the town have ever heard the tale of the 'Congleton Cannibal.' All manner of murder and mystery is featured here, and this book is sure to be a must-read for true crime enthusiasts everywhere.

Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in the history of Greater Manchester. They include the case of cat burglar Charlie Peace, who killed 20-year-old PC Nicolas Cock in Seymour Grove, and only confessed after he had been sentenced to death for another murder; the sad tale of William Robert Taylor, whose young daughter was killed in a boiler explosion and who, later, desperate and in debt, murdered his landlord as well as his three remaining children; Jack Jackson, who escaped from Strangeways Gaol by killing a prison warder while mending a gas pipe for the prison matron; and the death of Police Sergeant Charles Brett, who stuck bravely to his post despite an armed attack on his prison van by the 'Manchester Martyrs.'

In this follow-up to Lancashire Murders, Alan Hayhurst brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. They include the case of Oldham nurse Elizabeth Berry, who poisoned her own daughter for the insurance money in 1887; Margaret Walber, who beat her husband to death in Liverpool in 1893; John Smith, the young Home-Guardsman who shot his ex-girlfriend in broad daylight at Whitworth in 1941; and Norman Green, who was hanged for the murder of two young boys in Wigan in the 1950s, but may have been responsible for a third death as well. Alan Hayhurst's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Lancashire's history.

Did You Know? In Stacksteads, a village near Bacup, there is an annual event which has to rank among the wackiest in the country's sporting calendar: the Gravy Wrestling competition. According to legend King Arthur's mighty sword Excalibur is lying at the bottom of Lancashire's deepest lake, Martin Mere. In Wigan, Eccles cakes used to be called 'slow walking cakes' because they were offered to mourners at funerals. St Walburge's Church in Preston was named after the patron saint of people suffering from rabies. The Little Book of Lancashire is fun and informative guide to the things you did not know about this amazing part of England. Whether you want to sit down and read it cover to cover or dip into it for hilarious facts and anecdotes, this book will delight both visitors to this beautiful county and the residents who call it home.

In which pub was the notorious murder that led to the Kray twins becoming Britain's most feared gangsters? Where is the hostelry in which Jack the Ripper's victims drank? How did Burke and Hare befriend their victims in a Scottish watering hole before luring them to their deaths? What is the name of the pub where the Lord Lucan mystery first came to light? And how did a pub become the scene of the murder that led to Ruth Ellis going to the gallows? For centuries, the history of beer and pubs has gone hand in hand with some of the nation's most despicable and fascinating crimes. Packed with grizzly murders – including fascinating little-known cases – as well as sinister stories of smuggling, robbery and sexual intrigue, Murder at the Inn is a treasure trove of dark tales linked to the best drinking haunts and historic hotels across the land.

Whilst the passage of time can and has uncovered many secrets, killers could get away with their crimes in 1596 when Shakespeare penned these words and this is certainly the case in more recent times as Unsolved Murders in South Yorkshire clearly demonstrate.The early chapters include cases of historic interest where killers certainly went to the grave in the knowledge they had got away with murder. Cases include suspicious deaths which left detectives in South Yorkshire baffled, but which were, it would seem, acts of callous murder which were not recognised as such due to dubious police opinions and practices. There are also cases of clear murder such as a man shot in the head during the Victorian period, whose killer was never identified.The later chapters, however, feature more recent cold cases where there is still the possibility that the wicked men or women who were responsible for such acts of inhumanity may remain within our society.Cases include a man murdered for less than 70 in a city centre multi storey car park, a teenage girl abducted, sexually assaulted and left dead on a dung hill, a young mother who entered prostitution and died at the hands of a man with more than sex on his mind, a pregnant woman who left home one day to go shopping but was found days later dead in a ditch with her throat cut and a disabled woman who was strangled in her home which was then set ablaze.For some of these cases there is the chance that someone has information which, despite the passage of decades, could lead to one or more individuals standing trial for murder. Justice can still prevail.